Cauldwell-Wingate Co.

Mr. Baranello has over 30 years of experience managing major construction projects across New York City and Long Island. Much of this experience was gained working directly for some of the city’s most prominent real estate developers and owners, giving Mr. Baranello a results-oriented perspective that blends technical expertise with an understanding of a real estate owner’s operations.

In his capacity as Executive Vice President at Cauldwell Wingate, Mr. Baranello oversees the overall execution of the company’s high-rise construction projects, from design development, document review, cost estimating, value engineering, through the development of schedules, logistics, subcontractor bid solicitation, bid analysis, subcontract award, to the hands-on management of the construction phase, and closeout and turnover of the completed facility. Additionally, Mr. Baranello serves as a member of the Executive Team focused on increasing business development and client relations as well as the strategy, policy, and operations.

Highlights of Mr. Baranello’s career and accomplishment include the new construction of Eagle Warehouse, 43-22 Queens Street, 7 West 21st Street, 40 Tenth Avenue-Solar Carve, 200 Montague Street, 22 River Terrace, Two Gold Street, 660 Twelfth Avenue (a FedEx facility), Avalon West Chelsea, Avalon Fort Greene, and Avalon Glen Cove North, plus large clinical care construction projects for NYU Langone Medical Center.

Mr. Baranello earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. John’s University, an Associates of Science in Construction Technology from New York City Technical College, and is a licensed Site Safety Manager with The New York City Department of Buildings.

With over 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Chris Hargrove serves as Executive Vice President at Cauldwell Wingate. He joined the company in 1996 and currently oversees Operations and related personnel for all of the firm’s Interior, Infrastructure and Healthcare projects.

Through methodical planning and proven experience, Mr. Hargrove personifies Cauldwell Wingate’s “no surprises” approach. Involved with projects from concept to closeout he translates plans into action. During the pre-construction and construction phases, he manages the development of project logistics, schedules and plans of execution, ensures adherence to schedules, provides technical support, and coordinates resource scheduling.

Mr. Aikens has 34 years of experience in the commercial construction industry and has worked on numerous construction projects throughout the United States and Asia, including projects in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Florida, Shanghai and Hong Kong. He joined Cauldwell Wingate in 1996 and as a member of Cauldwell Wingate’s Executive Committee, has company-wide leadership responsibilities.

Mr. Aikens assumed his role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) with a mission to deliver construction management through the development of people, systems and processes. Previously, Mr. Aikens oversaw Cauldwell Wingate’s Estimating & Purchasing Department for ten years, before forming an International Sourcing division.

Mr. Aikens is a graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA) and Harvard University.

Mr. Braun is an experienced professional serving as Corporate Safety Officer and member of the Executive Committee. With a comprehensive background in construction safety, he proactively plans and administers safety policies and procedures helping maintain a high level of compliance. His responsibilities require that he perform educational training and on-site inspections, heightening project staff safety awareness.  Mr. Braun provides leadership to the companies Injury & Illness Prevention Program (I2P2), utilizing innovative solutions to proactively stem incidents before they occur.  He plans and implements safety and health educational training programs tailored to each team member, and develops best practices to reduce injury risk and raise safety awareness. As Chairperson of the Safety Committee, he mentors operations leaders throughout the company and is responsible for recruiting and training all lead safety staff.  His duties further require regular interface with insurance carriers, various regulatory authorities, client representatives, and subcontractors on jobsite safety and health matters. Among other duties are staying abreast of safety trends, policies, standards and regulations, record keeping, and in general, assuring that Cauldwell Wingate maintains its reputation as a leading practitioner of safety in the construction workplace.

He occasionally serves as an adjunct safety instructor helping those in New York City construction industry comply with the recently enacted suite of safety training regulations. Mr. Braun is a licensed Professional Engineer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration,  as well as numerous certificates in job-related disciplines.

Jason O’Keefe serves as Director of Core and Shell Estimating at Cauldwell Wingate, LLC. In this role he oversees all new estimates for out of the ground projects and manages budgets throughout each stage of the design and construction process. Mr. O’Keefe works closely with CWC’s Project Executives and clients to reach each individual projects budgetary needs through intelligent value engineering and subcontract negotiation.

Mr. O’Keefe brings over 23 years of overall construction management experience which include many years directly working on job sites. This on-site experience allows Mr. O’Keefe critical insight into the development of an estimate through the eyes of the Operations Team who are building the projects. These projects include working in market sectors such as hospitality, residential, corporate, government, interiors and pharmaceutical construction.

Mr. O’Keefe received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from The State University of New York at Cortland.

John Moore serves as Vice President of Project Management at Cauldwell Wingate. With more than three decades of experience managing major construction projects in New York, Mr. Moore is responsible for overall project execution, coordination and oversight of all aspects of construction from inception to project closeout.

His range of experience includes high-rise residential apartment buildings and hotels, office buildings, museums, infrastructure, retail stores and hospitality. He is experienced in operations, problem solving, coordination, quality control, safety, logistics, schedule and budgets. He is known for creative and profitable approaches to difficult and technical construction issues, conducting skillful negotiations, developing strong teams, and establishing outstanding relationships with subcontractors and clients.

Highlights of Mr. Moore’s career include construction of Solari at West 33rd Street in Manhattan, Moda Modern Living at Parsons Blvd in Queens, Place 57 at East 57th Street in Manhattan, the Entry Pavilion of the Brooklyn Museum of Art on Eastern Parkway and Hotel Sofitel in Manhattan.

Mr. Moore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Technology from New York Institute of Technology. He is a Registered Architect in the State of New York, a LEED AP for BD+C and is a licensed Site Safety Manager with The New York City Department of Buildings.

In his capacity as Vice President for Risk Management and Legal at Cauldwell Wingate, Mr. O’Sullivan is responsible for the risk management function including contract administration CMA, Subcontractor/Supplier/Professional Services Agreements, Site Access Agreements; oversight of insurance products including OCMIP, Traditional, CCIP, RRP, Builders Risk, Pollution, SDI, Bonding, subcontractor compliance; risk mitigation and legal management including summons and complaints, deposition, legal discovery; and with oversight of information technology.

Mr. O’Sullivan provides strategic guidance for the development and implementation of forward-looking technology initiatives and ensures that the unique and varied demands of our clients are met. He provides custom solutions that link offices, project teams and client design teams to allow for real-time collaboration, project tracking and cost management. As Principal-In-Charge, Mr. O’Sullivan is responsible for overall project execution, coordination and oversight from project inception to close-out. Mr. O’Sullivan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from SUNY Stony Brook and a Masters in Computer Science from Hofstra University.

Joseph Manfredonia is an accomplished Director of Pre-Construction with over 25 years of construction management experience building various types (residential, commercial, religious and hospitality) of brand new, high-end, ground up, high-rise buildings and has also performed large scale renovations to historical buildings ($100 + Million), hospital, medical and educational facilities including unusual construction projects such as a national award-winning renovation to the U.S.S. Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum as well as completed and lectured on the first ever modular high-rise in the United States.

Mr. Manfredonia attended New Jersey Institute of Technology where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture, and soon thereafter continued on with his higher education by attending Stevens Institute of Technology where he earned his Master of Science in Construction Management.

Lisa Villasmil joined Cauldwell Wingate in 2015 as Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services.  She holds a Bachelors in Business Management from Iona College Hagan School of Business and an Advanced Certificate in Strategic HR Management from Cornell University ILR School.  She also holds the Society of Human Resources Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) credential.

Ms. Villasmil brings a wealth of business experience to Cauldwell, having managed human resources as well as compliance and auditing in a legal environment. In addition, she has run her own entrepreneurial venture for several years. She has extensive employee relations, human resources and compliance policy experience. Ms. Villasmil truly enjoys the HR role because she believes putting people first in an organization, and recognizing their efforts, yields extraordinary results.

Neil Singh serves as IT Director at Cauldwell Wingate, LLC. In this role, he oversees the company’s overall IT infrastructure and its operations.

Mr. Singh has over 23 years of experience in the IT industry working throughout the tri-state area as well as overseas. He is experienced in the deployment of LANs, WANs, SANs, VOIP, Virtualization, Data Migration, Security and Cloud technologies.

Mr. Singh received his BS in Computer Science from City College of CUNY, his MBA in IT Management from Western Governors University and also holds a number of technical certifications.

Robert Palumbo serves as President at Cauldwell Wingate, LLC. In this role, he oversees the company’s overall operations, construction project management, and the delivery of construction consulting services. He is tasked with translating plans into action. His experience in all aspects of pre-construction planning gives him a superior vantage point from which to help develop innovative strategies to manage project budgets and processes.

Mr. Palumbo has over 22 years of experience in the construction industry, working principally in New York City. He has helped develop many tools and processes for the successful management of complex construction projects. These projects include new construction and major renovations.

Mr. Palumbo received his Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College.

An effective manager and proven leader, Mr. Jureller’s expertise lies in the ability to partner with clients, lenders and design teams to advance opportunities and achieve significant bankable results by integrating a proactive approach to business management with a strong analytical skill set and mastery of technical issues.

Mr. Jureller has over 25 years of experience in construction-related services and has completed projects throughout the United States and in Europe. He joined Cauldwell Wingate in 1998 and has cultivated a team of construction professionals that bring an innovative, problem-solving approach to every project, including new construction, major renovations, environmental programs and utility infrastructure upgrades.  Mr. Jureller was named Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and President and CEO in 2015.

During his tenure as Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Jureller led process improvement efforts to enhance productivity and client satisfaction, oversaw the development and implementation of in-house training programs and the use of key performance indicators to enhance Cauldwell Wingate’s services. As President and CEO, Mr. Jureller holds the key leadership role in setting the strategic direction of Cauldwell Wingate, guiding the company’s business plan to maximize profitability and growth while ensuring that Cauldwell operates at the optimal size and organizational structure to afford our clients a consistent brand of quality and expertise. Under Mr. Jureller’s exceptional leadership, Cauldwell Wingate has positioned itself as a market leader in many sectors, including: Higher Education, Healthcare, Residential, Cultural, Interiors, Infrastructure, and Science & Technology.

Mr. Jureller earned a Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Rutgers State University of New Jersey. He is an alumnus of The David Rockefeller Fellows Program and an Eagle Scout. Member of the Partnership for NYC, he is on the Board of Governors for the Building Trades Employers’ Association (BTEA) and a board member of the Contractors Association of Greater New York (CAGNY) and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey.