Jess Hamilton is a project manager with Margulies Perruzzi in Boston. Lab Manager recently spoke with Jess about his career, experience, and personal interests.
Q: How did you get started in your career? Did you major in your field in college, get an internship, switch careers mid-stream, etc.?
A: I majored in Architectural Engineering Technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology. While a student, I completed a co-op to receive real world experience, which led to a 13-year employment at a firm that focused on workplace and real estate repositioning. Once I had solid experience established, I decided I wanted a bigger challenge and switched to a focus on the life sciences field by moving to a firm that did exclusively that. While there for four years, I got to work on a variety of lab spaces, mostly for tenants, as well as a repositioning project. I learned a ton about this exciting and quickly growing market sector. I recently joined Margulies Perruzzi to help contribute to our growing life sciences practice.
Q: What is a typical day at work like for you?
A: There is no such thing as a typical day in architecture which is why I enjoy it so much. A few examples of what I do during the workday include having project calls, reviewing drawings, helping to create fit plans, or even getting to enjoy our office’s roof deck on nice days. I can also be out on site for existing conditions surveys or walking spaces under construction to review progress. At least once a week, I enjoy lunches with former coworkers to stay in touch and discuss industry trends or I meet with potential clients.
Q: What lab projects are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently working on two lab projects at Margulies Perruzzi. One is a conversion of a three-story, 90-year-old brick and beam former ice cream factory into a lab and office building in Boston. It’s been challenging to uncover the existing conditions of the building as well as to figure out how to reconfigure the spaces for lab use from office use. Not too far away from that building, I am also working on a project to create a four-story, ground-up lab and office building. The goal of this building is to reflect the surrounding brick and beam buildings while also introducing some modern elements such as curtain walls. We are also looking to use CLT (cross laminated timber) as the floor decks, which has not been done for lab buildings in the Boston area yet. This will look great when it’s complete and be more sustainable than concrete and steel, while still achieving the same vibration and acoustical properties as would steel and concrete.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in the next few years in this new position?
A: I want to help Margulies Perruzzi continue to grow in the life science market sector. There are so many exciting projects underway in the Boston area right now that we are seeing new opportunities on a weekly basis. We are continuing to build our portfolio of experience with multiple ground-up and office-to-lab conversion projects as well as various tenant improvement projects in construction that we are excited to see completed soon. It’s been very rewarding to contribute to the companies working to solve many of the current challenges to cure diseases and disorders to improve people’s lives.
Q: If you won a million-dollar lottery tomorrow, what would you do with your winnings?
A: I would spend half on investing in real estate and look to spend the rest on an investment into the Boston Public Schools. Both my daughter and son are enrolled there. There are so many needs throughout the school system so the money could be used to make a difference for some of Boston’s kids.
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BOSTON – May 10, 2022 – The Boston office of Cresa, the world’s largest commercial real estate firm exclusively representing space occupiers, and Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, congratulate Rich Bettina, senior director of leasing for Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMC) on being named the Real Estate Executive for the Americas by CoreNet New England. Rich was honored at the CoreNet New England Awards of Excellence gala on May 5, 2022 at the Westin Copley Place.
The End User Leadership Award is designed to recognize a North America CoreNet Global New England member who provides leadership to the success of the corporate real estate industry and of their department, team, and company. Rich was nominated by Marc Margulies, FAIA, LEED AP, principal at Margulies Perruzzi, and Tim Myllykangas, managing principal at Cresa.
“I have worked closely with Rich since he joined FMC as the Director of Transaction Management – Lease Renewals for North America in 2018. It is truly impressive what he has done in such a short time,” said Tim. “Rich has a unique skill set not seen in most corporate real estate executives. Beyond basic real estate strategy and portfolio management, he has a strong knowledge and understanding of how to navigate successfully through the many management layers in a very complex and large organization. He quickly maps out the landscape of top stakeholders, builds relationships at key levels, and comes up with a plan to improve strategy, process, and measurable results for the company.”
Richard A. Bettina is an experienced professional with over 30 years of director-level management experience in North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific for companies such as FMC, Dell/EMC, Teradyne, and IBM. Rich has demonstrated expertise in corporate real estate across all aspects of portfolio management including site expansions and consolidations, lease transactions, project management, and facilities services.
