Beacon News

Beacon Staff Profile: Andrew Lem, Surety Consultant & Project Engineer

Andrew Lem, E.I.T., joined Beacon in 2017 and quickly became a key member of our New York City construction consulting team. A native New Yorker who grew up in Northern Westchester County, Andrew is a graduate of Villanova University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Since joining Beacon, Andrew has been involved in a wide variety of construction consulting assignments, covering all of the following areas. Andrew has also become the "go-to team member" in our New York office for construction loan monitoring and related services. His experience includes...

Construction Project Cash Flow Analysis: Some Key Problems & Solutions

Mike Kinahan is a Project Manager in Beacon's Medford, MA office. We asked Mike to weigh in on some of the ways Construction Project Cash Flow issues can get contractors in trouble and what can be done to head off cash-flow-related problems before they get out of hand.
Question: Mike, how do contractors typically get in trouble when it comes to managing cash flow on construction projects?...

Construction Industry News: Some Developers Forging Ahead With Major Construction Projects

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the U.S. economy (and the construction industry), some forward-looking developers are moving ahead with major multi-year projects. It's comforting to think that things will eventually be back to normal. Looking at some of the following projects reminds us that there is light at the end of the tunnel and things will return to normal in the not-too-distant future...

Beacon President's Message September 2020

Happy Fall! I hope this message finds you well. As we enter the last quarter of this challenging year, there is some positive news in the construction industry. Recent reports show the U.S. construction industry bouncing back faster than most other sectors of the economy. For example, there have been solid gains in new construction starts, hiring, and project backlog (source: ConstructionDrive.com). In addition, a 2nd Quarter report by Marcum LLP indicates that the U.S. construction industry unemployment rate dropped down to 8.9%, a big improvement compared to the bleak situation back in the late Spring.

As we cautiously return to more normal conditions (at work and at home), Beacon's growing team continues to work hard on a diverse range of construction consulting projects for our clients. In this month's E-News we profile Elizabeth Paquet, one of our Construction Consultants working out of Beacons' New York office. Elizabeth has been working hard for our clients on a number of different high-profile Surety Consulting assignments over the past year. With more than two decades of industry experience, she is a great addition to our team. In other exciting news, Beacon has established a physical presence in Florida, as well as a European presence based in Ireland....

Beacon Project Team Member Profile: Elizabeth Paquet, Construction & Surety Consultant

Elizabeth Paquet joined Beacon Consulting Group's team in 2019. With more than 20 years of construction industry experience and a Master’s Degree in Construction Management from Steven's Institute of Technology, Elizabeth’s background and deep industry knowledge have made her an invaluable member of Beacon's Construction Consulting team.

Elizabeth's experience in the construction industry goes back to her early teen years when she started working part time at her father's firm M.J. Paquet, Inc., a construction company specializing in complex heavy transportation projects for the public and private sector. During her high school and college years, Elizabeth started working full time during school breaks as an administrative assistant and intern at the company where she played an active role helping to support and manage large highway / infrastructure projects...

Project Profile: Beacon Provides Surety Consulting / Construction Consulting Services for The Shed at Hudson Yards, NYC

Beacon Consulting Group was hired by a leading Surety to consult on a bond default matter related to "The Shed," a recently built, $500-million visual arts and performing arts exhibition center in New York City's Hudson Yards. The 170,000-sf facility (also knowns as The Bloomberg Building) opened just over one year ago and is the cultural centerpiece of Hudson Yards, a $25-billion-dollar development project in Manhattan, which includes massive office and residential buildings, retailers, restaurants, bars, as well as other entertainment and outdoor spaces. Ideally located at the northern end of NYC's popular elevated park / walkway, The High Line, Hudson Yards has quickly become one of New York's most popular attractions for tourists and locals...

Beacon Client Profile: GDS Development & Klövern AB Announce Topping Out of NYC Office Tower

Beacon Consulting Group has been providing independent construction loan monitoring services for a new office building construction project underway in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. In recent weeks, the project reached a significant milestone as the 12-story building's superstructure was topped out. New York City-based GDS Development is building the Class A tower in partnership with Klövern AB, one of Sweden's largest real estate companies. The project is located at the northwest corner of 7th Ave. and 28th Street, just south of Penn Station and a short distance east from the High Line and Hudson Yards...

Beacon President's Message August 2020

I hope your summer is going well. We are keeping busy here at Beacon, assisting our clients on a wide range of projects, including consulting on a number of construction projects delayed by Covid-19 and finding ways to help get them back on schedule asap. The construction industry is adjusting to the "new normal," which includes dealing with many postponed / delayed projects, managing construction sites differently to protect workers, and, for some GCs and Subcontractors, finding ways to survive through a period of economic uncertainty. In this month's E-News, we highlight some of the consulting services Beacon provides which help sureties, insurers, and construction companies during this challenging period. In particular, we have been very active in recent months working on Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) consulting assignments.

Beacon Staff Profile: Kieran O'Connor, Senior Project Manager

Kieran O’Connor is a key member of Beacon's management and construction consulting team. He has extensive experience providing Surety Consulting & Construction Project Management on projects across the U.S. Kieran is a tenacious, detail-oriented professional who serves Beacon’s clients with a very high level of professionalism and proficiency across a wide range of consulting areas. Since joining Beacon in 2011, Kieran has taken a lead role on numerous construction consulting assignments.

Beacon Service Highlight: Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) Consulting

Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) is an insurance product which can be very useful for construction companies seeking to reduce their risk related to subcontractors who might default on a project. SDI protects general contractors (GCs) with insurance coverage for direct and certain indirect costs in the case of a subcontractor default. Beacon provides a wide range of services to insurance companies to mitigate their risk both in underwriting an account or adjusting a claim related to Subcontractor Default Insurance.