Stoneham, MA RJ O’Connell & Associates, Inc. (RJOC) was incorporated on March 17th, 2004. Being a Suffolk County holiday, the actual paperwork was dated the 16th; nonetheless, March 17th is their story, and they’re sticking to it. It all started way before 2004, however. It started with the firm Sumner Schein Architects & Engineers (SSAE). Its founder, Sumner Schein, affectionately referred to by his employees as, “The Boss,” and his two sons, Arthur and Steve, had built a firm steeped history with a solid reputation across the country as leaders and pioneers in retail. There was a strong work ethic, which was centered on the simple philosophy service your client, do good work, and charge reasonable fees. As employees, most only had to be concerned with the first two items. SSAE was long considered a breeding ground for top talent, and former employees are scattered across the industry, many in senior manager and owner positions at top real estate and development firms.
Rich O’Connell, Brian Dundon, and Brian McCarthy, the founding principals at RJOC, had a collective 40 years at SSAE prior to it being sold to a national E/A firm. So in 2004 with a strong economy, a booming real estate market, and natural entrepreneurial spirit, it was a short hop for them to head back to their roots in land development, carry forward the strong work ethic, and build on the philosophy to partner with their clients, provide the highest quality of services, and meet their expectations in a cost effective manner.
“We had lost our identity as a team, struggling to fit within a new corporate structure, and we started to look just like all the other large consulting firms” said Dundon. “We needed to get back to what we did best, service our clients.”
RJOC started small with four or five employees, a bunch of second-hand or rented equipment, and went at it. To say the early years were easy would be a falsehood. Even with the strong economy, it was tough working through the standard start up hurdles of cash flow, staffing, branding, and the ups and downs of the workload. The group was up to the challenge, and with the help of several loyal clients, it all started to gel. In 2009, RJOC was ranked the 86th fastest growing firm in North America by the Zweig-White Hot Firm List for Architects, Engineers, and Environmental Consultants.
“That plaque hangs in our lobby, and we are very proud of it,” said O’Connell. To us, it meant we made it; we were no longer a start up.”
Services such as land surveying were added and a focus placed on land planning and permitting expertise to better service our clients. Diversification continued as well to balance the historic 95% retail background. This all helped to get through those several lean years the real estate industry went through. RJOC came out the other side stronger and with a wider breadth of experience and services.
Nowadays, about 50% of our services are in the direct retail side; we are seeing much more mixed-use and residential is everywhere you look,” said McCarthy. “When you add in the entertainment and hospitality, the full live-work-play structure is in place.”
Although online retail is growing at a rapid pace and has hurt many retailers large and small across the country, RJOC still sees a strong brick and mortar segment here in the Northeast. Ground-up retail and upgraded retail has historically followed the new roof tops. So with the residential boom, the firm sees retail project opportunities right behind the residential.
RJOC sees the retail market more dependent on the housing market than ever in the past. Retail developers would go spec years ago with the “build it, and they will come” attitude. They are not seeing very much of this these days. In fact, retail and residential developments if anything is getting closer.
It is getting common to see residential, retail, and mixed-use hospitality co-exist within the same planned development and not across the street or down the street as we’ve seen historically here in the northeast. Residential and retail together was the exception and never the first option except in dense urban areas.
The Boylston Properties and the Wilder Companies planned Arsenal Yards project in Watertown is a prime example. Adding the residential looks to be a win-win. The retail at the mall was getting tired and in need of foot traffic. The residential provides a built-in shopper base allowing the developer to upgrade the retail and hospitality side, increase the overall density, and keep everyone happy on one site. Grossman Development Group’s Lakeway Commons in Shrewsbury and New England Development’s Chestnut Hill Square are other examples of planned residential/retail co-existence projects, not afterthoughts, RJOC is working on in addition to the Arsenal Yards. So, there is a trend here and perhaps its land costs or a growing track record of similar projects in other parts of the country or any number of other factors that is pushing these types of projects into more suburban areas.
Renovation and expansion work have always been a major sector of the firm’s work in retail; it is part of retail’s built-in sustainability. They are still seeing it in both large and small-scale projects. Meadow Glen in Medford, a project that O’Connell has worked on at least four renovations during his 25 years at SSAE, is at it again, and RJOC is square in the middle of the action. It is a major renovation of the entire complex and the site with a new Wegmans grocery at the center. O’Connell believes the recent rapid addition of several residential projects in the area contributed to the need for the major overhaul. These types of renovations should continue for as long as the residential boom is here. Grocery anchored retail will follow the demand.
On the small-scale side, the firm has worked on several shopping center upgrades recently, typically coinciding with a face lift for the center’s façade and/or a new tenant(s). Sometimes even a great location alone wears thin with age and is not enough. The center needs to be dressed up, made more efficient, attractive, and accessible to keep the customer from driving past and going to the new shiny center up the street. This is particularly important for the aging driving population. They care about accessibility, and it is amazing how many retail centers do not address this item. Good, smart retailers understand and will tackle it.
The impetus for the renovation at Middleton Marketplace was a new tenant, TJ Maxx. So, while the owners were at it, they renovated the entire façade and parking lot including improving access and stormwater management. These smaller scale renovation projects are tailor made for RJOC. Given their planning and permitting expertise, they can quickly assess the issues, develop the solutions, and prepare documents to expedite the permitting and allow construction to start in short order.
While the retail industry is trending in several different directions, RJ O’Connell & Associates is staying true to its course of client service and satisfaction; after that, the rest falls in place.