Tag: owners project management

Charting New Horizons: Kirstin Brown’s Voyage from Project Junkie to President of Northstar

Welcome to Northstar’s article series, “Meet the Partners of Northstar: Guiding Our Strategic Vision & Company’s Success.” As part of Northstar’s 15-year celebration, this series has highlighted the experiences and journeys of the partners who have shaped the company’s trajectory.

We close with Kirstin Brown as we wrap up this chapter and look ahead to Northstar’s 16th-year celebration this month.

A Crossroads of Uncertainty for Kirstin Brown

Kirstin Brown found herself at a crossroads when the economy hit the worst recession in recent history. At the height of her career and at a critical point in her life, with family and financial responsibilities, would starting a new business satisfy her need for constant education, professional growth, financial stability, and career advancement? And could she recover if this didn’t work out? These questions kept her up at night and kept her dreaming during the day. Fortunately, she wouldn’t be doing this alone. Four of her current partners worked with Kirstin at JLL. They, too, grappled with the same questions Kirstin faced. The allure of creating a firm of their own took hold. They had all the traits needed to start a business.    

The Formation of Northstar: A Leap of Faith

In 2010, Kirstin joined her three former JLL colleagues to found Northstar Project & Real Estate Services, leaving behind the security of established careers to pursue a shared vision. Despite economic uncertainty and corporate upheaval, they took a leap of faith and built something of their own. Kirstin brought the same skills, mentality, and perseverance that made her successful in her first development job, traits that still define her as a successful entrepreneur.

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Keeping the Science Running: What it takes to deliver lab projects when the science can’t stop

Reflections from the ISPE Boston Product Show

This year’s ISPE Boston Product Show brought together the region’s life science community to connect, discover, and move the industry forward. Northstar was at Booth W78, speaking with professionals across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, manufacturing, engineering, quality, validation, operations, and leadership throughout the day.

Most of the conversations focused on the same question: how do you build or renovate lab space when the science inside can’t stop? In a market as active and complex as Massachusetts, this challenge comes up on almost every project. It has real consequences for active research, and it shaped most of our conversations at the booth this year. Those conversations fell into two areas: renovating occupied labs and delivering new R&D space.

Success in Occupied Lab Construction

Building around scientists who are actively doing their jobs is a different kind of construction altogether. Work must move forward without ever putting an experiment, sensitive equipment, or a person at risk.

Planning starts long before the first wall comes down. Successful teams engage lab occupants early, understand how each space functions day to day, and build the logistics plan around that reality.

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PART 2: Delivering Passive House: From Strategy to Execution

From Principles to Practice
The value of Passive House is ultimately proven in execution. The following projects show how these principles translate into real-world outcomes.

Lessons from Harvard University Housing
Northstar has seen these principles play out across a range of project types, from historic renovations to large-scale residential developments. In each case, the common thread is not just the sustainability goal; it’s the coordination required to deliver it successfully.

A recent example is Harvard University Housing’s renovation projects at 5 Sacramento Street and 13 Kirkland Place in Cambridge, which achieved Passive House (PHIUS) certification. The projects transformed two 19th-century wood-framed buildings, one formerly used as a young adult mental health services office and the other formerly used as a single-family residence, into multi-unit housing for Harvard graduates and affiliates.

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Part 1: Passive House: Designing for Performance

Rethinking Building Performance
Passive House is often described as a high-performance building standard, but that only tells part of its significance. At its core, Passive House represents a shift in how we think about building performance in terms of energy use and how buildings support the people who use them every day. A Passive House building is defined as one that includes a rigorous, performance-based building design standard that creates ultra-low energy structures requiring very little energy for heating or cooling. In North America, PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) also includes co-requisite certifications, including US EPA Energy Star, Indoor airPLUS, and DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH).

While often associated with residential projects, Passive House principles apply across many building types, from multi-family housing to academic and institutional facilities. The goal is the same: to create buildings that are more efficient, more comfortable, and more reliable over time.

Passive House gives teams a clear, measurable way to design buildings that perform as intended, optimize occupant health and comfort, and remain resilient and predictable over time. With the right planning and coordination, these buildings can reduce heating and cooling energy use by more than 90% and overall energy use by more than 60%. But the real value isn’t just in numbers; it’s knowing the building performs as designed, in both energy performance and how it supports the people who use it every day.

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Natasha Marcuard Featured in NEREJ’s Women in CRE Spotlight

Natasha Marcuard, an owner’s project manager and senior leader at Northstar, was recently featured in the Women in Commercial Real Estate Spotlight issue of the New England Real Estate Journal. Natasha has led a wide range of projects across the Greater Boston and Providence markets, including complex life science environments, higher education housing, and commercial interiors, guiding teams from early planning and permitting through construction and closeout.

In this feature, she reflects on the experiences and values that have shaped her leadership approach, the importance of building meaningful relationships in the industry, and the opportunities ahead as technology continues to transform the built environment. She also shares thoughtful advice for women navigating careers in commercial real estate, emphasizing authenticity, community, and continuous growth. 

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Repositioning 470 Atlantic Avenue: Transforming a Historic Asset into Modern Lab Space

Built more than 100 years ago as an office and warehouse building, 470 Atlantic Avenue is being repositioned into one of Boston’s most technically complex lab conversions, driven by the evolving demands of the region’s life sciences market. On behalf of NF International Real Estate (Nan Fung), we are leading the conversion of approximately 190,000 square feet into a speculative BSL-2 laboratory environment, unlocking new value within a constrained, partially occupied asset.

Projects like this reflect a growing opportunity across urban markets. Owners are increasingly looking at existing buildings as candidates for life sciences conversion. While the upside is significant, these projects require early insight, flexibility, and strong leadership to move from concept to execution.

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John Townsend’s Journey: Pioneering Growth and Leadership

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.

Early Roots and Building Foundations
John Townsend’s story is deeply rooted in construction. Growing up surrounded by his father’s family development business, he absorbed the work and sounds of the construction site from a young age. His journey began in college, where he gained hands-on experience working summers for Wynn Development, a national development company, using the lessons he learned from his family’s development business.

After graduation, John continued his development journey, joining Phoenix Corporate Services and eventually moving to Trammell Crow Company after an acquisition. There, he met Lee Burneson, a founding partner at Northstar, who helped set him on a path into project management.

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Nick Dunn: Five Years Shaping Projects and Partnerships at Northstar

When Nick Dunn joined Northstar in 2021, he was also moving to a new city. His first Northstar project, Graduate Junction with American Campus Communities, brought him to Boston and became an important part of his professional growth over the past five years.

Today, Nick is a Project Manager with experience in the construction management and real estate industry. He brings a collaborative, solution-oriented approach to his work, supporting clients across residential, multifamily housing, and commercial real estate. During his time at Northstar, Nick has worked with project teams throughout different phases of the project life cycle, including planning, design administration, construction administration, closeout, program management, and move management, across projects ranging from multifamily housing and commercial office to early education and childcare.

Graduate Junction remains one of the projects that has been particularly meaningful in Nick’s career. As Project Manager, Nick supported the development and construction of two ground-up graduate dormitory buildings totaling more than 328,000 square feet in Cambridge, delivering 675 graduate student beds and amenity space.

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A Conversation with our Intern, John Mazza: His View from the Construction Site

Northstar is committed to mentoring and nurturing the next generation of talent passionate about pursuing careers in project management. As part of our internship/co-op program, we collaborate with institutions to identify exceptional candidates.

We had the pleasure of welcoming John Mazza to our team for the past four months. John is from Waltham, MA, and is entering his final year of his Master of Business Administration at Boston College Carroll School of Management. In his spare time, he loves hiking with his dog, exploring new restaurants, watching sports (especially baseball), and playing golf.

During his time with us, he was actively involved in Dartmouth College’s 25 West Wheelock Student Housing project and Boston Children’s Hospital 421 Park Drive | 201 Brookline Avenue project. John attended weekly meetings, including owner, architect, and contractor meetings and design-phase meetings; participated in punch list items; supported functional commissioning; contributed to market research; and assisted with close-out activities. He maintained key project trackers, including schedules, budgeting, punch lists, and close-out documentation. In addition, he joined site tours for other projects, including Sanofi’s project, a global software solutions company’s tech-focused office fit-out project, and assisted in various tasks for Harvard University’s 100 South Campus Drive project and Osprey Village’s project in South Carolina.

We took the opportunity to sit down with John to learn from his experience as part of our Northstar team during his internship.

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Cameron Feeley: Five Years Building Impact at Northstar

Cameron Feeley is a Project Manager with more than five years of experience in the construction and real estate industry. She’s known for bringing a thoughtful, collaborative approach to her work and has supported clients across residential, transportation, R&D, and commercial real estate industries.

During her time at Northstar, Cameron has worked on a variety of projects, from occupied residential renovations and façade restorations to R&D build-outs and real estate studies. She has developed expertise in sustainability, security upgrades, and façade restorations, while continuing to grow her experience across the broader construction and real estate industry.

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Beyond the Office: How Northstar Employees Are Giving Back

On a hot summer day in Boston, a group of Northstar employees gathered not on a construction site, but on the warehouse floor at the Greater Boston Food Bank, packing boxes, sorting donations, and helping prepare thousands of meals for distribution across Eastern Massachusetts. Working in an assembly-line style, our team moved quickly to pack as much as possible in a single shift, knowing each box would soon reach individuals and families facing food insecurity.

Instead of our usual early mornings on job sites, we traded hard hats for hairnets and spent the day supporting an organization that makes a meaningful difference in communities across the region.

For many of us, it was not just about volunteering. It was about building connections with our communities and one another while finding a shared sense of purpose. That purpose is at the heart of Northstar’s approach to community engagement.

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Kamal Sheik: Five Years of Growth and Impact at Northstar

We’re proud to celebrate Kamal Sheik’s five-year anniversary with Northstar.

Before joining Northstar, Kamal gained experience as a Junior Architect and Project Coordinator at Haven Architects, as well as working alongside his family at Farmaish Interiors. These early roles gave him a practical, collaborative approach and helped him develop a reputation for thoughtful problem-solving. Kamal earned his master’s in construction management from Purdue University and his bachelor’s in architecture from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. He is a Registered Architect in India and a LEED Green Associate, demonstrating his passion for outstanding, sustainable design.

With over eight years of experience in the A/E/C industry, he is currently supporting a building repositioning project and speculative lab and office suite projects. From early planning and design through construction and occupancy, he plays a key role in guiding projects forward. Throughout his career, Kamal has built a strong foundation in both the technical and collaborative sides of project management.

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Developing the Next Generation of Project Managers at Northstar

At Northstar, we believe that introducing students to the AEC industry early can open doors to career paths they may not have known existed or considered. Many of us came from diverse backgrounds and, as students, were unfamiliar with careers in architecture, engineering, and construction and had never heard of the owner’s project manager (OPM) role.

As owner’s project managers, we help guide projects from planning and design through construction and closeout, coordinating teams, schedules, budgets, and client goals along the way. Inspired by our own experiences, Northstar’s Internship Committee actively participates in student outreach and has developed a co-op program to help emerging talent explore the industry.

Student Outreach – Poster Sessions, Job Shadowing, and Speaker Panels

Through partnerships with the Professional Women in Construction Boston Chapter and Haley & Aldrich, Northstar team members Dominic Caporale, Chase Connell, and Cameron Feeley have participated in student poster sessions at Roxbury Community College, Codman Academy Charter Public School, and UMass Boston. These sessions give our team the opportunity to have a casual conversation about the role of an OPM and share real-world project examples.

