Top Contractors | ENR New York Firm of the Year
NYC-Based Contractor Goes Lux
Schimenti Construction Co., ENR New York Contractor of the Year, is a retail, hospitality and entertainment construction specialist
New York City-based Schimenti Construction Co. built Printemps New York, a 55,000-sq-ft flagship store in Manhattan, marking the Paris retailer’s U.S. debut.
Photo by Peter Dressel Photography, courtesy of Schimenti
Five years ago, Schimenti Construction’s retail work mostly included big-box stores such as Target. A concerted effort to break into the luxury end of that market paid off. The firm ranked No. 1 in retail construction on the 2024 ENR New York Top Contractors list. This year, the firm, which also excels in hospitality and entertainment sectors, is ENR New York’s Contractor of the Year, ranking No. 50 on the overall ENR East list with $380 million in revenue.
The firm attributes its recent success to completion of 90-plus projects, including eight flagship stores—among them, one for French retailer Printemps. It also has a strong safety culture with an experience modification rate of 0.72. Introduction of the firm’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in 2022 further reinforced the firm’s successful culture, which extends to its community impact. Nonprofit organizations the firm supports include PAVE Global, which focuses on education and industry mentorship, and the James Lenox House Association, which provides affordable housing for seniors. Schimenti also is active in such professional groups as Build Out Alliance, Professional Women in Construction and the ACE Mentor Program.
James Harrison, Schimenti executive vice president, talked to ENR about the firm’s retail sector success, safety culture and corporate future. This Q&A has been edited and condensed.
How did Schimenti break into luxury retail?
We set out on a sector growth approach five years ago. The idea was to expand in retail across new subsectors such as luxury. Concurrently, we would develop an offer for hospitality and also support landlord work at the front end of the construction life cycle. We wanted to stick with sectors we knew we could be the best at and offer a premium service. The growth would be organic and allow the existing team to be part of the journey.
Schimenti’s top projects include:
Printemps New York
Located at One Wall Street, the 55,000-sq-ft flagship store marks the Paris-based retailer’s U.S. debut Designed by Laura Gonzalez, the store seamlessly blends heritage and innovation with sculptural lighting, hand-painted tiles, warm wood parquet and imported stonework. A standout feature is the restored landmarked Red Room, which preserves its original mosaics and soaring 33-ft ceilings, creating an immersive, multisensory environment. The Printemps build-out was a 26-month project marked by close coordination, global sourcing and precision craftsmanship. Preconstruction began in December 2022, followed by an early structural phase. Schimenti turned over the white box in September 2024, with final installation completed in February ahead of the March public opening. Delivered as a turnkey project, its scope extended well beyond typical construction to include lighting, audiovisual systems, custom furniture, artwork and high-end finishes.
SKIMS NYC
The flagship clothing store brings the brand’s minimalist identity to life through carefully sculpted architecture and a cohesive material palette. Rounded transitions, Corian display fixtures, Ultrasuede walls and custom lightbox fitting rooms create a clean, tonal atmosphere, the company says, with integrated digital touchpoints and 15-ft centerpiece sculpture by Vanessa Beecroft further enhancing the brand’s connection to its online roots. Budget considerations and late design documentation delayed the start of work, while existing building infrastructure created complications for MEP systems. A key hurdle was reworking the HVAC design to align with site conditions, which required close coordination among Schimenti, the owner and trade partners. The team led a series of design-build efforts, involving frequent consultations and accelerated schedule with overtime to meet the targeted holiday opening.
How does big-box work compare to luxury retail jobs?
The commonality between all clients is: Time is money. Target and Apple want to get open, and it costs money if their stores are not.… Our logo is a cheetah. Some people laugh at a cheetah being a logo for a construction company, but it’s ultimately about moving fast. We’ve just broadened that across the types of retail.
In terms of [our personnel], there is no doubt there are some people we have internally who fit brilliantly with luxury, and some fit better with program work. Some people love the association with luxury, and they love the chaos that comes with it. Others couldn’t think of anything worse, and they’re perfect to work in a steady program world. But if you don’t open that opportunity for someone in luxury program work, eventually that person will go somewhere else. We found our attrition has really improved in the last two or three years as a result of at least opening the gate.
We can meet them halfway, and they’ve got to meet us the other half. And that’s been deliberate from us.
Schimenti by the Numbers:
0.75 – Experience modification ratio
45 – Number of accredited staff
$65 million – Hospitality revenue
255 – Number of regional employees
280 – Number of worldwide employees
$37.92 million – New Jersey revenue
$280.68 million – New York revenue
$305 million – Retail revenue
$440 million – Worldwide construction revenue
1997 – Year founded
What challenges arose doing turnkey high-end finishes inhouse for Printemps New York?
We did all millwork, all light fixtures, all specialty custom metal and glass, all audiovisual and all security. Often that is piecemealed. We will deliver the white box, and the owner will have its own vendors put in the specialist finishes.… The fact that we owned everything, there was no one else, you couldn’t look over your shoulder and say, ‘Well, that wasn’t us.’ Ultimately, we’re responsible. We were fortunate in that the client set enough time at the front end, so we had so much time in planning and design.
Your safety record is strong. What do you say to those who think interior fit-out work is not dangerous?
We’re at street level because of the retail and restaurant work we do, so we have a lot of interaction with the public—getting deliveries in on site, usually in constrained tight spaces, and [working] at breakneck speed to get work done. Injuries someone can get are no different from doing a corporate interior project or building something ground up.
Arguably, it’s harder because of the constrained sites and where you’re trying to work. We have to keep the public safe. We have to keep our subcontractors safe. We have to keep our people safe.
How does your ESOP help the firm grow?
“We have to keep the public safe. We have to keep our subcontractors safe. We have to keep our people safe.”
—James Harrison, Executive Vice President, Schimenti Construction
The ESOP culture has helped overall firm engagement, improved attrition and given us the purpose to continue for another 25 years. We want to make it to 50 years in business and onward. Only 0.5% of all companies make it to 100 years, and that’s in the back of my mind. A by-product of an improved culture is improved safety and quality. For us, it’s about the sustainable, long-term journey. This is a marathon and not a sprint, unlike a lot of our projects.
What’s next for the firm and its president, Matt Schimenti?
The leadership transition is underway and not surprisingly, in part, it is tied to our ESOP. It continues to create opportunity across the business for those who want to come on the journey for the next chapter. Our plan remains to be the best at what we do, creating lasting and long-term careers for people who want to contribute and be part of something.
Talk about some of the firm’s charity work.
ACE has been an organization that the company has been supporting for at least 15 years. We also have a great partnership with a group called Construct Reach with our client Target. We bring in interns through Construct Reach who would not otherwise have the opportunity to work in the construction industry. We’re on our fifth or sixth full-time hire from that. There’s a couple of absolute rising stars who have come out of that program who we hope will stay with the company. They’ve smashed it out the park, and we would love to be able to spread that across to other clients. That makes a real difference.
