Daniel McIntyre, Graciano Corp.New York, NY Daniel McIntyre has no lack of outlets for either his deeply held work ethic or his appreciation of historic architecture.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see so much of New York from so many different angles,” said McIntyre, the executive vice president of Graciano Corp.’s New York Division. “The inside of the spires at St. Patrick’s Cathedral; Park Ave. from the top of the Waldorf Astoria; Kings Theatre in Brooklyn before and after the restoration ... There’s something different every day. Most of the time I don’t feel like I’m even going to work. This is something I love.”
Graciano Corp. specializes in historic masonry restoration, masonry construction and concrete restoration services. Since 1916, Graciano has been building and caring for many of America’s most visible and best-loved landmark structures. Graciano is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
“In New York and around the country we deliver the finest craftsmanship at competitive prices,” McIntyre says. “We’re best known for accurately and effectively restoring installations of brick, stone, terra cotta and concrete.”
Among Graciano Corp.’s honors are best-project awards for work on the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the MetLife Building and the Queensboro Bridge. Graciano also has received International Masonry Institute Golden Trowel Awards for work on the Cleveland Museum of Art; Georgian Court University’s landmark bridge in Lakewood, N.J.; and the first railroad tunnel built in the U.S., the Staple Bend Tunnel in Johnstown, PA. The New York Landmarks Conservancy has awarded Graciano its Lucy G. Moses Award for restoration at the MetLife Tower and The Cloisters.
A third-generation Graciano man, McIntyre says, “My grandfather was a Graciano foreman for 30 years. And my father, Dan Sr., who’s vice president of production in New York has been here more than 30 years himself. I remember riding in his truck and stopping at job sites. I knew right then it was something I liked. You could say I was born into this work, with many uncles and cousins in the trade.”
McIntyre rose swiftly through Graciano’s ranks after beginning as an intern in 2003. Now aged 33, he has led New York operations since 2012. He says he feels lucky to be part of the family-oriented organization. “I especially like being able to work with my dad on a daily basis. I don’t know how many people get the opportunity to do that. He tells me I keep him young!”
Variety, he says, is another attraction. “I’ve worked on projects in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I’ve cleaned Rockefeller Center, and done restoration on Kings Theatre and the Oyster Bar and the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central Terminal. The really challenging projects attract me, especially when they involve terra cotta and stone. They also bring out the best of our project teams and craftsmen,” said McIntyre.
“For example, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, we’re currently stabilizing and restoring stone damaged in the fire of 2001. We can’t be sure exactly what the fire affected, so our craftsman must be extraordinarily gentle and cautious. They’re actually stabilizing the granite and limestone with stainless-steel surgical pins. At the same time, we’re cleaning carbon and soot off the exterior with the JOS Rotec Vortex, a special low-pressure micro-abrasive system designed for restoration of sensitive stone facades.”
“On a typical project I am the lead estimator and handle the negotiation with the owners for the final contract price. This involves working with our project team in presentations to the owners, architects and engineers. Once we win the project award, I stay involved with the project team and provide backup for the project manager,” he said.
Grand Central’s Oyster Bar and Whispering Gallery in 2014.His favorite project? “I really enjoyed the Oyster Bar restoration. I learned more about the Guastavino tile vaults there than I could ever have picked up in a classroom.” (Guastavino tile is the key component of a lightweight but robust vaulting system introduced in the late 19th century and widely applied in New York and across the U.S.) Although the technique was thought to be a lost art for decades, Graciano stonemason Gino Marchese revived it in the early 2000s.
“Gino was so generous about mentoring me—teaching me the way to set stone, even letting me use his tools. Working with him was an experience I will never forget,” he said.
Today, McIntyre is responsible for every aspect of Graciano’s New York Division: He manages and oversees estimators, project managers, superintendents, foremen and office staff. He sustains high sales volume while presiding over a self-supporting branch office. Tasked with accounting for equipment and fleet purchases, he’s proud to have doubled the New York Division’s fleet and equipment list since 2012.
McIntyre guided Graciano stone-cleaning efforts at Rockefeller Center.As New York sales vice president from 2011 to 2012, McIntyre oversaw and managed bids and proposals; reviewed bid documents, project drawings and quantity take-offs to determine final bid numbers; managed estimators and business development managers; and helped determine which projects the division would pursue. He also performed project take-offs and managed bidding procedures and participated in project negotiations.
Between 2006 and 2011, he worked as a sales estimator for historic masonry projects up and down the east coast for Graciano Corp. He conducted condition surveys and assessments on facades and parking garages, and helped architects and engineers make condition assessments.
“I worked in the field as summer help through college, and interned at Graciano’s corporate offices directly with the company president. I came aboard full time in 2006, and never looked back,” he said. As an intern, McInyre helped develop systems for tracking sales performance and post-project audits, and managed masonry conservation and preservation.
He holds a B.S. degree in Marketing from Slippery Rock University. Affiliated with the Northeast Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology, he is also a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Concrete Repair Institute and of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.
McIntyre describes himself as results-driven. “Although I love this job, it can be pretty demanding. I focus hard on analytical decision-making and problem solving. And when I resolve an issue and see a revenue-positive outcome, I know I’m getting it right.”
Sign up is quick, easy, & FREE.