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Ipsitha Bayapu Selected as a Connect CRE Next Generation Award Winner

Northstar is proud to announce that Ipsitha Bayapu has been named a Next Generation Award winner, an honor that recognizes emerging leaders making a difference in the commercial real estate industry.

As an Owner’s Project Manager, Ipsitha specializes in managing complex, multi-phase renovations and infrastructure projects for global life sciences and pharmaceutical clients. Her role spans the full project lifecycle, from initial feasibility and master scheduling to construction administration and final handover. Ipsitha acts as a key liaison between technical teams and corporate stakeholders, ensuring projects meet rigorous standards while maintaining predictable outcomes and minimizing disruption to active scientific research.

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Navigating Success: The Journey of Tom Fanning and Northstar

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.   

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A Tailored Approach to Client Success at Every Scale

Early education centers, while modest in size, quickly prove they are far from simple buildouts, bringing a unique mix of regulatory, operational, and stakeholder coordination that demands a highly adaptable and hands-on approach from day one.

Early education facilities require an equal level of precision, comparable to much larger developments. Success depends not on square footage, but on early alignment of the team and disciplined execution across design, construction, and operational readiness.

Establishing governance structures, decision-making pathways, and approval processes is often a critical early step. Clear accountability, defined escalation procedures, and structured stakeholder engagement provide the foundation for predictable outcomes. Aligning the project team with a client’s current operational guidelines and capacity ensures that delivery strategies reflect current realities, rather than relying on assumptions based on past or typical projects.

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A Year of Recognition: CoreNet Awards and Leadership Milestones at Northstar

Recognized for Project Excellence

We’re excited to share that Northstar has had a standout year, receiving recognition from the CoreNet Global New England Chapter. These honors highlight the dedication of our team and the impact of our work across the corporate real estate industry. Every year, the CoreNet Global New England Chapter’s Awards of Excellence gala brings together end users and service providers to celebrate the people and projects making a difference in the built environment.

This year, three projects supported by Northstar earned CoreNet Awards, showing how our work makes a difference in some of the region’s most complex workplaces and life sciences spaces. The winning projects were Biogen‘s 75 Broadway Global Headquarters (Deal of the Year), Sanofi M Station (Best New Workplace Outside of New England), and Takeda Pharmaceutical‘s Global Learning Center (Best New Small Workplace).

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Northstar Celebrates Kerry Logue’s 10-Year Anniversary

Kerry is a skilled Senior Project Manager who has more than 17 years of experience in design, construction, and real estate. She brings a unique perspective to her work, with insight into communication, enabling her to thoughtfully support effective client relationships and team collaboration. A trusted partner, Kerry is known for the genuine relationships she builds and her ability to connect with people in ways that foster trust.

Kerry’s Northstar journey began with a variety of projects, from corporate tenant interiors to ground-up construction and capital improvements. She’s been involved in several notable projects, including a 21-story residential building for American Campus Communities at Northeastern University, the relocation of 2,000 Akamai Technologies employees, and AEW Capital Management’s headquarters. Along the way, Kerry has become known for her thoughtful leadership, collaborative spirit, and knack for navigating complex challenges.

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A Conversation with our Intern, Danielle Flaherty: Her View from the Construction Site

Northstar is committed to mentoring and nurturing the next generation of talent with a passion for pursuing careers in project management. As part of our internship/co-op program, we collaborate with institutions such as Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and CREST (Commercial Real Estate Success Training) to identify exceptional candidates.

We had the pleasure of welcoming Danielle Flaherty to our team for the past three months. Danielle is from Wilmington, Massachusetts, and is a rising Senior at Wentworth Institute of Technology studying Construction Management with a minor in Business Administration. In her spare time, she loves teaching Pilates and spin classes, dancing, traveling, and hanging out with friends.

During her time with us, she was actively involved in Harvard University Housing’s 100 South Campus Drive project. Danielle attended weekly meetings, participated in punch list items, supported functional commissioning, and assisted with close-out activities. She maintained key project trackers, including schedules, punch lists, and other close-out documentation. In addition, she joined site tours for other projects, including an office fit-out and Nan Fung Life Science’s project at 470 Atlantic Avenue.

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Northstar Promotes Daniel Govoni and Lisa Hamilton to Associate Principal

Northstar is taking on new and challenging owner’s project management assignments across the real estate landscape. To support this growth, Daniel Govoni and Lisa Hamilton have been promoted to associate principal in recognition of their proven leadership, client impact, and ability to deliver results across large-scale projects.

Both Dan and Lisa have been with Northstar for nearly 15 years, building long-standing relationships and earning the trust of clients and colleagues through hands-on leadership. Their ability to guide projects from early planning through completion reflects Northstar’s value at every stage of a project.

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Patrick Burns Featured in NEREJ’s Spring Preview Spotlight

Pat Burns was recently featured in the New England Real Estate Journal’s Spring Preview Spotlight issue, where he shared insights into market activity, what projects are keeping the team busy, and what challenges are shaping the commercial real estate landscape over the next couple of months. Below is what he had to say.

What trends or market activity are you seeing as we move into the spring season?
As an owner’s project manager, my primary focus over the past few years has been the fit-out of office space. There is a growing trend toward enhancing the workplace experience, aiming to create an office worth commuting to. These enhancements can range from high-end coffee machines in office “pantries” to an entire floor dedicated to a full-service restaurant offering significant discounts to employees.

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Celebrating Five Years: Peter Arsenault’s Impact at Northstar

Northstar is proud to celebrate Peter Arsenault’s five-year anniversary with the firm. In this time, Peter has become an indispensable member of the Northstar team, contributing over 17 years of project management expertise across life sciences, healthcare, R&D, capital improvements, tenant interiors, and ground-up development. 

As a Senior Project Manager, Peter has overseen projects from initial planning and design through construction and close-out, consistently achieving exceptional results on schedule and within budget. His experience includes work with life science clients, educational institutions, commercial developments, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, often on challenging, high-profile projects requiring precision, collaboration, and a deep understanding of the construction process. 

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Redefining Project Leadership: Celebrating Women in Construction

As Women in Construction Week continues, we’re shining a spotlight on three inspiring voices: Pratiksha Gade, Kerry Logue, and Olivia Pedro. Over the course of the week, they’ve offered insights on leadership, opportunity, and the evolving landscape of building a career in owner’s project management.

Now, we’re bringing their reflections together to highlight the projects they’re most proud of, the opportunities they believe are shaping the industry, and the advice they would offer to the next generation of women in construction.

From meaningful project milestones to lessons learned along the way, their responses provide a thoughtful perspective on how leadership, collaboration, and curiosity are driving progress across the industry.

Read on for their insights and the perspectives that are shaping the future of construction.

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Leading the Way: Women in Construction at Northstar

For Women in Construction Week, we honor the remarkable women of Northstar who are driving our projects and reshaping industry leadership.

This year’s theme, ‘Level Up, Build Strong,’ celebrates career advancement and stronger, more inclusive futures for women. Nearly 40% of Northstar’s team are women, leading projects, mentoring future professionals, and driving innovation through diverse perspectives. From driving complex developments to mentoring the next generation of professionals, their impact extends far beyond individual projects. Their diverse background and perspectives fuel innovation, strengthen collaboration, and enhance the value we deliver to our clients.

In recognition of this year’s theme, we invited our team members to reflect on two questions: Who or what has inspired you to level up and embrace leadership roles in construction? And how has your role as an Owner’s Project Manager strengthened the industry?

At Northstar and as Owner’s Project Managers, we are dedicated to assembling strong teams whose diversity enables us to drive the best possible solutions and results for our clients. We believe progress happens intentionally, through mentorship, advocacy, accountability, and a culture that empowers every voice at the table.

Join us as we celebrate the insights, experiences, and accomplishments of our talented team members, who share stories of leadership, growth, and impact.

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