Fine Line Group
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FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Company Information We’re Building A Better Way
Our goal is to be at the forefront of the building industry by our commitment to continually develop innovative and cost effective approaches to construction.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us Information Company
Index
SECTION 1 | About Us
History Turn-Key Construction Management Contacts & Locations
SECTION 2 | Project Portfolio
SECTION 3 | Press & Testimonials
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Overview
History Founded in 1979, FLG began as a General Building Contractor specializing in museum interiors for such notable clients as the San Francisco Legion of Honor and the California Academy of Sciences. Today, our Client portfolio includes some of the nation’s finest restaurant, hospitality and retail establishments throughout the continental West and Northeast.
Experience With nearly thirty years of construction experience, FLG understands the critical balance of meeting both budget and schedule imperatives. We have evolved creative building methodologies and project delivery strategies that successfully manage both and enhance our Client’s design goals.
Efficiency FLG has a proven track record as a value added construction firm that can meet serious cost and time constraints. We have a reputation for meeting very ambitious schedules and bring with us a time-tested “fast-track” approach.
Teamwork FLG combines traditional contractor services with construction management and design-build capabilities. We are committed to a philosophy of organized teamwork between Client, Design Team and Construction Team. We believe that a project’s success is based upon excellent and timely communications, the anticipation of potential problems, and a commitment to focus on solutions.
Mission Statement Fine Line Group’s goal is to be at the forefront of the building industry by our commitment to continually developing innovative approaches to construction. We provide a unique work environment that promotes learning, creativity and above all, a passion to excel.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Turn-Key Construction Management
FLG has developed a unique, Turn-Key project delivery method aimed at reducing our client’s financial risk by controlling budget and schedule from the earliest stages of design. Unlike most Construction Managers, FLG offers an integrated design and construction approach. We not only assemble and manage the architectural and engineering team but incorporate them into our prime contract as sub-consultants. This approach enables us to assume full responsibility for meeting our client’s schedule and cost targets by providing single-source accountability, realistic schedules with fixed construction pricing very early in the design process. FInally, our streamlined, open-book approach enables us to bid your project at the end of the Design Development Phase. This approach allows us to reduce your overall project schedule by up to 40 percent, bring your business to market faster, while saving you time and money in the process.
The FLG Turn-Key CM Process Provides: Early Discovery • Pre-Lease Discovery • Lease Negotiation Support • Maximize TI Allowance Cost Control • Early Discovery Influences Design • “Real” Costing Throughout Design • Open Book Sub-Contractor Bidding • Architecturally Driven Value Engineering Speed to Market • Reduced Project Schedule • Minimized Documentation • Overlapping Phases • Early Procurement Efficiency & Quality • Team Approach • Reduced Administrative Costs • Improved Communication • Seamless Project Management
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About Us
FINE LINE GROUP
Approach Comparison | 2,000 - 4,000 Sf Retail Store
Retail Design & Construction | Turn-key Approach
2 6
SITE DISCOVERY LEASE NEGOTIATION WEEK
2 3
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
17
FINALIZE COST
DEMOLITION
1
SCHEMATIC DESIGN PRICING
4
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
3 4 4 3
BIDDING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
STORE OPENING
30
WEEKS TOTAL
PERMIT REVIEW ORDER LONG LEAD ITEMS
12
CONSTRUCTION
1
MERCHANDISING & MOVE-IN
Retail Design & Construction | Conventional Approach
6
LEASE NEGOTIATION
2
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
1 SCHEMATIC DESIGN PRICING DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 3 2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PRICING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION 8 4 BIDDING & PERMITTING 2 VALUE ENGINEERING 2 CONTRACT NEGOTIATION DEMOLITION 3 ORDER LONG LEAD ITEMS 3 12 CONSTRUCTION
STORE OPENING
46
WEEKS TOTAL
[ FINAL COST ]
MERCHANDISING & MOVE-IN
1
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Contacts & Locations
Office Locations FLG's corporate office is located in San Francisco, California with a regional office in New York City and Las Vegas. East coast, west or in between, we understand local subcontractor and supplier markets, and will assemble the best talent and resources for your project’s needs.
San Francisco 457 Minna Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415.777.4070 Contact: John Santori
Las Vegas 7660 W Sahara Ave, Suite 110 Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.363.7145 Contact: Scott Hatcher
New York 36 West 25th Street, 16th Floor New York, NY 10010 212.226.1646 Contact: Dale Salsman
2 Project Portfolio
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Project Information
Architect: Gensler Architects Project Duration: 6 Weeks Project Value: 3.7 Million Project Scope: 7,700 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Fixture & Lighting Detail 3. Main Floor
Retail
Gucci | San Francisco CA & Honolulu, HI The Honolulu store was Gucci’s first design build project. This renovation included imported Italian millwork in high lacquered Rose wood. All fixtures were supplied and installed by Fine Line Group. The project included a completely new two-story high ornamental storefront finished with stainless steel panels. Most important, the store was able to remain in business throughout the entire construction period, and was completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule with no change orders.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Retail
John Varvatos | San Francisco CA
Architect: DucDuc | New York Pollack Associates | SF
The seventh store and the largest of the Varvatos stores, the San Francisco flagship features two floors of sophisticated interiors, showcasing the Varvatos casual to formal menswear attire.
Project Duration: 3 Months
FLG coordinated with both architects on the east and west coast as well as meeting a demanding schedule of three months.
Project Value: 2 Million Project Scope: 6,500 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Stairway 2. Main Floor 3. Cashwrap
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Melander Architects Project Duration: 12 Weeks Project Value: 800 Thousand Project Scope: 5,000 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Stairway 2. Super Graphics 3. Main Floor
Retail
Glory Chen | San Francisco CA This project showcases the designer’s signature shoe collection with custom super graphics on walls throughout, a creative curvilinear wall and a modernist approach to the interior furnishings. FLG worked directly with the designer and store ownership as a design-build team with the architect to build out this project in twelve weeks.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: TEK Architects | MBH Architects Project Duration: 14 Weeks Project Value: 2.5 Million | Post St. 4.5 Million | Powell St. Project Scope: 18,000 square ft. | Post St. 40,000 square ft. | Powell St.
Project Photos 1. Powell Street 2. Powell Interior 3. Post Street
Retail
H & M | San Francisco CA H & M’s flagship store features new escalators, large video display screens, all new stone flooring, 42 high end dressing rooms, new restrooms, employee locker rooms and kitchen as well as a carefully restored historical ceiling and entry. The Post Street store features all new stone flooring, a new glass balcony overlooking the entry, a grand staircase, new exterior sidewalks, new restrooms and 20 high end dressing rooms. Both stores completed within an a extreme fast track schedule.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Atlaschi + Hatfield Architects Project Duration: 5 Weeks Project Value: 240 Thousand Project Scope: 1.600 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Main Floor 3. Cashwrap
Retail
Sisley | San Francisco CA Perhaps one of the most striking features of this remodel is the imported Italian stone floors, and the off-white marble brick walls that accent the built-in glass shelving. Lighting adds a sense of spaciousness to this narrow space by employing a suspended halogen system and recessed cans along the north and rear walls. In addition to the custom metallic Formica floor fixtures, Fine Line also mounted and installed all hanging store signage. This elegant little remodel was completed on time and in just over a month.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Retail
Benetton | San Francisco CA
Architect: Atlaschi + Hatfield Architects
Once the old Sanrio store, this extensive two-floor retail space had to be thoroughly demolished. The transformation is impressive.
Project Duration: 14 Weeks
Benetton's floors are now beautiful white imported tile with polished industrial safety steel on the staircase and at the escalator entry. The custom millwork, including two cash wraps and a backlit plexiglass fixture at the entrance, were fabricated in Italy and shipped directly to the site for installation. Illumination consists of new recessed lighting and hanging halogen fixtures throughout.
Project Value: 975 Thousand Project Scope: 7,640 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Staircase 2. Second Floor 3. Main Floor
Additional upgrades included: Existing elevator and escalators, HVAC, electrical and sprinkler systems, a new front sidewalk and a 30 foot high external marquis.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Lalire March Architects, NY Project Duration: 54 Weeks Project Value: 2 Million Project Scope: 6,000 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. SIgnage 3. Exterior Facade
Retail
Juicy Couture | Santa Barbara CA Located on historic State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, this Juicy Couture features colored glass walls, perforated design panels on the ceiling and custom interior finishes. The project scope also included new wood flooring, an elaborate lighting package, and a beautiful exterior facade with signage. FLG delivered the project on time and within budget.
