Successful companies result from the efforts of exceptional leaders. That is certainly the case at Hunter Roberts Construction Group. The Interiors Division, which recently celebrated its second anniversary, is led by a group of seasoned professionals with many years of experience in the construction field. Two members of that leadership team, Derek McGovern and Dan Robertson, are responsible for project administration and technical services, and are all about creating conditions under which their staff can perform independently and effectively toward a common objective.

Derek McGovern
McGovern, executive vice president project administration, grew up in a family ingrained in the construction business. His father, Gene McGovern, was a well-known construction leader, having been an executive at Morse Diesel before starting his own company, Lehrer McGovern. His three sons, Eric, Daniel and Derek all gravitated naturally to the business and all are leaders in the industry today.
After graduating from college in 1984 with a degree in Liberal Arts and studies in Economics and Finance, McGovern joined his Dad's firm in 1986, and the plan was to learn the business from the bottom up. He grew from assistant super to super to APM to PM, beginning with small jobs and gradually taking on larger projects. He also learned the office side of the business and, by the time his dad sold the business to Bovis in 1990, McGovern had a well-rounded expertise in all aspects of the construction business.
He joined Structure Tone in 1990 to experience the Interior construction field, which seemed to him to be more businesslike than the core and shell side. On his first STI job, the Rosenthal Porcelain China showroom, he had the opportunity to work with Lou Marino, a stalwart in the industry. After a few years he moved west to the family ranch in Cody, Wyoming. While he was away his father formed GMO with his brothers. Pavarini McGovern was created several years later by Gene and Eric. McGovern returned to New York in 1999, and re-joined STI as an account executive.
In 2006, McGovern accepted his current position as executive vice president of project administration for the Hunter Roberts Interiors Division. He felt the timing was right for this new venture and there seemed to be a lot of energy in this company with colleagues Larry Petretti and Dan Robertson and a positive sense of striking out on their own to create something new and vital.
Dan Robertson
Robertson grew up in the construction business and, over the past 26 years he's experienced the business from all sides having worked for a consultant, an owner and a contractor. Following school for electrical engineering, he joined an engineering firm in 1982 doing electrical design for the IBM Fishkill project. In 1986 he joined the design & construction dept. of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center to work in the field for the owner to oversee construction of the Milstein Hospital. In 1989 he joined Lehrer McGovern Bovis, doing electrical estimating within the Technical Services Dept.
He joined the MEPS Dept. at Structure Tone in 1993 to do electrical estimating and project management for Interiors projects - primarily for data centers and broadcast studios. In 1998 Robertson moved into the leadership role as director of technical services where he remained through 2005 and was instrumental in growing the department from 9 to 24 engineers. In that position he was also responsible for the financial aspects of the business and he built valuable relationships within the engineering industry.
In 2006, he accepted the position of executive vice president of technical services for Hunter Roberts Interiors, seeing it as an opportunity to leverage the extraordinary training and experience he had and to work with people he respected to run a construction company their way.
"Bob Fee and Jim McKenna were fully supportive of our efforts and allowed us to run our own show," said McGovern. "We saw it as a great opportunity, through our relationships, to put a different spin on a recognized service. We were embraced as being fresh when we started - a group of seasoned professionals, offering an aggressive fee structure and direct principal involvement".
Robertson adds, "We started with 5 people, some small jobs and a conservative plan. Clients immediately began to see us as an appealing alternative to the established firms. After a steep growth trajectory, we're now at 50 people and growing."
The firm has completed projects for such prestigious clients as AON, Bear Stearns, Reed Smith LLP, Goldman Sachs, and MTV Networks. They are beginning a new 400,000 s/f project for the Department of Transportation and a 150,000 s/f project for the Surry Hotel. Despite the current crisis in the financial markets, they have built a diversified client base and the future looks very bright indeed. Tags: