The Secret to Building a Foundation of Success
Some client relationships are measured by the number of projects completed. Others are measured by the confidence built along the way.
For Clune’s partnership with law firm Duane Morris, that confidence has grown with every office delivered. What began with a project in Chicago quickly expanded into work across Boca Raton, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Today, the relationship spans across multiple Clune offices, built on a simple foundation: consistency.
No matter where the next office is located, or which Clune team is leading the work, the expectation remains the same. Deliver the same level of quality, communicate openly and execute each project with the same level of care, resulting in a successful office delivered on schedule and on budget. For Duane Morris, that consistency has made Clune more than a contractor. We’ve become a trusted extension of their team.
Consistency Creates Confidence
Every city brings new trade partners, inspectors, permitting requirements and building conditions. While those variables change from market to market, the client experience shouldn’t.
Because the Clune team has delivered multiple Duane Morris offices, each project starts with a deep understanding of the firm’s standards, finishes and expectations. That familiarity simplifies everything from procurement and submittals to scheduling and approvals, allowing the team to spend less time getting up to speed and more time focused on execution. It also allows teams across the country to deliver the same quality and experience, regardless of location.
Just as importantly, it creates confidence. By the time projects reached Dallas and New York, many conversations were no longer about explaining what the client wanted, but confirming solutions everyone already knew would work. Teams also build on one another’s experience. If a challenge has already been solved on one project, that knowledge is shared across offices, creating smarter solutions while maintaining a consistent outcome for the client.
Clune Insight: “After working together across multiple offices, you start anticipating what the client needs before they even ask. That familiarity helps projects move faster while maintaining the same level of quality every time,” Senior Superintendent, Scott Lattimer, said.
PINNACLE PHOTOGRAPHY 2017
Communication That Keeps the Projects Moving
Successful repeat partnerships aren’t built by avoiding challenges. They’re built by addressing them early, communicating openly and solving them together.
Throughout each Duane Morris project, Clune has prioritized proactive communication, setting realistic expectations from the outset and maintaining alignment as work progresses. That approach has helped streamline decision-making, reduce surprises and keep projects moving even when unexpected conditions arise.
One example came during the Austin office build, when the team encountered structural limitations while installing floor boxes in a conference room. Rather than compromising the design or disrupting the schedule, Clune worked closely with the building team to develop a creative solution that rerouted the electrical through a carefully planned trench in the post-tension slab. After extensively reviewing original drawings and mapping existing conditions to ensure the work could be performed safely, the team executed the trench by hand with minimal disruption, preserving the design intent while keeping the project on track and within budget.
A Relationship That Travels Well
The true measure of a partnership isn’t a single project, but the confidence to work together again and again.
For Duane Morris, each completed office has strengthened the foundation for the next one. Teams across Clune’s offices share knowledge, apply lessons from previous builds and provide a familiar experience, whether the project is in Texas, Florida, California or New York.
That continuity is what gives national clients confidence to expand with the same partner. No matter which Clune office is leading the project, clients know they can expect the same high standards, the same collaborative approach and the same successful outcome. It’s not just about knowing how to build another office. It’s about knowing how they work.
Clune Insight: ” One of the biggest advantages of working across multiple offices is the consistency we can provide. If one team has solved a challenge before, another office is just a phone call away. That shared knowledge creates the same experience for the client, no matter where the project is located,” said Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Team Leader, Tom McLaughlin.
Photo Credit: Randal Vanderveer
TLDR
The Challenge: Creating a consistent experience across multiple office build-outs while meeting the unique goals of each location.
The Solution: Investing in the relationship, not just the project, through transparency, responsiveness and a team that understands the client’s standards inside and out.
The Outcome: A long-standing partnership built on trust and the confidence to take on the next project together.
Unit Next Time
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