I.Grace Co.

Alfonse is a Senior Project Manager on the West Coast and has oversight responsibility for all construction activity in Los Angeles. Al’s deep knowledge of artisan level craftsmanship, combined with his passion and energy allows him to drive the quality and schedule of every project we deliver in Los Angeles.

“I love what I do and working as a team member at I-Grace gives me the BEST of both worlds. You can’t ask for more.”

He has been with I-Grace for over twenty years, including 16 in LA. He has over thirty years of experience in the construction industry in both commercial and luxury residential fields. Al has built an extensive portfolio of I-Grace projects both on the East and West coasts with notable design teams that include KAA Design, Atelier AM, Ferguson Shamamian and David Kleinberg.

Beckham discovered the satisfaction of working on complex construction projects while in the U.S. Navy helping to rebuild the Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy. That experience was the beginning of a path that lead him to Northern Arizona University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and on to Los Angeles, CA where he worked on the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Getty Villa. After four years working on these and other high profile projects across the South West, Beckham left for Australia where he received his Master of Design Science in Sustainable Design from the University of Sydney. He spent the following eight years working as a client-side Project Manager and Design Consultant with multi-disciplinary engineering firms focused on ecologically sustainable design in Australia and in Los Angeles.

“The most important part of working in residential construction is understanding that every decision is a personal one to our Clients. They will live everyday with the work that we do and it will impact them in ways we cannot imagine. There is a great responsibility in that.”

Looking to return to construction management, Beckham was drawn to a unique opportunity to help restore, modernize, and expand an architecturally significant private residence on the coast of Santa Barbara, CA. There the hook was set for a career focused on the challenging and bespoke world of high end residential construction. Beckham left Santa Barbara in 2015 to join I-Grace as one of our Senior Project Managers. In his role, Beckham is engaged on a variety of projects and is the primary point of contact for several of our long-standing clients.

Ben, a Senior Project Manager in our Long Island City corporate headquarters, comes to us with close to 30 years of experience in high-end residential construction in the New York area. As the owner of Edward Bennett Construction, Inc., a general contracting firm founded in 1989, Ben successfully completed numerous high-end residential and commercial renovation and restoration projects.

“Our team is always driven to be the best.
Inspiration is contagious”

Ben’s projects span a range of styles from Classical to Modern, and include projects on Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, and Central Park West, as well as townhouse renovations in the historic neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

David J. Cohen founded The I-Grace Company, Commissioned Private Residences, Inc., in 1988. Conceived as a firm with a deep commitment to artisan level craftsmanship and the best of modern management practices, I-Grace allowed David to re-envisage the traditional patron-builder relationship. Over the years, I-Grace has grown into a diversified national construction company, one of the leading purveyors of high end residential services in the country.

“First we build great teams,
then we build great projects.”

David’s introduction to the world of construction came at an early age, when his parents purchased a former boarding house in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn, New York in 1964, which they converted into a single family house. The transformation of this brownstone and Cobble Hill’s nascent gentrification served as a backdrop for his lifelong passion for historic architecture, renovations and the changing fabric of the urban landscape.

David’s love of history led him to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in European History at SUNY Binghamton, where he graduated with Honors. His summers were spent working for Marvin Hammerman, Inc., an architectural woodworking and general contracting firm in New York City. Upon graduating, David joined Marvin Hammerman full-time, where, over the next few years, he rapidly rose through the ranks from the field to management. David later joined William Crawford, Inc., an old line residential construction firm, where he had the opportunity to work with some of the most prestigious decorating and architecture firms in New York.

Today, David remains actively involved in The I-Grace Company, serving as its CEO. He remains passionately committed to his founding vision: an uncompromising commitment to quality and service. While the company has grown over the years to include an array of diversified service offerings coast to coast, the primary objective of the firm remains unchanged: I-Grace strives to provide highly specialized advisory and construction services that span the lifecycle of a client relationship.

David lives with his wife and four children in Manhattan.

