J Calnan & Associates

The Boston Business Journal has named JC&A to its 2020 Best Places to Work — the BBJ’s exclusive ranking of the Massachusetts companies that have built outstanding work environments for their people.

The 79 companies honored in 2020 range in size and industry, with winners from the technology sector, retail industry, health care space, commercial real estate and more.

We are proud to be recognized for the 4^th consecutive year as one of Boston Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work,” said CEO, Jay Calnan.  “At JC&A, it is all about our team.  I am extraordinarily proud of how our company has remained a strong, cohesive unit during these unprecedented times and this accomplishment reflects the passion and commitment each one of our teammates brings to work every day to support each other, our families, our clients, and our communities. In reflecting on this award and 25 years of success, ‘We Build with gratitude’ is the JC&A way of giving thanks to our team and all those who continue to be part of this journey.”

The 165 businesses that met criteria for office location and size participated in employee engagement surveys distributed by the Business Journal partner Quantum Workplace.  Employees were asked to rate their work environment, work-life balance, job satisfaction, advancement opportunities, management, compensation, and benefits.

President of JC&A, Jim Cahill said, “Our people are the lifeblood of our company and at the forefront of our firm’s success.  Since our inception in 1996, we have built an incredibly hardworking and exceptional team who enjoy coming to work and care for one another and the success of each of our partners, whether it be a client, industry associate or subcontractor.  We take pride in having created a working environment that fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, recognizes achievement and is supportive of our families and our communities.  We strive to create a family atmosphere in all we do at JC&A rather than just another office environment.”

When the pandemic hit, JC&A made the commitment to their employees to keep 100% of their team in both their NY and MA offices.  Cahill continues: “Many of our people knew each other or were friends before they worked at JC&A which is unique and not something you’ll often find within a company.  When we do find that “right” person, we do whatever it takes to motivate, challenge and ultimately keep them.”

One JC&A employee said, “I want to thank you (JC&A Partners) for the truly remarkable sacrifices that you are making during this pandemic. You have explicitly shown your appreciation to every employee. It seems like every company out there is going through rounds and rounds of layoffs and furloughs. Myself and my family thank you for making this decision.  As always, I am unbelievably grateful and proud to work here with all of you and the rest of the JC&A family.”

“These are challenging days for businesses and their employees,” said Carolyn Jones, Boston Business Journal market president and publisher, “and the companies that appear on this year’s Best Places to Work lists — our 18^th year of honoring such companies — are leading the way as the region’s top workplaces.”

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J. Calnan & Associates, Inc. (JC&A), one of the leading construction management firms in the Northeast specializing in world-class pre-construction services and challenging construction projects, recently completed the corporate headquarters for Dicerna™ Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a developer of investigational ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) therapeutics.

Together with R.E. Dinneen Architects and AHA Engineers, JC&A transformed 80,000 square feet in Lexington for Dicerna.  The team upgraded Dicerna’s existing lobby and atrium, and significantly upgraded existing office and laboratory spaces. The team added a new chemistry lab, a commercial kitchen, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Exterior highlights include a staircase that allows direct access from all three floors to the new, expansive back patio, as well as a new front patio and trellis.

“We are proud to be part of Dicerna’s successful transition to Lexington,” said Greg Lewis, project executive, life sciences at J. Calnan & Associates. “In the end, it’s all about improving patients’ lives, and this new headquarters will allow them to further advance their therapies.”

“At Dicerna, our mission is to leverage our proprietary GalXC^™ RNAi technology platform to develop new therapies for patients with rare and common diseases that have a genetic component. There is an urgency to the work that we do, and the recent, rapid expansion to our new Lexington facility will provide our growing team with additional infrastructure and capacity to deliver new medicines to patients,” said Douglas Fambrough, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Dicerna.

JC&A builds for the world’s top Life Sciences companies. Our specialized Life Sciences team has extensive experience working in challenging cGMP environments including occupied spaces, clean rooms, operational vivariums and labs. We also have worked for various user groups with strict security requirements and aggressive schedules. Some of these groups include Sanofi Genzyme, Biogen, Parexel International, Takeda, Acceleron andMassBio. 

Maugel Architects and J. Calnan & Associates (JC&A) announced the completion of the 122,000 square foot restack of Olympus OSSA in Waltham, Massachusetts. Olympus OSSA is a world-leading manufacturer of innovative non-destructive testing instruments used in industrial and research applications.  The Maugel-JC&A team had previously designed Olympus’ original interior fit-out in 2011.  The 2019 project entailed a nine-phase renovation of expansion and occupied space encompassing 12 departments and over 500 employees. STV|DPM served as project OPM with MEP/FP engineering services provided by WB Engineers and Consultants.

The master plan and interior design, led by Maugel Architects, optimized efficiencies across office areas to maintain proper adjacencies to manufacturing and lab spaces and enabled the consolidation of Olympus’ Newton facility into the Waltham location.  New amenity and collaboration areas were strategically located throughout the facility to foster productivity and social connection across departments.

The use of graphic wall coverings, bold textured accent walls, and dramatic mid-tone wood accents create a fresh contemporary space that reflects the branding of the industry leading firm. The creative use of LED lighting of varying styles add interest to the space. Soft flooring was used in differing patterns to delineate workspaces and enhance acoustics and aesthetics. Other spaces include 28 new conference rooms, gym and locker rooms, a film studio and demo area, and an enlarged redesigned kitchen and breakroom.

“The Olympus OSSA project illustrates the best in modern workspace design. We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Olympus OSSA and J. Calnan & Associates and were honored to be selected to design the master plan and interior design for the Olympus restack,” said Heather Merwin, Olympus project interior director for Maugel Architects.  “The Olympus OSSA team, led by Joe Welch and Jason Shapiro,  had a clear vision and worked closely with the design team to ensure the new space would not only function well, but provide a creative work environment rich in amenity hubs and collaboration areas that fostered productivity and employee well-being.”