Welcome to Northstar’s article series, ‘Meet the Partners of Northstar: Guiding Our Strategic Vision & Company’s Success.’ In this series, we explore the experiences and journeys of our partners who have played a pivotal role in shaping Northstar’s trajectory over the past fifteen years.
Tom Fanning’s Path to Leadership
As founding partner and President of Northstar for the first 13 years, Tom Fanning didn’t just fall into his role. His initial introduction to the industry came at the age of 16, working for his dad’s general contracting company on projects throughout New England. He gained valuable, diverse trade skills, starting as a laborer and eventually graduating to carpenter, dump truck driver, and equipment operator during high school and college breaks. This hands-on experience gave him a healthy respect for the trades and an honest day’s labor, and helped him build a foundation of skills he still uses today.
The next leg of his journey was a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Colgate University, where he learned basic research, writing, and critical-thinking skills while also playing Division 1 basketball. After graduating from Colgate, Tom started working at Gilbane Building Company, where he met his future business partner, Lee Burneson. Tom worked primarily in field operations positions and was fortunate to be assigned to a Gilbane hard bid/self-perform team with Lee as a field engineer, furnishing line and grade for the trades. He eventually progressed through various engineering and superintendent positions, where he learned how a building goes together. During this phase of his career, Tom benefited immensely from a strong mentor who rounded out his soft skills and taught him to communicate, motivate, and actively manage teams. Northstar’s intense focus on mentoring and skills development programs was, in many ways, a byproduct of this experience.
After six years with Gilbane, Tom returned to school and earned a Master’s in Land Use Planning and Urban Design from the University of Rhode Island, with the goal of transitioning into real estate development. Tom then joined Spaulding & Slye, which was later acquired by JLL in 2005, where he worked for over 15 years, starting as a project manager and working his way up to becoming a senior vice president in the development services group. During his time there, Tom was fortunate to work on a diverse range of projects across all major market segments, including the company’s investment arm, Spaulding & Slye Investments. Tom carried his “at risk” development skills into many of his fee-for-service assignments with a particular focus on large-scale ground-up residential and office projects. He developed a robust client roster, maintaining a foothold in both the fee-for-service business and investment development worlds.
Continue reading Navigating Success: The Journey of Tom Fanning and Northstar
