Spring has sprung. So has the chaos. - by Tammy Craig-Smith

We made it. Somehow.

We scraped up the rotted pumpkins, pine needles, salt and snowmelt. We watched materials freeze, thaw, and then politely pretend they were still usable. We navigated stacked mailrooms, annoyed doormen, and a steady stream of “festive” (and not-so-festive) incidents. We survived gridlock, parade routes that defy logic, and — yes — drunk leprechauns. Even cousin Eddy found RV parking.

And now? Things feel… normal.

Which is adorable.

Because in our world, “normal” just means a different flavor of complicated.

Spring rolls into summer and the snowbirds migrate back north — Florida to New York, just like clockwork. Except they didn’t leave the AC on in their Florida condos. So now we’re walking into spaces that feel like a science experiment gone wrong, trying to paint, renovate, and salvage materials that were not designed for tropical sauna conditions.

“No problem,” you’d think. “They’re back in New York — we can just call them.” Sure. In between meetings, Hamptons traffic, long weekends, and the general chaos of NYC in warm weather.

Because New York in the summer? It’s its own obstacle course. Buildings are busier. Kids are home. Elevators are booked, doormen are juggling packages like it’s an Olympic sport, and access — always the simplest part on paper — is anything but.

Meanwhile, down in Florida, things calm down… briefly. Spring breakers clear out, schedules stabilize, and for a minute, it feels like a well-oiled machine.

Until July hits.

Then it’s heat, humidity, storms, and the kind of conditions that make you question every material choice you’ve ever made. What worked in March is suddenly working overtime — or not at all.

Different coasts. Same story.

At The Alban Group, we’ve learned there’s no such thing as an “easy” season — just shifting variables. New York throws logistics at you. Florida throws climate. And somehow, our clients expect both to run seamlessly at the same time.

They’re not wrong.

So we plan for the chaos, build around it, and keep things moving — whether we’re dodging parades in Manhattan or managing moisture in Miami.

And just when you think — this is it, we’ve made it back to some version of normal — the emails slow down, the buildings fill back up, the projects are moving, and maybe, just maybe, we can all catch our breath…

We start hearing about a few “soccer games.”

In Miami. In New York.

Nothing major. Just FIFA.

So while everyone else is planning watch parties, we’re over here mapping road closures, rethinking deliveries, adjusting schedules, and figuring out how to get materials through cities that are about to be… let’s call it enthusiastically congested.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, “normal” isn’t really a season — it’s a moving target.

And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s this: just when things start to feel normal… they won’t be for long.

Tammy Craig-Smith is president of The Alban Group, Newark, N.J.