J. Calnan & Associates Inc.

In 1997 Jay Calnan founded J. Calnan & Associates Inc. (JCA), a growing commercial construction management company based in Quincy, Mass. As CEO of JCA, brings over 20 years of experience in the construction industry to major commercial clients; his expertise and leadership continue to reel in repeat customers.
As the business grows, JCA maintains a commitment to both client relationships and community service. The company has established a reputation for performance and philanthropy, while managing construction projects in the northeastern United States.
JCA is nearing 20 years in business and continues to grow. The company has opened a second office in New York City in order to better serve customers outside of the New England states. Continued expansion, both internally and geographically, can be credited to a strong leadership team, as well as a large staff ready to think outside the box.
“We’re one of the more entrepreneurial, nimble and dynamic companies,” says Jim Cahill, president of JCA. “We look at the industry a little differently than a lot of companies who are second- or third-generation family-operated businesses. We want young, aggressive and smart people. We’re not stuck on having project managers that offer more than 25 years of experience. And we’re not stuck in the way we deliver and execute projects.”
Jay’s three partners, who he has worked with for over 17 years, continue to offer the same kind of creativity and excitement as the aforementioned young and aggressive staffers. While Jim focuses on strategic planning, as well as client relationships and development, Tim Kelly, CFO of JCA, handles the firm’s financial, accounting and administrative functions. Meanwhile, Mike Crowther, COO of JCA, is responsible for internal organization processes and infrastructure to help the business realize continued growth.
“You cannot find three more qualified, talented or well-respected individuals in this industry,” Jay explains. “Their business acumen, passion for the company and work ethic can only be matched by their personal character and unwavering commitment to always doing the right thing.”
Building a Reputation
Regardless of the challenges brought on by the recent recession, JCA continues to grow. With strong leadership, the team is committed to building and nurturing client relationships and has partnered with many of the same large companies for over a decade.
JCA provides leading construction management and preconstruction services to a range of sectors, including academic, corporate, health care, as well as science and technology markets. The team has continuing relationships with major name clients, including Boston Properties, Biogen IDEC, Atlantic Management, Children’s Hospital, PTC Inc., Reebok, Shire Pharmaceuticals, The Park School, New England Sports Network (NESN), Philips, Constant Contact, The MathWorks and General Electric among others.
Enhancing the team and its outreach, Maureen Rystrom, director of marketing for JCA, notes that the company has been involved in a number of complex projects in the last few years. According to Maureen, the team has completed several projects for Xand at offices in Hawthorne, N.Y. and Marlboro, Mass.
“The Hawthorne projects consisted of a $9 million, 12,000-square-foot data center with new 2,500 amp service, three two-megawatt generators with main switchgear and 300 tons of cooling with free air cooling option,” Maureen explains. “The Marlboro projects included a $3.4 million, 10,000-square-foot data center with air cooled chillers, 4,000 amp new power feed with main switch gear and three single-megawatt generators, which were all N+1 design; a $3.5 million, 2,500-square-foot new chiller building addition with centrifugal chillers that have the capacity to produce 800 tons of cooling with backup emergency generators, which are all N+1 redundant design; a $350,000, 8,000-square-foot office suite, as well as a $700,000, 20,000-square-foot office fit-up, which was completed in four weeks.”
Currently, JCA is working on a three-story complex that will serve as a new research and development center for Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries. The project involves the construction of a new 77,288-square-foot addition with related site work to the existing 158,655-square-foot building.
Additionally, the team of Perkins+Will Architecture and RDK Engineering will be responsible for the tenant improvement work, totaling 235,943 square feet to both the existing 158,655-square-foot building and the new 77,288-square-foot addition. The project includes over 800 pieces of steel, totaling roughly 315 tons overall. The project will also include a chilled beam mechanical system and will be applying for LEED certification. According to Maureen, the project broke ground on Jan. 1, 2013 and will be completed in early 2014.
Continued Growth
As the business continues to thrive, Jay places a persistent emphasis on community work. He is a founding member of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Team IMPACT, whose mission is to connect and cultivate meaningful relationships between college athletic teams and children diagnosed with life-threatening diseases.
In addition to Team IMPACT, Jay and the team give back in other ways. JCA is proud to support a number of nonprofits, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Champions for Children’s Hospital, Boston Scholar Athletes, Share the Magic Nutcracker Ballet and The Jimmy Fund.
As if he doesn’t have enough on this plate, Jay is a member of several industry-related associations and affiliations, which also enhance the business. Some of the notable associations include the Commercial Brokers Association, CoreNet, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, National Association of Industrial & Office Properties and the International Interior Design Association. He also serves on the Board of Overseers at Tufts University, as well as the Presidents Circle at South Shore Hospital.
With a leader as determined as Jay, it is safe to assume JCA as a whole is making waves, as well. The company has been recognized several times over the years for philanthropic work. Additionally, the Boston Business Journal has lauded the team seven years in a row, awarding its yearly Citizenship Award.
JCA employs a strategic and proactive approach to all aspects of the business. The company’s quality and foresight allowed JCA to take a leading position in the industry on a national level. Jay promotes a simple mantra for the business: always deliver world-class service and don’t take any client or employee for granted. J. Calnan & Associates Inc. continues to deliver hard, quality work in the construction industry with a professional and dedicated team.