News

Sullivan & Cromwell (S&C) Palo Alto are enjoying their state-of-the-art technology conference rooms, reception areas and the refurbishment of their existing work space, thanks to a high-quality Toeniskoetter Construction project.  Dave Musgave, who worked with S&C when they first moved into the space in 2000, was the project executive and acting lead superintendent.  Greg Hagey from the San Francisco architectural firm Korth Sunseri Hagey was retained to design the new interior.

Annette Ross, S&C Administrative Director, described the entire process as one of seamless efficiency. She credits Musgrave with making sure that every decision that needed to be made was fully explained and justified, so there was never a moment when she felt doubt or concern. “At one point, I realized that for some reason, I had pictured a planned wall in a conference room as being made of glass.  As the build-out progressed, I realized it was just a plain wall, and I explained my concern to Dave and Greg.” She would not have been surprised to be told that it was a shame she hadn’t visualized it correctly. Instead, Hagey and Musgrave worked together to recreate the wall in glass - even solving the privacy issue with special roll-down shades. No time was lost and, in fact, the project was completed early and on budget.

“Working with Dave, Dan Amend and the rest of the Toeniskoetter group is a very rewarding experience,” says Greg Hagey. “They bring a totally collaborative approach to the construction process. From the onset it’s understood that the contractor, the architect, the subcontractors and the client are all valuable members of the project team, and Dave makes sure we are all communicating and working together.  The Toeniskoetter approach to problem-solving really pays off both in terms of a smoothly operating project and in client satisfaction.”

The renovations had to be completed by the time the summer associates arrived, and the attorneys and staff in place needed to be able to work productively throughout. The challenges included painting and carpeting the occupied workspaces without interrupting the firm’s weekday activities. This required movers, painters, floor-covering contractors and other staff to show up on four consecutive Friday afternoons and work virtually around the clock until the following Monday morning, when the S&C staff would be back at work.

“We were delighted to have the opportunity to be partners in such a first-class and technology-driven build-out for this prestigious law firm,” said Dave Musgrave, Toeniskoetter Construction Senior Vice President.  “The architectural design and the creativity they put into the state-of-the-art multi-media teleconference facility was astounding, and it was exciting to meet and exceed the quality expectations that came with the project.”