Kate Koltys is the Human Resources Director at I-Grace. A Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional, Katie brings a pragmatic human element to administering policies, procedures, and technology across the business. Through streamlining communication and processes for employees and management, the HR Director’s influence continuously increases company efficiency and transparency. Kate is passionate about developing and implementing balanced solutions that optimize the work environment.

“Learning is the scaffolding on which we climb towards our pursuit for greater understanding of each other and our world.”

Most recently, Kate was the Human Resources and Operations Manager at a solar engineering firm, Bright Power, where she built multiple in-house HR solutions with senior leadership. She streamlined communication and processes within recruitment, company benefits, on/off boarding, building facilities, employee performance management, and leadership training. Prior to the corporate environment, Kate has held multiple positions at colleges and universities across the country where she developed and led ongoing training programs and teams that prepared student leaders for mentorship roles as well as for the professional world. Kate is passionate about designing initiatives that smooth the way for employees and businesses to achieve their goals together, in the most productive and healthy way possible.

Kate holds a Master of Education in Counselor Education, Student Affairs from Clemson University, South Carolina and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Oakland University, Michigan where she grew up.

Keith D. Kirkpatrick is the Chief Operating Officer of I-Grace. Keith’s passion for design and architecture began at a young age. Born to a military father, he traveled extensively throughout his childhood and was exposed to a variety of cultures and their architectural styles. During his teenage years, Keith’s travels took him from San Angelo, Texas to Japan, where he experienced Asian art and design for the first time, and several European countries. This world tour was a revelation and formed the foundation of his design sense and aesthetic.

Keith attended Kenyon College and went on to study Environmental Design at Parsons School of Design. In 1996, Keith joined I-Grace as a Project Manager and worked his way up through the ranks to become Chief Operating Officer in 2009. Currently based out of the corporate headquarters in New York City, Keith oversees our most difficult and complicated projects.

Responsible for all construction operations, Keith manages a seasoned team of construction professionals. He has worked on some of the most exciting and complex residential renovations across the United States. Some of these projects have included a sprawling 115 acre Pennsylvania Estate, a 45,000 sq. ft. beaux art townhouse in New York City, and a mission revival style residence overlooking the beaches of Emerald Bay.

Kurt Roessler leads our Project Development Group division. Kurt comes to us from JDS Development Group, a luxury real estate development and construction firm in New York City, where he was a Design Manager, and worked on projects such as The Fitzroy, a boutique condominium building just off of Manhattan’s famed High Line, and 111 West 57th Street, a project that combines the landmarked Steinway building and a new tower addition.

“If you are going to try, go all the way.”

Prior to JDS, Kurt was Manager and Project Architect for retail projects at Tiffany & Co., where he oversaw the construction of flagship stores across the globe, including those in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Beverly Hills. Before that, Kurt spent several years as Project Architect/Project Manager at The Office of Thierry W. Despont in New York City, where his projects included the Ritz Hotel and Peninsula Hotel, both in Paris, France. Kurt also was a Project Architect/Project Manager at Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP in New York City.

Kurt, a registered architect in New York State, holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Lolly Mozersky is Executive Vice President at I-Grace with a focus on corporate strategy and organizational development.

Most recently, Lolly was Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for Policy and Planning at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Lolly was responsible for overseeing all executive, professional, administrative, and operational activities of the President including Board Relations, annual university-wide performance planning, and the management of all staff assigned to the office of the President.

“It is always about the people.”

Prior to that, Lolly spent ten years at I-Grace where she became Director of Administrative Services and eventually rose to Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, she was responsible for firm-wide corporate initiatives, administrative processes, human resources, office services, and marketing.

Luiz A. Fonseca joined I-Grace in 2014 as a Senior Project Manager. He has a strong background in managing many high-end residential projects and has designed and engineered the execution of complex renovations.

“If it doesn’t exist, we will invent it. I love to transform the most daring design intents into reality.”