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Brand + Allen Architects Project Duration: 9 Weeks Project Value: 575 Thousand Project Scope: 3,200 square ft.
Retail
Longchamp | San Francisco CA This project was a full Design Build - MEPS project. The flooring is beautiful Travertine marble tile with exquisite inlaid sandstone strips. Wall finishes include hand painted faux stone. Because the elegant maple millwork was specially fabricated in Canada, Fine Line Group had to carefully construct the space to meet the exact dimensions. One notable feature in the space is the floor to ceiling metal beaded curtain that divides the main floor from a private display shelf, complete with a library-style rolling ladder. Additional work included storage and break room facilities in the basement complete with kitchenette, lockers, and shelving.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Main Floor 3. Fixture Detail
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FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Giorgio Borruso Design Project Duration: 3 Months Project Value: 800 Thousand Project Scope: 2,300 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Ceiling Fixtures 2. Changing Rooms 3. Displays
Retail
Fornarina | Las Vegas NV Designed by Giorgio Borruso Design Fornarina Las Vegas project is a surrealistic ambience of amoeboid shapes that required extensive and complex custom fabrication. The central lighting fixture, a series of organic shapes encased in a special nylon elastic fabric hangs from the ceiling from aluminum tubular frames. Mounted within the soffits are directional spots to provide illumination. Pearlescent fiberglass rings mounted on suspended 16 foot cast resin panels serve as displays for small-scale items, such as shoes. While the white custom fiberglass walls required hand-sculpting the pieces out of foam prior to making molds for casting each peice.
3 Press & Testimonials
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About&Us Press Testimonials
News Articles •
Hospitality Design On Time & On Budget
•
Visual Merchandising + Store Design Problem Solving – Fine Line Group’s Competitive Edge
•
Pacific Business News Givenchy Employs the Fast-Track Process
•
San Francisco Chronicle Upscale Contractor On The Fast Track
•
San Francisco Business Times Convincing Others to Try Something New
Client Testimonials •
Namrata Gupta | Director of Development & Design, BlissWorld LLC
•
Michael Gatti | Principal, Barteluce Architects & Associate
•
Charlie Kridler | Vice President of Retail, Gensler
•
Akos Wright | Senior Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
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Press
San Francisco Chronicle
What will Brad Ogden’s spectacular new San Francisco restaurant, One Market, and the new Coach leather goods store at Post and Grant have in common with 20 Talbot’s apparel stores in three states, Brobeck’s just-completed Palo Alto law office and three Alders Duty Free shops in Las Vegas?
Upscale Contractor On The Fast Track By Lloyd Watson
They’re all projects of Fine Line Group, a San Francisco general contracting firm that’s not at all general. “We’ve been increasing revenues 30 percent to 35 percent a year for the past three years. This year we’ll double to somewhere between $15 million and $20 million in new business. We’ve got 12 projects under way and another 12 in negotiation.” Santori, 46, has all the usual answers as to why his company is “so hot” – quality workmanship, fast-track performance, good follow-up and maintenance. “Ninety percent of our business is repeat.” But Fine Line also offers something that is unique. “Despite the computers in the office, construction is one of the most backward of businesses.” Santori said. “There’s always been an adversarial relationship between the contractor and the architect/owner. We’ve tossed that old negative way of doing business out the window. We take the team approach and share some of the risk that normally falls entirely on the owner.” Fine Line works up its budget from the architect’s schematic drawings rather than the much more expensive working drawings. “Only the subcontractors know the real cost of building,” Santori said. “So we bring all the potential subcontractors to the job site and walk them through the project. Then we can commit to a price that the developer
can take to his investors as a firm number.” By so doing, Santori says he can save an owner 10 percent or more of a project’s overall cost. That can be especially significant when construction runs from $250 to $300 a square foot – as it did for the Splendido’s and McCormick & Kuleto restaurants, both recent Fine Line jobs. A fourth-generation San Franciscan who worked his way through Lowell, USF and Cal as a carpenter, Santori began by specializing in interiors for major exhibits at the Legion and DeYoung museums and the California Academy of Sciences. When Prop 13 killed off much museum funding, he switched to retail and restaurant interiors. His Fine Line partner is Bob Helmers, 46. Their pet project of the moment is the $2.5 million-plus One Market restaurant being built for acclaimed chef Ogden, 38 and his Lark Creek Inn partner, Mike Deller, 46. It’s scheduled to open by Thanksgiving in the old SP Building at the corner of Market and Steuart.
The restaurant will be one of the city’s largest, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking on to the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building. It will employ 150 people and seat more than 300 – 10 of them at a chef’s table in the kitchen, which will take up more than 40 percent of the 10,300-square-foot space.
Copyright © by the San Francisco Chronicle. Reprinted by permission.
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Press
Hospitality Design
On time and on budget are words clients like to hear – but often don’t – from their contractors. With the Fine Line Group, a San Francisco-based commercial interior construction firm headed by CEO John S. Santori, clients can anticipate a construction experience that is designed to save time, money, and energy often spent on unforeseen problems.
On Time & On Budget By Suzanne Dorn
According to Santori, Fine Line does this by following a methodology of teamwork based on Japanese management principals. Specializing in high-end West Coast restaurant projects, Santori’s 40-person firm is responsible for building some of San Francisco’s most successful venues, such as the $2.5 – million One Market restaurant and McCormick & Kuleto’s, created by award-winning restaurant designer Paul Kuleto. What sets his firm apart from the competition, Santori says, is the amount of pre-construction planning that goes into each of its projects. “Pre-planning allows us to make scheduling and budgetary commitments that are invariably met,” he adds.
item-by-item budget review is performed that actual work begins – with fewer hitches than might be the case without such meticulous pre-planning. Though he earned a biochemistry degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1970, Santori has always had a taste for the construction business. He worked for an uncle framing house during his college days, “and it progressed from there,” he says. In 1974, he started his own construction firm, which worked mainly on museum projects. That firm, eventually renamed the Fine Line Group, expanded its market to include retail and restaurant projects, as well as some hotel projects for Hyatt. With annual billings of $20 million, Santori and his Fine Line Group are at work currently on the California Culinary Academy, Chalkers Billiard Club, and Silks restaurant, all located in San Francisco.
On all Fine Line projects, a team composed of the client, architect, contractor, and subcontractors is organized at the outset of a project. In the earliest stages of planning, each team member participates in several inspections to become totally familiar with the project so that there are no surprises down the road. “Each team member will be expected to perform as specified and for the price agreed to,” Santori explains. Team members each have an equal voice in the numerous plan reviews and revisions that take place during the planning period. It is only after final revised schematics are approved by everyone on the team and an
Reprinted with the permission of HOSPITALITY DESIGN Magazine.
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Press
Pacific Business News
being done by local union workers, and comes in at about $180 - $200 per square foot, often cheaper than traditional American techniques.
Givenchy Employs the Fast-Track Process By Chuck Davis
Time is money, especially in Waikiki, where rents often soar into the double digits per square foot per month, and downtime can destroy the bottom line. On the ground floor of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, workers are putting in double shifts to build out a posh Givenchy store slated to open by Memorial Day weekend. The catch is they didn’t start until May 6. In just four weeks, more than a dozen subcontractors will have gutted and re-built a 2,000-square-foot space to specifications in half the time it normally takes. San Francisco-based general contractor Fine Line Group Inc. uses what company President John Santori calls “Japanese fast-track construction.” The Japanese method is budget-driven, and there is no such thing as a change order or cost overrun, he said. Subcontractors participate in the planning process, along with the architect and owner. All components – such as cabinetry and storefront – are manufactured off-site, and on-site assembly is carefully choreographed for maximum efficiency. Santori said all on-site construction and installation is
Santori said the Givenchy store is Fine Line’s first job in Hawaii, but the firm has been building custom interiors since 1979. He said most of the work involves high-end retail stores, including build-outs on cruise ships. Fine Line is targeting the Hawaii market with fast-track construction, he said, because high rents mean time is crucial, especially in the context of the visitor industry. But Santori said he is looking to the entire Pacific Rim, starting with Guam and Saipan, and is considering opening an office in Honolulu. “I’d like to put a team together in Hawaii,” he said, to serve those other markets. He said Fine Line employs about 50, and has gross sales of $15 million to $20 million per year.
those which have followed that pattern. And the Givenchy operation, he said, “is keeping with our marketing plan of offering designer products, and fits right in with our tenant mix, which attracts Japanese visitors.” Marketing consultant Taka Kono, publisher of the Japan report, said specialty stores are much more powerful than boutiques within department stores. “For Japanese tourists, who are increasingly time-conscious, and are unfamiliar with Hawaii’s geography, it is much easier to shop at specialty stores dedicated to their favorite brands than to hunt down the products at several locations.”
