After entering the Big Apple during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Swinerton has tapped new leadership in New York and the Northeast with the goal of pushing further into New England.
The Concord, California-based contractor has promoted Jay Quackenbush to the role of vice president and division manager of its Northeast Division, according to an announcement Monday.
Quackenbush joined Swinerton in March 2024 as the firm’s New York market leader and director of construction, according to his LinkedIn. He was promoted to his current role in Dec. 2025.
Before Swinerton, Quackenbush had spent nearly 15 years at Boston-based builder Shawmut Design & Construction, according to his LinkedIn. In addition, he worked for Albany, New York-based BBL Construction Services and Milford, Massachusetts-based Consigli Construction.
Overall, Quackenbush has spent nearly three decades overseeing complex, logistically demanding construction projects, per Swinerton.
Swinerton’s Northeast division is centered in the New York metropolitan area and works in all five boroughs of the city, western Long Island, Westchester, western Connecticut and northern New Jersey, Quackenbush told Construction Dive via email. In some circumstances, the team will work as far south as Philadelphia and as north as Albany, Quackenbush said.
“Our goal is to serve the whole Northeast region, including the entire New England area,” Quackenbush told Construction Dive.
The Big Apple’s mixed bag
Builders operating in the New York City construction market are seeing mixed economic signals.
The New York Building Congress, for example, projected $74 billion in construction spending by the end of 2025, per an October report, an increase of $1 billion. But the rise in spending was in nominal dollars year-over-year, and, in fact, represented a 12% decrease when accounting for inflation.
However, the city itself is projecting a spending surge with $31.4 billion in forecasted capital spending for 2026, up from $18 billion the year prior, according to the office of New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The city’s capital spending budget is dedicated to building and maintaining its core infrastructure.
Quackenbush predicted that growth would be “steady and intentional” due to New York City’s status as a mature construction market.
“Our focus will remain on building lasting and trusted relationships while continuing to explore opportunities in expanding market sectors in the Northeast, like data centers,” Quackenbush told Construction Dive.
Swinerton made its push into New York City during the pandemic. Some of the contractor’s past projects in the New York City area include the IPC Systems’ New York 17,700-square-foot office fit-out; the renovation of the historic Warsaw Theater in Brooklyn; and the fit-out of Patreon’s New York workplace, per the release.
In addition to Quackenbush, Swinerton named Nicholas Schifferle as director of client relations and Robert Murphy as project executive, according to the news release.
Swinerton has made several executive shifts in 2026. On Jan. 9, Don Adair, former chief revenue officer, retired. He was succeeded by Chris Chany, formerly the director of the builder’s National Accounts team.