Originally from Brazil, where his family owned a residential development company, Luiz enjoyed visiting job sites and started working as a helper and, eventually, skilled tradesmen at a very young age. Following in his father’s footsteps, Luiz went to school for engineering and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from PUC-MG in Brazil. At the age of 20, Luiz was drafted into the Brazilian army from which he graduated as a Second Lieutenant Commander and earned a Special Forces Mountain tab after 18 months.

Exploring new opportunities, Luiz came to New York and in 1998 joined a small construction company. He quickly worked his way up through the ranks and began supervising jobs and working directly with architects. Shortly after, Luiz began working for David McMahon, the former Chief-Architect for Parish-Hadley, as a CAD draftsman and designer. Luiz was responsible for providing design and drafting services to New York interior designers such as Albert Hadley, Bunny Williams, Kitty Hawks and Thomas Jayne. In 2004, Luiz decided to return to the building and construction industry where he worked as a Project Executive managing a high-end millwork department in New York. Following that, he became the Construction Manager for two ultra high-end renovations, which included a full gut duplex conversion on 5th Avenue and a full gut renovation of Oprah’s former Penthouse at the Place 57 Building.

Maya is a Senior Project Manager in our West Coast office. Prior to joining the firm, she lived and worked in New York City where she practiced architecture. After finding the construction process more interesting and rewarding, she joined a general contractor who worked on hospitality and residential projects in New York City. During this time, she worked on the retail store in The Standard High Line as well as a Greenwich Village Loft which was published in Interior Design magazine. An opportunity to work for a GC with a large architectural millwork shop led to Maya’s specialization in high-end residential construction and in-depth understanding of millwork fabrication, finishing and installation.

“Individual commitment to a group effort—
that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work”
– Vince Lombardi

Maya has had the honor of working with many notable designers and architects, including S.R. Gambrel, David Kleinberg, Alexa Hampton, Jacques Grange, G.P. Schafer and Hottenroth + Joseph, and has had a project published in Architectural Digest. In 2016, Maya decided to return to her Southern California roots and she has happily transitioned to commuting by car along the Pacific Coast Highway.

She received her Master of Architecture degree from California College of the Arts.

Michael hails from Ireland and has been working in construction for the past 40 years. He has been involved in all aspects of the business including procurement, bidding, scheduling, budgeting and project management. More recently he was employed with a mid-town Construction Management Company as Senior Project Manager. He was then employed as Vice President of Construction for a Manhattan-based firm working on projects for Brookfield Properties World Financial Center and Cushman & Wakefield.

“Value is relative to the client. This is what I-Grace strives to achieve and I am delighted to be part of it.”

As a Senior Project Manager with I-Grace, Michael is single minded in getting his projects finished on-time and on-budget without compromising the quality of the finished product. He enjoys constructing residences for discerning clients that expect and deserve the best.

Ron Johns, Managing Director of I-Grace’s West Coast office, has over 23 years of construction and development experience. Ron, who began his career after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, has successfully completed a variety of residential and commercial projects in New York City, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Washington, D.C.

As a member of the I-Grace team, Ron has managed portfolio in Los Angeles and New York, including projects in LA’s Westside, Manhattan Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Wilshire Corridor, The Pierre Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental New York. He has collaborated with design teams that include Studio William Hefner, Robert A.M. Stern, Peter Marino and KAA Design.

“I love working in an industry full of challenges and the opportunity to help our clients achieve whatever they can imagine, or demand.”

Some of Ron’s significant commercial projects include the Yankees’ Minor League Baseball Stadium, the 9/11 “Postcards” Memorial on Staten Island, the renovation and expansion of the Pentagon, The Vue High Rise Condominiums in Los Angeles and the historic restoration of senior officer homes in Honolulu, HI.

Ron has always had a keen interest in architecture and has renovated nine separate personal residences over the years—all while occupying them! These personal experiences have given Ron a deep appreciation and understanding of the client’s perspective during the homebuilding and remodeling process