The Givenchy store is being developed by Waikiki Trader Corp., which operates 29 theme stores in Hawaii and on the Mainland, including Endangered Species Stores, LeSportsac and Prima Classe. Cleigh Pang, Waikiki Trader vice president of operations, said he has used fast-track construction in two Endangered Species locations on the Mainland, and is sold on the concept. Paris-based Givenchy sells men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, which have traditionally been carried by Island department stores. The move to open a store, analysts say, is part of a trend among upscale lines to address consumer preferences for branded-store shopping, which is perceived as more entertaining than department stores. Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center Property Manager Jonathan Kim listed the Polo Store, Louis Vuitton, Burberry’s Ltd. And Chanel Boutiques among
Copyright
©1996
by
Reprinted by permission.
Pacific
BusinessNews.
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Press
San Francisco Business Times
In the last 20 years, contractor John Santori has rebuilt himself, his company and the construction industry at least a half a dozen times.
Convincing Others to Try Something New By Susan Smith Hendrickson
Changing the course of his own life wasn't difficult. If Santori had followed his original career path to attend Columbia University Medical School, he would still be his same innovative self, and no doubt gone on to become something like a reconstructive surgeon. Instead, Santori has reinvented the way seismic work and high-end retail and restaurants projects are done. Changing the ways of the construction industry proved more difficult. Said Santori, "The construction business isn't very innovative." Santori chose a career in construction, in 1974, after spending his summers framing houses for his uncle. Building seemed like it would be a lot more fun than the years of studying that medical school required. Soon he learned that it would also be more challenging. Santori's first company, Santori Construction, started out with small projects and was soon called on to renovate San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences and the Legion of Honor. "We were cheap," said Santori, who loved the opening parties that went with doing museum work. In 1979, Proposition 13 wiped out all the funding for library and museum construction and almost demolished Santori's company. To stay alive, Santori turned to high-end retail construction, signing on four partners who each put in $500 for a total of $2,000 in startup funds. They spent the money on stationery for their new company, the Fine Line Group, photocopied the American Institute of
Architect's San Francisco directory and went door-to-door looking for projects. Lacking retail experience, work was difficult to get, so Fine Line took what other construction firms wouldn't. In 1980, their largest job was for the department store Liberty House. Their fee: $5,000. At a Christmas party, Santori announced that Fine Line was going out of business in March. After that announcement, they received $4 million in letters of intent from Liberty House and Bullock's. Fine Line decided to give the construction industry another try. Wanting to be like the big players in the industry, it moved from its original home in Marin to San Francisco. Soon, Liberty House pulled out of California, and so did Bullock's. "We learned a new word -- diversification," Santori said. IBM was Fine Line's next big client, but the 1980s were also a time of downsizing for the technology giant. During this series of disasters, Santori picked up on a way of doing construction that would save his business -- and the budgets of others. While working with a Los Angeles architecture firm, Santori was introduced to the Japanese fast-track method of building. Santori was astounded by the method's short construction period. He studied it for 10 years before finding a client that would allow him to test his new-found approach to building. Rizzoli's bookstore decided to give the method a try. Santori had already >>
Continued
San Francisco Business Times
remodeled two of the chain's stores, and the owner was anxious to try anything that would prevent him from closing a third store and losing business during the long remodeling process. "With Japanese fast track, you can advertise that you are closing on a Friday, `come see our new store on Monday,' " said Santori. Because of the months spent planning, measuring and doing most of the building off-site (which is cheaper), construction of a store happens almost overnight. Fine Line's first Japanese fast track project was a success and the company realized it had found a niche: meeting next to impossible deadlines. The company reinforced its theory by completing the renovation of the French Lycee School in San Francisco in five-and-a-half months, four months ahead of its set schedule. Santori next applied Japanese fast-track construction to the seismic renovation of Rizzoli's San Francisco store. The project had a 14- month deadline. Fine Line completed it in five-and-a-half months. Now Santori wants to completely change the way seismic work is done in the Bay Area. After all, a lot of buildings still have to get up to code before the 2002 deadline. To help them, Fine Line has joined with two universities and started a new division, Composite Structures, to test a new building material made out of carbon fiber, which is 10 times stronger than steel. "In every other industry, you have to deal with the Steve Jobs-types, working away in their garages, trying to innovate," said Santori, a biochemist by degree. "I named my company the Fine Line Group, not Fine Line Construction, because I don't know where we will be in 10 years." Copyright 1999 American City Business Journals Inc.
Visual Merchandising + Store Design
versatility has insulated us to some degree … and our willingness to offer additional services that other builders don’t offer has worked in our favor.”
Problem Solving – Fine Line Group’s Competitive Edge By Bob Jordan
How does a construction company enjoy 20- to 30-percent growth in the depths of a recession when its principal clients are retailers going through the worst down market in a decade? By accepting smaller profit margins, by being more versatile and budgetconscious than competitors and by helping clients solve time constraint and design problems. At least that’s the formula used by San Francisco-based contractor Fine Line Group. Fine Line’s President and COO, Bruce Clymer, says it’s worked so well that the company expects 30- to 40-percent growth throughout the rest of the year. Since its inception in 1979, Fine Line’s 40 employees, under the direction of CEO John Santori, have gathered clients such as Coach, Talbots, Liberty House, Confetti candy stores, Duty Free Shops, Sharper Image and Hyatt Regency Hotels. While the group’s work is primarily confined to the Southwest – California, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona – future plans include venturing to the Northwest and Hawaii. “The recession has given us a lot of good customer,” Clymer says. “Our
One of those services includes site surveys. For example, the firm reviewed four possible locations for Talbot’s flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square. Before leases closed, Fine Line found asbestos problems in one and structural problems in another. They also advised Talbots of city building codes and restrictions that might adversely affect their project. “After site selection, we quickly got involved with the construction teams, helping to develop cost estimates,” Clymer explains. “There were some plaster ceilings in the existing space. The architects contacted us to see what we could do to salvage and determine whether we could repeat those original details throughout the space. That’s the kind of challenge we love to rise to.” Say you’re a store designer who has just been given a rehab assignment with a limited budget, a ridiculously short completion date of eight weeks and very upscale expectations for the result. Is this mission impossible? Maybe not. You fall into the classic profile of clients that sought the services of Fine Line Group this past year. Satisfied clients include such retail icons as I. Magnin, Bullock’s, Gumps and Coach. “We were able to do a renovation for Coach in eight weeks, Talbots took about ten weeks… and that was in the middle of the earthquake.” Clymer says. The Coach renovation, at Post and Grand Streets in San Francisco, involved a new façade, plus internal remodeling. “We knew an eight-week schedule was very ambitious,” admits Michael Fernbacher, Coach’s project manager. The renovation budget was
incomplete and some of the finishing detail had yet to be determined. These challenges left Fine Line undaunted – they assigned Steve Fairclough to the project as field superintendent. “Steve has a millwork background,” Fernbacher explains. “This makes him sensitive to the larger architectural issues – and ability to see further ahead. Also, we are very much problem-solvers. Where many builders are always complaining about design problems, Fine Line becomes part of the design team – they think like designers.” Fairclough sweated out every detail, according to Fernbacher. Fine Line located subcontractors to accommodate special metalworking requirements. Innovative construction methods, that involved removing, restructuring and reusing existing metal design elements, economically solved design problems on the façade. Unique scaffolding allowed ceiling and floor work to progress simultaneously. Tasmanian oak cabinetry and trim gave the Coach store the look of rich mahogany at a fraction of the price. “They kept moving, taking it all in as we went,” says Fernbacher. “We had considerable changes – both in design and price – and they were able to accommodate it all.” Gene Messina, Coach’s manager of store construction, was so pleased with the final result that he’s decided to replicate many of the Fine Line’s ideas in the firm’s other stores. The secret of Fine Line’s success lies in the company’s philosophy of selecting clients with whom they hope to build long-term relationships. Clymer says Fine Line works to develop a team concept between client, architects and other contractors. >>
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“Another of our services is our ability to provide subcontractors who provide quality work at competitive prices,” says Clymer. “We try to target clients who are growing. We repeat a lot of work with different architects. This enables us to negotiate attractive prices. It also makes it easier to devise alternative ways of constructing thing within structural limitations. “Systemization is the key,” insists Clymer. “We are highly organized, with highly developed computer systems. This permits us to organize our subcontractors more efficiently. We’re able to be more creative on the financial end, allowing projects to move forward before the design is complete.” As an example, in the Coach project Fine Line separated the façade from the prime contract. This permitted the firm to set a ballpark figure and begin construction while the final design problems and costs were worked out for the rest of the project. Leadership is another key. “We often teach our subcontractors how to bid,” Clymer says. “We teach them to develop detailed proposals. We keep them trim. We’re really strong on realistic bids. Then we protect our subs – we make sure we keep our promises.” Trust is extended through the clientarchitect-builder team. It makes for long-term, stable relationships where work can be done on a handshake if need be. This worked to everyone’s advantage in a multi-store project at San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center. Fine Line contracted to construct some 20 separate projects. In some instances clients were moving into space currently occupied by other clients. “We were on an extremely tight schedule,” Clymer explains. “We didn’t have time to design everything first, so we
Visual Merchandising + Store Design
designed, budgeted and built as we went. “The result is a level of trust and credibility that’s earned Fine Line repeat business with 80 percent of its clients. Clymer’s background suits him well in heading up such an innovative construction firm. The grandson of a builder and son of an engineer, he worked as a boat builder, earning degrees in both anthropology and psychology. Early travels took him to Brazil and other foreign countries, where he was introduced to new and exotic building styles, techniques and materials. He built store for Joseph Magnin and then, as an independent consultant, built Gump’s stores in Dallas and Beverly Hills before joining Fine Line in 1988. Admitting that the “Wal-Mart price point element” has introduced a new dynamic to retailing, Clymer still insists that image and quality design are here to stay. Great design of the future, he says, will involve creating a strong image that enhances what a retailer’s client is seeking. An image of not only what the store sells, but of how the store wants its customers feel about what it sells. According to Clymer, the stores that do well in the future will be those that stay focused on what they sell – stores that are well planned and customer friendly. There will be less fear of signage. Pillars and columns will be mixed with new materials. “We now have stones and slates available in California that until recently we didn’t even know existed,” he says. Lighting is gaining in importance as restrictive codes in some areas are forcing more creative approaches. In that regard, Clymer says that the United States makes the best lighting in the world, but the best design-oriented, mass-produced lighting now comes from Italy. Ergonomics, in terms of putting focus points at level more comfortable for customers, is taking on greater importance.
Clymer says we’ll see more storeswithin-stores using different materials while still maintaining architectural balance. “Building in flexibility has become very important,” he stresses. “We’re building more modular showcases – cases lit from above rather than from within.” Entertainment and convenience will be increasingly important to store design. “Look what Disney is doing.” Clymer says. “They’re creating entertainment and excitement.” Some recent jewelry stores Fine Line has worked on have video centers, toy centers, and couches where children can be entertained while their parents are looking at fine jewelry. “The trick,” says Clymer. “Is to balance entertainment with good merchandising concepts.” Despite new advances, Clymer believes classics are here to stay. “Store designers have to be more sensitive to both interior and exterior store imaging. They must combine good graphics with great lighting to create efficient stores that focus on the customer’s needs.”
From: Gupta, Namrata Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:09 PM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Bliss Fine Line Group recommendation
Dear Lee,
John Santori asked that I share with you my recent experience working with Fine Line Group. Specifically, John asked that I comment on the support his construction management team, led by Eric Robinson, has offered my bliss spa project during the pre-construction phase of our new 4000 sf spa in Hollywood, California.
While Fine Line Group has built successful spas for Bliss in the past, the Hollywood project is the first in which they have provided us with pre-construction/construction management services. These services fell into three main categories: design team management, coordination/technical review, and pricing/cost control. In all categories, Fine Line has added incredible value to my team. Specifically: they supported Bliss and the design team in scheduling and communication; they coordinated technical conflicts during design to avoid costly changes during construction; and finally, they led “value engineering” exercises that have brought down project costs substantially without sacrificing design quality. In each case, we have benefited greatly by including Fine Line Group in an “integrated” delivery process and not waiting until the start of construction to do so.
For all of these reasons and more, I can offer you my strongest endorsement of John’s team at Fine Line Group. And should you need to, you may call me at the mobile number below for any additional details or questions you may have.
Respectfully, Namrata
namrata gupta
director development + design | bliss | 75 varick street, 10th floor, new york, ny 10013 t 212 380 4612 | f 212 380 4642 | m 781 363 1469 www.blissworld.com
Barteluce Architects & Associates Daniel J. Barteluce Principal, CEO Michael M. Gatti Sr. VP, Principal Vice Presidents Laurent Charlet Charles J. Petretti Michael J. Rostkowski Brian Swanson Associates Atilio Leveratto Christopher Nubla Alice Perera
July 16, 2009 Re:
Fine Line Group 457 Minna Street San Francisco, CA 94103
To whom it may concern: I understand that you are considering retaining the General Contractor or Construction Management services of Mr. John Santori and Fine Line Group. I have had the recent pleasure of working with John and his team on a number of projects including the flagship boutique for Diesel in San Francisco and the renovation of a 5 story townhouse here in New York City. Our firm specializes in luxury retail environments but has completed many projects of all different types and sizes. A brief look at our website www.bapc.net will give you a sense of the level of detail we require when we hire a general contractor. In my 20 year career I can honestly say that Fine Line Group is one of the best I have worked with. Their management team is proactive and smart, providing viable solutions to field issues instead of simply stating the problem. Their field superintendents consolidate their questions and clearly present the issues making our job easier benefitting the overall project. Most importantly, they take tremendous pride in the quality of their work; they are committed to building relationships, not simply making as much money as possible and moving on to the next. I would highly recommend Fine Line Group for any project you are considering and am available to talk to you and your team anytime. Don’t hesitate to call with any questions or comments. Sincerely,
Michael M. Gatti, AIA Principal Daniel J. Barteluce P.C. Architects & Associates
36 West 25th Street New York, NY 10010 Phone (212) 691-7200 Fax (212) 691-7260 www.bapc.net
Architecture, Design
&
Planning Worldwide
June 10, 2003
To Whom It May Concern: Gensler has worked with Fine Line Group for the past ten years on several projects including the Gucci stores in Ala Moana Center in Hawaii and Union Square in San Francisco. We have found John Santori and his company to be conscientious in meeting project budgets and committed to maintaining project schedules. They have proven to be innovative problem solvers and are able to rise to the challenge of fast track deadlines while maintaining a quality product. They are easy to work with and are highly regarded by their clients and project consultant teams. I would recommend John Santori and his company, the Fine Line Group Inc. as an exceptionally capable contractor for your project. Sincerely,
Charlie Kridler Vice President, Retail CK/LN
Two Harrison Street Suite 400 San Francisco California 94105 Tel: 415.433.3700 Fax: 415.836.4599
February 19, 2008 To Whom It May Concern, On behalf of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation with regard to the excellent service and caliber of work that our company has experienced with Fine Line Group (FLG). The W Hotel, one of our premier properties in San Francisco, benefited from the FLG’s preconstruction and construction services. FLG was involved with early programmatic services for the hotel’s lobby and public areas, and provided construction services for the hotel as well as completed construction for the renowned Bliss Spa. We were impressed by FLG’s highly responsive service and proactive attitude. Our projects were completed in a timely and professional manner. We highly recommend Fine Line Group without hesitation, and look forward to working with them on future projects. Sincerely, Akos Wright Senior Director of Starwood Hotels Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
1111 Westchester Ave, White Plains, New York 10604-3500 Tel:914-64-5222 Fax:914-640-1858
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
San Francisco 457 Minna Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 415.777.4070
New York 36 West 25th Street, 16th Floor | New York, NY 10010 212.226.1646
Las Vegas 7660 W Sahara Ave, Suite 110 | Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.363.7145
FINE LINE GROUP
Company Information We’re Building A Better Way
Our goal is to be at the forefront of the building industry by our commitment to continually develop innovative and cost effective approaches to construction.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us Information Company
Index
SECTION 1 | About Us
History Turn-Key Construction Management Contacts & Locations
SECTION 2 | Project Portfolio
SECTION 3 | Press & Testimonials
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Overview
History Founded in 1979, FLG began as a General Building Contractor specializing in museum interiors for such notable clients as the San Francisco Legion of Honor and the California Academy of Sciences. Today, our Client portfolio includes some of the nation’s finest restaurant, hospitality and retail establishments throughout the continental West and Northeast.
