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.
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.
I hope this message finds you well and that things are beginning to feel more normal in your area. As the first half of 2020 comes to a close, we are living in a much different world compared to just 4 months ago. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to drastically change how we live and work. In the construction industry, we saw many job sites close down for weeks or months starting in early March, with re-openings varying on a state by state basis. As we enter the summer, many states have already given the green light for construction projects to restart. In some areas, construction never stopped (unless a project was directly affected by on-site personnel catching the virus). However, the pandemic continues to have a major impact on the industry...
Mike Kinahan joined Beacon's team in 2008, starting as a Project Engineer in Beacon's Medford, MA office. Over the past 12 years, Mike has developed into a highly seasoned construction consultant and a valuable member of Beacon's team. His experience has grown to include a wide range of construction project consulting engagements within the transportation, residential, commercial, education, recreation, government, municipal, and infrastructure sectors. Mike has extensive experience helping Surety companies with bond-default-related matters, including project assessments, bond claim analysis, project re-lets, and construction completion management...
Beacon was recently hired by a leading Surety company for a very unique bid review project, related to hull repairs on a retired WWII battleship. John Yeung led the bid review project for Beacon, which is described below. The USS North Carolina is a decommissioned World War II battleship which is now a Museum Ship and a National Historic Landmark docked in Wilmington, NC. The battleship, which is more than 728 feet long and has a displacement of 36,000 tons, was built at the New York Naval Shipyard (later renamed The Brooklyn Navy Yard) between 1937 and 1941. After the U.S. was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the ship was activated for the war effort, first in the Atlantic and then in the Pacific, where it engaged in numerous campaigns and even survived a torpedo attack by a Japanese submarine. After Japan surrendered in 1945, the ship helped to transport American troops back to the U.S...
Like many industries, the construction industry has been significantly affected by the current pandemic. In some areas, construction projects were shutdown for weeks or months, leading to significant delays and the push-back of project milestones and completion dates. In addition, slowdowns in material deliveries, new job site procedures, and personnel exposure to the virus have further impacted schedules. All of these factors can put financial strains on developers, GCs, and subcontractors and can potentially lead to disputes with project owners who may seek liquidated damages or other contract-specified penalties for late completion of a construction project...
We are happy to introduce Virginia Adams who joined Beacon's team in September of 2019. Virginia, who also goes by "Ginger," is a Project Engineer working in our Medford, MA office. Virginia is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. At Beacon, Virginia's diligence and analytical skills make her a valuable team member working on a wide variety of construction consulting assignments...
The ABA's Fidelity & Surety Law Committee (FSLC) Winter Meeting was held in New York City this year on January 29-31. As in past years, Beacon co-hosted some unique networking events in conjunction with the meeting, including an evening of Music & Fun at the Bryant Park Grill ("A New York State of Mind" - see photos), an entertaining "after party" with live music at The Cutting Room, and our annual "Irish Luncheon" held at the landmark Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse (see photos). Our staff looks forward to the ABA Winter meeting every year for a lot of reasons...
Every year, Beacon co-sponsors an "Irish Luncheon" in conjunction with the ABA FLSC Winter Meeting. This year, our Irish Luncheon was held On Friday January 31st at Smith & Wollensky, one of New York's best steakhouses and a NYC landmark. The luncheon was a great opportunity to network with our friends, clients and partners in the Surety & Fidelity world in a friendly and fun atmosphere, with delicious food, live music, good conversation, a few pints, and many laughs. Special thanks go to our co-sponsor for the event, Shields | Mott LLP, especially Adrian D’Arcy, a Partner at the firm, who was the co-host and co-organizer of the luncheon...
Normally, Beacon can say “This ain’t our first rodeo” when taking on a construction consulting assignment. However, this is the first time Beacon is consulting on a construction project at a rodeo stadium. The project involves providing construction consulting / surety consulting services related to a project underway at a large rodeo stadium / agricultural center located in the Memphis, TN area.