“Just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, FMC was in the early stages of the complete transformation of its 2.6 million SF of non-clinical workspace under Rich’s direction,” said Marc. “Recognizing the enormous opportunity presented by dozens of lease expirations and underutilized sites across the US, Rich assembled a team to investigate consolidation efficiencies that would simultaneously improve collaboration and flexibility. Pivoting rapidly in response to COVID, Rich redirected his team to build leadership and staff consensus around a fully unassigned, highly remote workplace, dubbed the “Future of Work” at FMC.”
Fresenius is the world’s largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure. As senior director of leasing for North America, Rich is responsible for over 3,000 clinic and office sites and for internal and external teams negotiating 500 lease transactions annually. His internal and external teams manage new lease and site search activities, lease renewals, site consolidations, and all aspects of dispositions throughout North America. Rich works directly with all company executives including eight General Managers and 40 Regional Vice Presidents with ~ 30 million SF across 3,500 locations.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive this award which was only achievable by teaming up our Fresenius employees with hand-picked industry partners as part of our “Corporate Core team”. This core team was developed prior to the pandemic and was initially focused on utilization metrics for portfolio optimization,” said Rich. “The arrival of COVID-19 and its effects on the workplace enabled this team to shift priorities and accelerate its efforts toward Future of Work modelling led by our director of corporate facilities and construction, Scott Silva. This team’s motivation caused it to excel on all fronts, ensuring our real estate and facilities teams were well positioned to meet the needs of our employees and our company.”
Rich received a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University and an MBA in Strategic Business Management from Pace University. An active member of CoreNet New England, Rich has served on the Board of Directors and as a Real Advantage committee member and liaison to the board. Outside of the office he is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass./MetroWest.
The following project team members worked with MP and Cresa on the Fresenius projects:
- Fort Point PM (Cumming)
- iOffice
- NV5
- OfficeWorks
- PES Associates
- VergeSense
- Aerial Genomics
BOSTON – May 3, 2022– Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has completed work on a 4,000 SF simulation lab for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center (LHMC) in Burlington, Mass., a world-renowned tertiary academic medical center known for its innovative technology, pioneering medical treatment and leading-edge research. This is the seventh project Margulies Perruzzi has designed for LHMC. Other projects include Endoscopy department, MRI suite improvements, COVID testing site, 18-bed Intensive/Progressive Care Unit, Pathology Lab improvements, and a Wet Lab.
At LHMC’s Professional Development and Samuel and Nancy Jo Altschuler Simulation Center, providers work in a realistic health care setting using the latest technology and training methods to learn new techniques, strengthen teamwork and optimize their response to crises and unanticipated events. Simulators provide a structured learning experience and allow providers to practice new skills and procedures without risk to patients. Many simulation centers are built off-site but Dmitry Nepomnayshy, MD, director of the Professional Development and Samuel & Nancy Jo Altschuler Simulation Center at LHMC, had a vision for a simulation lab located within the main campus of the hospital and accessible 24/7.
“LHMC is committed to offering extensive skills training for our professional staff and dedicated to safety and the quality of care we offer our patients. The simulation center has become an indispensable component of our overarching vision to provide the best quality care possible to our community,” said Nepomnayshy. “We worked closely with the design team, and they understood our vision and the limitations we were facing by using existing space within the hospital but were able to create a flexible space which will support our simulation training.”
The design team focused on the functionality of the simulation space and created realistic clinical spaces for the most accurate learning experience for the users, while incorporating LHMC’s standard calming hospitality-like design aesthetics. Providing a functional operating and exam room, supplemented by simulation spaces, an observation room and a classroom, were important to the success of this space for teaching and training. A control room in the middle of the space straddles the operating room and patient room allowing observers to oversee simulations. The classroom incorporates a moveable wall system so the space can flex between small and large groups depending on the courses being offered. Providing glass to the corridor visually opens up the space and allows for more observation of those being trained. The final product is an inviting space which is open 24/7 and includes a kitchenette featuring a lounge with soft seating, storage room, and office space.
MP healthcare projects benefit from principal-level engagement from programming and planning through post-occupancy evaluations. Its healthcare experts are local to Boston, familiar with state and federal requirements for projects in New England. They use this expertise to lead user group meetings in real time, resolving complex planning issues during the meeting, which reduces meetings and helps expedite the project. MP’s scope of services includes programming and planning, site evaluation and clinical test fits, ground up construction, interior design, sustainable design, WELL Building, and LEAN process improvement.
Project team members include:
- Architect/Laboratory Planning: Margulies Perruzzi
- Construction Manager: Columbia Construction
- MEP/FP: R.W. Sullivan and CMTA
- Audio Visual: Red Thread
- Simulation Training & Technology: Simulation IQ