Experience With nearly thirty years of construction experience, FLG understands the critical balance of meeting both budget and schedule imperatives. We have evolved creative building methodologies and project delivery strategies that successfully manage both and enhance our Client’s design goals.
Efficiency FLG has a proven track record as a value added construction firm that can meet serious cost and time constraints. We have a reputation for meeting very ambitious schedules and bring with us a time-tested “fast-track” approach.
Teamwork FLG combines traditional contractor services with construction management and design-build capabilities. We are committed to a philosophy of organized teamwork between Client, Design Team and Construction Team. We believe that a project’s success is based upon excellent and timely communications, the anticipation of potential problems, and a commitment to focus on solutions.
Mission Statement Fine Line Group’s goal is to be at the forefront of the building industry by our commitment to continually developing innovative approaches to construction. We provide a unique work environment that promotes learning, creativity and above all, a passion to excel.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Turn-Key Construction Management
FLG has developed a unique, Turn-Key project delivery method aimed at reducing our client’s financial risk by controlling budget and schedule from the earliest stages of design. Unlike most Construction Managers, FLG offers an integrated design and construction approach. We not only assemble and manage the architectural and engineering team but incorporate them into our prime contract as sub-consultants. This approach enables us to assume full responsibility for meeting our client’s schedule and cost targets by providing single-source accountability, realistic schedules with fixed construction pricing very early in the design process. FInally, our streamlined, open-book approach enables us to bid your project at the end of the Design Development Phase. This approach allows us to reduce your overall project schedule by up to 40 percent, bring your business to market faster, while saving you time and money in the process.
The FLG Turn-Key CM Process Provides: Early Discovery • Pre-Lease Discovery • Lease Negotiation Support • Maximize TI Allowance Cost Control • Early Discovery Influences Design • “Real” Costing Throughout Design • Open Book Sub-Contractor Bidding • Architecturally Driven Value Engineering Speed to Market • Reduced Project Schedule • Minimized Documentation • Overlapping Phases • Early Procurement Efficiency & Quality • Team Approach • Reduced Administrative Costs • Improved Communication • Seamless Project Management
FLG
About Us
FINE LINE GROUP
Approach Comparison | 2,000 - 4,000 Sf Retail Store
Retail Design & Construction | Turn-key Approach
2 6
SITE DISCOVERY LEASE NEGOTIATION WEEK
2 3
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
17
FINALIZE COST
DEMOLITION
1
SCHEMATIC DESIGN PRICING
4
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
3 4 4 3
BIDDING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
STORE OPENING
30
WEEKS TOTAL
PERMIT REVIEW ORDER LONG LEAD ITEMS
12
CONSTRUCTION
1
MERCHANDISING & MOVE-IN
Retail Design & Construction | Conventional Approach
6
LEASE NEGOTIATION
2
SCHEMATIC DESIGN
1 SCHEMATIC DESIGN PRICING DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 3 2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PRICING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION 8 4 BIDDING & PERMITTING 2 VALUE ENGINEERING 2 CONTRACT NEGOTIATION DEMOLITION 3 ORDER LONG LEAD ITEMS 3 12 CONSTRUCTION
STORE OPENING
46
WEEKS TOTAL
[ FINAL COST ]
MERCHANDISING & MOVE-IN
1
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About Us
Contacts & Locations
Office Locations FLG's corporate office is located in San Francisco, California with a regional office in New York City and Las Vegas. East coast, west or in between, we understand local subcontractor and supplier markets, and will assemble the best talent and resources for your project’s needs.
San Francisco 457 Minna Street San Francisco, CA 94103 415.777.4070 Contact: John Santori
Las Vegas 7660 W Sahara Ave, Suite 110 Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.363.7145 Contact: Scott Hatcher
New York 36 West 25th Street, 16th Floor New York, NY 10010 212.226.1646 Contact: Dale Salsman
2 Project Portfolio
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Gensler Architects Project Duration: 6 Weeks Project Value: 3.7 Million Project Scope: 7,700 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Fixture & Lighting Detail 3. Main Floor
Retail
Gucci | San Francisco CA & Honolulu, HI The Honolulu store was Gucci’s first design build project. This renovation included imported Italian millwork in high lacquered Rose wood. All fixtures were supplied and installed by Fine Line Group. The project included a completely new two-story high ornamental storefront finished with stainless steel panels. Most important, the store was able to remain in business throughout the entire construction period, and was completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule with no change orders.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Retail
John Varvatos | San Francisco CA
Architect: DucDuc | New York Pollack Associates | SF
The seventh store and the largest of the Varvatos stores, the San Francisco flagship features two floors of sophisticated interiors, showcasing the Varvatos casual to formal menswear attire.
Project Duration: 3 Months
FLG coordinated with both architects on the east and west coast as well as meeting a demanding schedule of three months.
Project Value: 2 Million Project Scope: 6,500 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Stairway 2. Main Floor 3. Cashwrap
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Melander Architects Project Duration: 12 Weeks Project Value: 800 Thousand Project Scope: 5,000 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Stairway 2. Super Graphics 3. Main Floor
Retail
Glory Chen | San Francisco CA This project showcases the designer’s signature shoe collection with custom super graphics on walls throughout, a creative curvilinear wall and a modernist approach to the interior furnishings. FLG worked directly with the designer and store ownership as a design-build team with the architect to build out this project in twelve weeks.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: TEK Architects | MBH Architects Project Duration: 14 Weeks Project Value: 2.5 Million | Post St. 4.5 Million | Powell St. Project Scope: 18,000 square ft. | Post St. 40,000 square ft. | Powell St.
Project Photos 1. Powell Street 2. Powell Interior 3. Post Street
Retail
H & M | San Francisco CA H & M’s flagship store features new escalators, large video display screens, all new stone flooring, 42 high end dressing rooms, new restrooms, employee locker rooms and kitchen as well as a carefully restored historical ceiling and entry. The Post Street store features all new stone flooring, a new glass balcony overlooking the entry, a grand staircase, new exterior sidewalks, new restrooms and 20 high end dressing rooms. Both stores completed within an a extreme fast track schedule.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Atlaschi + Hatfield Architects Project Duration: 5 Weeks Project Value: 240 Thousand Project Scope: 1.600 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Main Floor 3. Cashwrap
Retail
Sisley | San Francisco CA Perhaps one of the most striking features of this remodel is the imported Italian stone floors, and the off-white marble brick walls that accent the built-in glass shelving. Lighting adds a sense of spaciousness to this narrow space by employing a suspended halogen system and recessed cans along the north and rear walls. In addition to the custom metallic Formica floor fixtures, Fine Line also mounted and installed all hanging store signage. This elegant little remodel was completed on time and in just over a month.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Retail
Benetton | San Francisco CA
Architect: Atlaschi + Hatfield Architects
Once the old Sanrio store, this extensive two-floor retail space had to be thoroughly demolished. The transformation is impressive.
Project Duration: 14 Weeks
Benetton's floors are now beautiful white imported tile with polished industrial safety steel on the staircase and at the escalator entry. The custom millwork, including two cash wraps and a backlit plexiglass fixture at the entrance, were fabricated in Italy and shipped directly to the site for installation. Illumination consists of new recessed lighting and hanging halogen fixtures throughout.
Project Value: 975 Thousand Project Scope: 7,640 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Staircase 2. Second Floor 3. Main Floor
Additional upgrades included: Existing elevator and escalators, HVAC, electrical and sprinkler systems, a new front sidewalk and a 30 foot high external marquis.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Lalire March Architects, NY Project Duration: 54 Weeks Project Value: 2 Million Project Scope: 6,000 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. SIgnage 3. Exterior Facade
Retail
Juicy Couture | Santa Barbara CA Located on historic State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, this Juicy Couture features colored glass walls, perforated design panels on the ceiling and custom interior finishes. The project scope also included new wood flooring, an elaborate lighting package, and a beautiful exterior facade with signage. FLG delivered the project on time and within budget.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Brand + Allen Architects Project Duration: 9 Weeks Project Value: 575 Thousand Project Scope: 3,200 square ft.
Retail
Longchamp | San Francisco CA This project was a full Design Build - MEPS project. The flooring is beautiful Travertine marble tile with exquisite inlaid sandstone strips. Wall finishes include hand painted faux stone. Because the elegant maple millwork was specially fabricated in Canada, Fine Line Group had to carefully construct the space to meet the exact dimensions. One notable feature in the space is the floor to ceiling metal beaded curtain that divides the main floor from a private display shelf, complete with a library-style rolling ladder. Additional work included storage and break room facilities in the basement complete with kitchenette, lockers, and shelving.
Project Photos 1. Storefront 2. Main Floor 3. Fixture Detail
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Project Information
Architect: Giorgio Borruso Design Project Duration: 3 Months Project Value: 800 Thousand Project Scope: 2,300 square ft.
Project Photos 1. Ceiling Fixtures 2. Changing Rooms 3. Displays
Retail
Fornarina | Las Vegas NV Designed by Giorgio Borruso Design Fornarina Las Vegas project is a surrealistic ambience of amoeboid shapes that required extensive and complex custom fabrication. The central lighting fixture, a series of organic shapes encased in a special nylon elastic fabric hangs from the ceiling from aluminum tubular frames. Mounted within the soffits are directional spots to provide illumination. Pearlescent fiberglass rings mounted on suspended 16 foot cast resin panels serve as displays for small-scale items, such as shoes. While the white custom fiberglass walls required hand-sculpting the pieces out of foam prior to making molds for casting each peice.
3 Press & Testimonials
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
About&Us Press Testimonials
News Articles •
Hospitality Design On Time & On Budget
•
Visual Merchandising + Store Design Problem Solving – Fine Line Group’s Competitive Edge
•
Pacific Business News Givenchy Employs the Fast-Track Process
•
San Francisco Chronicle Upscale Contractor On The Fast Track
•
San Francisco Business Times Convincing Others to Try Something New
Client Testimonials •
Namrata Gupta | Director of Development & Design, BlissWorld LLC
•
Michael Gatti | Principal, Barteluce Architects & Associate
•
Charlie Kridler | Vice President of Retail, Gensler
•
Akos Wright | Senior Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Press
San Francisco Chronicle
What will Brad Ogden’s spectacular new San Francisco restaurant, One Market, and the new Coach leather goods store at Post and Grant have in common with 20 Talbot’s apparel stores in three states, Brobeck’s just-completed Palo Alto law office and three Alders Duty Free shops in Las Vegas?
Upscale Contractor On The Fast Track By Lloyd Watson
They’re all projects of Fine Line Group, a San Francisco general contracting firm that’s not at all general. “We’ve been increasing revenues 30 percent to 35 percent a year for the past three years. This year we’ll double to somewhere between $15 million and $20 million in new business. We’ve got 12 projects under way and another 12 in negotiation.” Santori, 46, has all the usual answers as to why his company is “so hot” – quality workmanship, fast-track performance, good follow-up and maintenance. “Ninety percent of our business is repeat.” But Fine Line also offers something that is unique. “Despite the computers in the office, construction is one of the most backward of businesses.” Santori said. “There’s always been an adversarial relationship between the contractor and the architect/owner. We’ve tossed that old negative way of doing business out the window. We take the team approach and share some of the risk that normally falls entirely on the owner.” Fine Line works up its budget from the architect’s schematic drawings rather than the much more expensive working drawings. “Only the subcontractors know the real cost of building,” Santori said. “So we bring all the potential subcontractors to the job site and walk them through the project. Then we can commit to a price that the developer
can take to his investors as a firm number.” By so doing, Santori says he can save an owner 10 percent or more of a project’s overall cost. That can be especially significant when construction runs from $250 to $300 a square foot – as it did for the Splendido’s and McCormick & Kuleto restaurants, both recent Fine Line jobs. A fourth-generation San Franciscan who worked his way through Lowell, USF and Cal as a carpenter, Santori began by specializing in interiors for major exhibits at the Legion and DeYoung museums and the California Academy of Sciences. When Prop 13 killed off much museum funding, he switched to retail and restaurant interiors. His Fine Line partner is Bob Helmers, 46. Their pet project of the moment is the $2.5 million-plus One Market restaurant being built for acclaimed chef Ogden, 38 and his Lark Creek Inn partner, Mike Deller, 46. It’s scheduled to open by Thanksgiving in the old SP Building at the corner of Market and Steuart.
The restaurant will be one of the city’s largest, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking on to the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building. It will employ 150 people and seat more than 300 – 10 of them at a chef’s table in the kitchen, which will take up more than 40 percent of the 10,300-square-foot space.
Copyright © by the San Francisco Chronicle. Reprinted by permission.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Press
Hospitality Design
On time and on budget are words clients like to hear – but often don’t – from their contractors. With the Fine Line Group, a San Francisco-based commercial interior construction firm headed by CEO John S. Santori, clients can anticipate a construction experience that is designed to save time, money, and energy often spent on unforeseen problems.
On Time & On Budget By Suzanne Dorn
According to Santori, Fine Line does this by following a methodology of teamwork based on Japanese management principals. Specializing in high-end West Coast restaurant projects, Santori’s 40-person firm is responsible for building some of San Francisco’s most successful venues, such as the $2.5 – million One Market restaurant and McCormick & Kuleto’s, created by award-winning restaurant designer Paul Kuleto. What sets his firm apart from the competition, Santori says, is the amount of pre-construction planning that goes into each of its projects. “Pre-planning allows us to make scheduling and budgetary commitments that are invariably met,” he adds.
item-by-item budget review is performed that actual work begins – with fewer hitches than might be the case without such meticulous pre-planning. Though he earned a biochemistry degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1970, Santori has always had a taste for the construction business. He worked for an uncle framing house during his college days, “and it progressed from there,” he says. In 1974, he started his own construction firm, which worked mainly on museum projects. That firm, eventually renamed the Fine Line Group, expanded its market to include retail and restaurant projects, as well as some hotel projects for Hyatt. With annual billings of $20 million, Santori and his Fine Line Group are at work currently on the California Culinary Academy, Chalkers Billiard Club, and Silks restaurant, all located in San Francisco.
On all Fine Line projects, a team composed of the client, architect, contractor, and subcontractors is organized at the outset of a project. In the earliest stages of planning, each team member participates in several inspections to become totally familiar with the project so that there are no surprises down the road. “Each team member will be expected to perform as specified and for the price agreed to,” Santori explains. Team members each have an equal voice in the numerous plan reviews and revisions that take place during the planning period. It is only after final revised schematics are approved by everyone on the team and an
Reprinted with the permission of HOSPITALITY DESIGN Magazine.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Press
Pacific Business News
being done by local union workers, and comes in at about $180 - $200 per square foot, often cheaper than traditional American techniques.
Givenchy Employs the Fast-Track Process By Chuck Davis
Time is money, especially in Waikiki, where rents often soar into the double digits per square foot per month, and downtime can destroy the bottom line. On the ground floor of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, workers are putting in double shifts to build out a posh Givenchy store slated to open by Memorial Day weekend. The catch is they didn’t start until May 6. In just four weeks, more than a dozen subcontractors will have gutted and re-built a 2,000-square-foot space to specifications in half the time it normally takes. San Francisco-based general contractor Fine Line Group Inc. uses what company President John Santori calls “Japanese fast-track construction.” The Japanese method is budget-driven, and there is no such thing as a change order or cost overrun, he said. Subcontractors participate in the planning process, along with the architect and owner. All components – such as cabinetry and storefront – are manufactured off-site, and on-site assembly is carefully choreographed for maximum efficiency. Santori said all on-site construction and installation is
Santori said the Givenchy store is Fine Line’s first job in Hawaii, but the firm has been building custom interiors since 1979. He said most of the work involves high-end retail stores, including build-outs on cruise ships. Fine Line is targeting the Hawaii market with fast-track construction, he said, because high rents mean time is crucial, especially in the context of the visitor industry. But Santori said he is looking to the entire Pacific Rim, starting with Guam and Saipan, and is considering opening an office in Honolulu. “I’d like to put a team together in Hawaii,” he said, to serve those other markets. He said Fine Line employs about 50, and has gross sales of $15 million to $20 million per year.
those which have followed that pattern. And the Givenchy operation, he said, “is keeping with our marketing plan of offering designer products, and fits right in with our tenant mix, which attracts Japanese visitors.” Marketing consultant Taka Kono, publisher of the Japan report, said specialty stores are much more powerful than boutiques within department stores. “For Japanese tourists, who are increasingly time-conscious, and are unfamiliar with Hawaii’s geography, it is much easier to shop at specialty stores dedicated to their favorite brands than to hunt down the products at several locations.”
