Five years ago, Schimenti Construction’s retail work mainly included stores in large boxes such as Target. A concerted effort to enter the end of the luxury of this market paid off. The firm took place 1 in retail construction on the List of Top Contractors of New York of 2024. This year, the firm, which also stands out in the hospitality and entertainment sectors, is the New York year contractor, occupying the 50th place on the Global East list with revenue of $ 380 million.
The firm attributes its recent success to the completion of 90 more projects, including eight emblematic stores, including one for the extensions of the French retail. It also has a strong security culture with a 0.72 experience modification rate. The introduction of the Firm’s (ESOP) employee shares in 2022 further strengthened the successful culture of the company, which extends to its community impact. Non -profit organizations The signature includes PAVE Global, which focuses on the education and mentoring of the industry and the James Lenox House Association, which provides affordable homes for the elderly. Schimenti is also active in professional groups such as Build Out Alliance, a professional Women in Construction and Ace Mentor Program.
James Harrison, Executive Vice President of Schimenti, spoke with Enr on the success of the firm’s retail sector, security culture and the corporate future. This Q&A has been edited and condensed.
How did Schimenti come in in luxury retail trade?
We raised a growth approach in the sector five years ago. The idea was to expand in detail through new subsectors such as luxury. At the same time, we would develop a hospitality offer and also support the owner’s works on the front of the life cycle. We wanted to continue with the sectors we knew we could be the best and offer a premium service. Growth would be organic and will allow the existing team to be part of the trip.
Schimenti’s main projects include:
New York Spring
Located in One Wall Street, the 55,000 square meter flagship store marks the debut to the Paris retailer designed by Laura Gonzalez, the store mixes the heritage and innovation with sculptural lighting, hand -painted tiles, warm wooden parquet and imported stone stone. A prominent feature is the restored red room, which retains its original mosaics and the growing ceilings of 33 feet, creating an immersive and multisensory environment. The printing creation was a 26 -month project marked by narrow coordination, global supply and precision craft. The pre -construction began in December 2022, followed by an early structural phase. Schimenti ceded the white box in September 2024, with the final installation ended in February before the public inauguration of March. It was delivered as a key project in hand, its scope extended much beyond the typical construction to include lighting, audiovisual systems, custom furniture, art works and high -end finishes.
Skims nyc
The flagship store gives life to the brand’s minimalist identity through carefully sculpted architecture and a palette of cohesive materials. Rounded transitions, Corian visualization accessories, ultrasuhed walls, and custom light box adaptation rooms create a clean, tonal atmosphere, according to the company, with integrated digital contact points and 15 -foot central sculpture by Vanessa Beecroft, further improving the brand connection with its online roots. Budget considerations and late design documentation delayed the start of work, while the existing building infrastructure created complications for MEP systems. A key obstacle was the re -elaboration of the HVAC design to align with the conditions of the site, which required a close coordination between Schimenti, the owner and the commercial partners. The team led a series of design construction efforts, which involved frequent consultations and an accelerated calendar with extraordinary hours to fulfill the target holiday opening.
How do you compare the work of the big box with luxury retail job work?
Normal among all customers is: Time is money. Target and Apple want to open -and cost money if their stores are not … Our logo is a cheetah. Some people laugh that a cheetah is a logo for a construction company, but it is to move quickly. We have just expanded this among the types of retail sale.
In terms of [our personnel]There are certainly some people who have internally who are brilliantly fitting with luxury and some better fit the program’s work. There are those who love the association with the luxury and love the chaos that is achieved. Others could not think of anything worse and are perfect for working in a constant world of the program. But if you do not open this opportunity for someone in the luxury program, this person will finally go elsewhere. We found that our attression has really improved in the last two or three years as a result of opening the door at least.
We can find them halfway through and they have to find the other half. And that has been deliberate from us.
Schimenti for numbers:
0.75 – Experience modification ratio
45 – Acredited Personnel Number
$ 65 million: Hospitality Income
255 – Number of regional employees
280 – Number of World Employees
$ 37.92 million: New Jersey Income
$ 280.68 million: New York Income
$ 305 million: Detail Income
$ 440 million: Income to World Construction
1997 – Founded Year
What challenges arose by making high -end finishes in the Inhouse hand for Printemps New York?
We did all the work of mills, all the light lamps, all specialized personalized metals and glass, all audiovisuals and all the safety. Often, this is in pieces. We will deliver the white box and the owner will have his own sellers in the specialized finishes … The fact that we had everything, there was no one else, you could not look at your shoulder and say, “Well, it was not us.” Ultimately, we are responsible. We were fortunate that the client set up enough time on the front, so we had so long in planning and design.
Your safety record is strong. What do you say to those who think that work interior is not dangerous?
We are at the street level due to the retail work and the restaurant we do, so we have a lot of interaction with the audience, achieving deliveries in the site, usually in narrow restricted spaces and [working] At the speed of Breakneck to get it to work. The injuries that someone may have are not different from doing a corporate interior project or building something.
Undoubtedly, it is harder because of restricted places and where you try to work. We need to keep the audience safe. We need to maintain our safe subcontractors. We need to keep our people safe.
How does your ESOP help grow the firm?
“We need to keep the audience safe. We need to keep our safe subcontractors. We must keep our people safe.”
—James Harrison, Executive Vice President of Schimenti Construction
ESOP culture has helped the general participation of companies, improved attention and has given us the purpose of continuing for another 25 years. We want to reach 50 years of business and forward. Only 0.5% of all companies reach 100 years, and this is at the head of my mind. A by -product of an improved culture is improved safety and quality. For us, this is the long -term sustainable trip. It is a marathon and not a sprint, unlike many of our projects.
What is below for the firm and its president, Matt Schimenti?
The transition from leadership is underway and is not surprised, in part, it is linked to our esop. Continue to create a chance through the business for those who want to go out on the trip for the following chapter. Our plan is still the best in what we do, creating lasting and long -lasting careers for people who want to contribute and be part of something.
Talk about some of the company’s charity work.
ACE has been an organization that the company has been supporting for at least 15 years. We also have a great deal of collaboration with a group called Construct Reach with our customer goal. We provide inmates through Construct Reach, which otherwise would not have the opportunity to work in the construction industry. We are in our fifth or sixth full -time rent. There are a couple of absolute stars that have come out of this program that we hope will stay with the company. They have broken it in the park and we would love to be able to spread it to other customers. This makes a real difference.