The Givenchy store is being developed by Waikiki Trader Corp., which operates 29 theme stores in Hawaii and on the Mainland, including Endangered Species Stores, LeSportsac and Prima Classe. Cleigh Pang, Waikiki Trader vice president of operations, said he has used fast-track construction in two Endangered Species locations on the Mainland, and is sold on the concept. Paris-based Givenchy sells men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, which have traditionally been carried by Island department stores. The move to open a store, analysts say, is part of a trend among upscale lines to address consumer preferences for branded-store shopping, which is perceived as more entertaining than department stores. Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center Property Manager Jonathan Kim listed the Polo Store, Louis Vuitton, Burberry’s Ltd. And Chanel Boutiques among
Copyright
©1996
by
Reprinted by permission.
Pacific
BusinessNews.
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
Press
San Francisco Business Times
In the last 20 years, contractor John Santori has rebuilt himself, his company and the construction industry at least a half a dozen times.
Convincing Others to Try Something New By Susan Smith Hendrickson
Changing the course of his own life wasn't difficult. If Santori had followed his original career path to attend Columbia University Medical School, he would still be his same innovative self, and no doubt gone on to become something like a reconstructive surgeon. Instead, Santori has reinvented the way seismic work and high-end retail and restaurants projects are done. Changing the ways of the construction industry proved more difficult. Said Santori, "The construction business isn't very innovative." Santori chose a career in construction, in 1974, after spending his summers framing houses for his uncle. Building seemed like it would be a lot more fun than the years of studying that medical school required. Soon he learned that it would also be more challenging. Santori's first company, Santori Construction, started out with small projects and was soon called on to renovate San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences and the Legion of Honor. "We were cheap," said Santori, who loved the opening parties that went with doing museum work. In 1979, Proposition 13 wiped out all the funding for library and museum construction and almost demolished Santori's company. To stay alive, Santori turned to high-end retail construction, signing on four partners who each put in $500 for a total of $2,000 in startup funds. They spent the money on stationery for their new company, the Fine Line Group, photocopied the American Institute of
Architect's San Francisco directory and went door-to-door looking for projects. Lacking retail experience, work was difficult to get, so Fine Line took what other construction firms wouldn't. In 1980, their largest job was for the department store Liberty House. Their fee: $5,000. At a Christmas party, Santori announced that Fine Line was going out of business in March. After that announcement, they received $4 million in letters of intent from Liberty House and Bullock's. Fine Line decided to give the construction industry another try. Wanting to be like the big players in the industry, it moved from its original home in Marin to San Francisco. Soon, Liberty House pulled out of California, and so did Bullock's. "We learned a new word -- diversification," Santori said. IBM was Fine Line's next big client, but the 1980s were also a time of downsizing for the technology giant. During this series of disasters, Santori picked up on a way of doing construction that would save his business -- and the budgets of others. While working with a Los Angeles architecture firm, Santori was introduced to the Japanese fast-track method of building. Santori was astounded by the method's short construction period. He studied it for 10 years before finding a client that would allow him to test his new-found approach to building. Rizzoli's bookstore decided to give the method a try. Santori had already >>
Continued
San Francisco Business Times
remodeled two of the chain's stores, and the owner was anxious to try anything that would prevent him from closing a third store and losing business during the long remodeling process. "With Japanese fast track, you can advertise that you are closing on a Friday, `come see our new store on Monday,' " said Santori. Because of the months spent planning, measuring and doing most of the building off-site (which is cheaper), construction of a store happens almost overnight. Fine Line's first Japanese fast track project was a success and the company realized it had found a niche: meeting next to impossible deadlines. The company reinforced its theory by completing the renovation of the French Lycee School in San Francisco in five-and-a-half months, four months ahead of its set schedule. Santori next applied Japanese fast-track construction to the seismic renovation of Rizzoli's San Francisco store. The project had a 14- month deadline. Fine Line completed it in five-and-a-half months. Now Santori wants to completely change the way seismic work is done in the Bay Area. After all, a lot of buildings still have to get up to code before the 2002 deadline. To help them, Fine Line has joined with two universities and started a new division, Composite Structures, to test a new building material made out of carbon fiber, which is 10 times stronger than steel. "In every other industry, you have to deal with the Steve Jobs-types, working away in their garages, trying to innovate," said Santori, a biochemist by degree. "I named my company the Fine Line Group, not Fine Line Construction, because I don't know where we will be in 10 years." Copyright 1999 American City Business Journals Inc.
Visual Merchandising + Store Design
versatility has insulated us to some degree … and our willingness to offer additional services that other builders don’t offer has worked in our favor.”
Problem Solving – Fine Line Group’s Competitive Edge By Bob Jordan
How does a construction company enjoy 20- to 30-percent growth in the depths of a recession when its principal clients are retailers going through the worst down market in a decade? By accepting smaller profit margins, by being more versatile and budgetconscious than competitors and by helping clients solve time constraint and design problems. At least that’s the formula used by San Francisco-based contractor Fine Line Group. Fine Line’s President and COO, Bruce Clymer, says it’s worked so well that the company expects 30- to 40-percent growth throughout the rest of the year. Since its inception in 1979, Fine Line’s 40 employees, under the direction of CEO John Santori, have gathered clients such as Coach, Talbots, Liberty House, Confetti candy stores, Duty Free Shops, Sharper Image and Hyatt Regency Hotels. While the group’s work is primarily confined to the Southwest – California, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona – future plans include venturing to the Northwest and Hawaii. “The recession has given us a lot of good customer,” Clymer says. “Our
One of those services includes site surveys. For example, the firm reviewed four possible locations for Talbot’s flagship store in San Francisco’s Union Square. Before leases closed, Fine Line found asbestos problems in one and structural problems in another. They also advised Talbots of city building codes and restrictions that might adversely affect their project. “After site selection, we quickly got involved with the construction teams, helping to develop cost estimates,” Clymer explains. “There were some plaster ceilings in the existing space. The architects contacted us to see what we could do to salvage and determine whether we could repeat those original details throughout the space. That’s the kind of challenge we love to rise to.” Say you’re a store designer who has just been given a rehab assignment with a limited budget, a ridiculously short completion date of eight weeks and very upscale expectations for the result. Is this mission impossible? Maybe not. You fall into the classic profile of clients that sought the services of Fine Line Group this past year. Satisfied clients include such retail icons as I. Magnin, Bullock’s, Gumps and Coach. “We were able to do a renovation for Coach in eight weeks, Talbots took about ten weeks… and that was in the middle of the earthquake.” Clymer says. The Coach renovation, at Post and Grand Streets in San Francisco, involved a new façade, plus internal remodeling. “We knew an eight-week schedule was very ambitious,” admits Michael Fernbacher, Coach’s project manager. The renovation budget was
incomplete and some of the finishing detail had yet to be determined. These challenges left Fine Line undaunted – they assigned Steve Fairclough to the project as field superintendent. “Steve has a millwork background,” Fernbacher explains. “This makes him sensitive to the larger architectural issues – and ability to see further ahead. Also, we are very much problem-solvers. Where many builders are always complaining about design problems, Fine Line becomes part of the design team – they think like designers.” Fairclough sweated out every detail, according to Fernbacher. Fine Line located subcontractors to accommodate special metalworking requirements. Innovative construction methods, that involved removing, restructuring and reusing existing metal design elements, economically solved design problems on the façade. Unique scaffolding allowed ceiling and floor work to progress simultaneously. Tasmanian oak cabinetry and trim gave the Coach store the look of rich mahogany at a fraction of the price. “They kept moving, taking it all in as we went,” says Fernbacher. “We had considerable changes – both in design and price – and they were able to accommodate it all.” Gene Messina, Coach’s manager of store construction, was so pleased with the final result that he’s decided to replicate many of the Fine Line’s ideas in the firm’s other stores. The secret of Fine Line’s success lies in the company’s philosophy of selecting clients with whom they hope to build long-term relationships. Clymer says Fine Line works to develop a team concept between client, architects and other contractors. >>
Continued
“Another of our services is our ability to provide subcontractors who provide quality work at competitive prices,” says Clymer. “We try to target clients who are growing. We repeat a lot of work with different architects. This enables us to negotiate attractive prices. It also makes it easier to devise alternative ways of constructing thing within structural limitations. “Systemization is the key,” insists Clymer. “We are highly organized, with highly developed computer systems. This permits us to organize our subcontractors more efficiently. We’re able to be more creative on the financial end, allowing projects to move forward before the design is complete.” As an example, in the Coach project Fine Line separated the façade from the prime contract. This permitted the firm to set a ballpark figure and begin construction while the final design problems and costs were worked out for the rest of the project. Leadership is another key. “We often teach our subcontractors how to bid,” Clymer says. “We teach them to develop detailed proposals. We keep them trim. We’re really strong on realistic bids. Then we protect our subs – we make sure we keep our promises.” Trust is extended through the clientarchitect-builder team. It makes for long-term, stable relationships where work can be done on a handshake if need be. This worked to everyone’s advantage in a multi-store project at San Francisco’s Embarcadero Center. Fine Line contracted to construct some 20 separate projects. In some instances clients were moving into space currently occupied by other clients. “We were on an extremely tight schedule,” Clymer explains. “We didn’t have time to design everything first, so we
Visual Merchandising + Store Design
designed, budgeted and built as we went. “The result is a level of trust and credibility that’s earned Fine Line repeat business with 80 percent of its clients. Clymer’s background suits him well in heading up such an innovative construction firm. The grandson of a builder and son of an engineer, he worked as a boat builder, earning degrees in both anthropology and psychology. Early travels took him to Brazil and other foreign countries, where he was introduced to new and exotic building styles, techniques and materials. He built store for Joseph Magnin and then, as an independent consultant, built Gump’s stores in Dallas and Beverly Hills before joining Fine Line in 1988. Admitting that the “Wal-Mart price point element” has introduced a new dynamic to retailing, Clymer still insists that image and quality design are here to stay. Great design of the future, he says, will involve creating a strong image that enhances what a retailer’s client is seeking. An image of not only what the store sells, but of how the store wants its customers feel about what it sells. According to Clymer, the stores that do well in the future will be those that stay focused on what they sell – stores that are well planned and customer friendly. There will be less fear of signage. Pillars and columns will be mixed with new materials. “We now have stones and slates available in California that until recently we didn’t even know existed,” he says. Lighting is gaining in importance as restrictive codes in some areas are forcing more creative approaches. In that regard, Clymer says that the United States makes the best lighting in the world, but the best design-oriented, mass-produced lighting now comes from Italy. Ergonomics, in terms of putting focus points at level more comfortable for customers, is taking on greater importance.
Clymer says we’ll see more storeswithin-stores using different materials while still maintaining architectural balance. “Building in flexibility has become very important,” he stresses. “We’re building more modular showcases – cases lit from above rather than from within.” Entertainment and convenience will be increasingly important to store design. “Look what Disney is doing.” Clymer says. “They’re creating entertainment and excitement.” Some recent jewelry stores Fine Line has worked on have video centers, toy centers, and couches where children can be entertained while their parents are looking at fine jewelry. “The trick,” says Clymer. “Is to balance entertainment with good merchandising concepts.” Despite new advances, Clymer believes classics are here to stay. “Store designers have to be more sensitive to both interior and exterior store imaging. They must combine good graphics with great lighting to create efficient stores that focus on the customer’s needs.”
From: Gupta, Namrata Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:09 PM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Bliss Fine Line Group recommendation
Dear Lee,
John Santori asked that I share with you my recent experience working with Fine Line Group. Specifically, John asked that I comment on the support his construction management team, led by Eric Robinson, has offered my bliss spa project during the pre-construction phase of our new 4000 sf spa in Hollywood, California.
While Fine Line Group has built successful spas for Bliss in the past, the Hollywood project is the first in which they have provided us with pre-construction/construction management services. These services fell into three main categories: design team management, coordination/technical review, and pricing/cost control. In all categories, Fine Line has added incredible value to my team. Specifically: they supported Bliss and the design team in scheduling and communication; they coordinated technical conflicts during design to avoid costly changes during construction; and finally, they led “value engineering” exercises that have brought down project costs substantially without sacrificing design quality. In each case, we have benefited greatly by including Fine Line Group in an “integrated” delivery process and not waiting until the start of construction to do so.
For all of these reasons and more, I can offer you my strongest endorsement of John’s team at Fine Line Group. And should you need to, you may call me at the mobile number below for any additional details or questions you may have.
Respectfully, Namrata
namrata gupta
director development + design | bliss | 75 varick street, 10th floor, new york, ny 10013 t 212 380 4612 | f 212 380 4642 | m 781 363 1469 www.blissworld.com
Barteluce Architects & Associates Daniel J. Barteluce Principal, CEO Michael M. Gatti Sr. VP, Principal Vice Presidents Laurent Charlet Charles J. Petretti Michael J. Rostkowski Brian Swanson Associates Atilio Leveratto Christopher Nubla Alice Perera
July 16, 2009 Re:
Fine Line Group 457 Minna Street San Francisco, CA 94103
To whom it may concern: I understand that you are considering retaining the General Contractor or Construction Management services of Mr. John Santori and Fine Line Group. I have had the recent pleasure of working with John and his team on a number of projects including the flagship boutique for Diesel in San Francisco and the renovation of a 5 story townhouse here in New York City. Our firm specializes in luxury retail environments but has completed many projects of all different types and sizes. A brief look at our website www.bapc.net will give you a sense of the level of detail we require when we hire a general contractor. In my 20 year career I can honestly say that Fine Line Group is one of the best I have worked with. Their management team is proactive and smart, providing viable solutions to field issues instead of simply stating the problem. Their field superintendents consolidate their questions and clearly present the issues making our job easier benefitting the overall project. Most importantly, they take tremendous pride in the quality of their work; they are committed to building relationships, not simply making as much money as possible and moving on to the next. I would highly recommend Fine Line Group for any project you are considering and am available to talk to you and your team anytime. Don’t hesitate to call with any questions or comments. Sincerely,
Michael M. Gatti, AIA Principal Daniel J. Barteluce P.C. Architects & Associates
36 West 25th Street New York, NY 10010 Phone (212) 691-7200 Fax (212) 691-7260 www.bapc.net
Architecture, Design
&
Planning Worldwide
June 10, 2003
To Whom It May Concern: Gensler has worked with Fine Line Group for the past ten years on several projects including the Gucci stores in Ala Moana Center in Hawaii and Union Square in San Francisco. We have found John Santori and his company to be conscientious in meeting project budgets and committed to maintaining project schedules. They have proven to be innovative problem solvers and are able to rise to the challenge of fast track deadlines while maintaining a quality product. They are easy to work with and are highly regarded by their clients and project consultant teams. I would recommend John Santori and his company, the Fine Line Group Inc. as an exceptionally capable contractor for your project. Sincerely,
Charlie Kridler Vice President, Retail CK/LN
Two Harrison Street Suite 400 San Francisco California 94105 Tel: 415.433.3700 Fax: 415.836.4599
February 19, 2008 To Whom It May Concern, On behalf of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation with regard to the excellent service and caliber of work that our company has experienced with Fine Line Group (FLG). The W Hotel, one of our premier properties in San Francisco, benefited from the FLG’s preconstruction and construction services. FLG was involved with early programmatic services for the hotel’s lobby and public areas, and provided construction services for the hotel as well as completed construction for the renowned Bliss Spa. We were impressed by FLG’s highly responsive service and proactive attitude. Our projects were completed in a timely and professional manner. We highly recommend Fine Line Group without hesitation, and look forward to working with them on future projects. Sincerely, Akos Wright Senior Director of Starwood Hotels Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
1111 Westchester Ave, White Plains, New York 10604-3500 Tel:914-64-5222 Fax:914-640-1858
FLG
FINE LINE GROUP
San Francisco 457 Minna Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 415.777.4070
New York 36 West 25th Street, 16th Floor | New York, NY 10010 212.226.1646
Las Vegas 7660 W Sahara Ave, Suite 110 | Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.363.7145
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