Page 14 - RE-NJ May 2020

12 MAY 2020
contractors for presentations on the concept, which have since yielded results for the business. The firm announced in early May that it was selected by the Cheder School in Clifton to perform a PoE lighting integration and general contracting services for interior renovations and site improvements.
It’s also working on a 60,000-square- foot interior corporate office fit-out with all PoE lighting, including the emergency lights, Walsh said. The undisclosed client has tapped the firm to design and install the entire
lighting system.
Walsh and his team expect that there is more to come.
“I’ve been through all of it,” said Lee, an architect who has worked with Walsh starting in 2010,
serving in project and construction management roles. “PoE lighting is a new thing for me, but it’s really the future of things.”
Walsh said he’s now looking forward to growing the entire company,
but believes the PoE business “is a perfect opportunity to open in other
cities across the country.” Earlier this year, he was in the midst of considering cities and markets such as Nashville, Charlotte and South Florida, where he sees upside like he does in New Jersey.
In the meantime, he remains focused on the areas that helped him be successful for some two decades. Soon after relaunching the company, Walsh quickly recruited a team to oversee its growing construction and project management pipeline. That includes several longtime colleagues and family members including his
brother-in-law, nephew and an assistant of more than 10 years, along with two technical experts specifically for PoE lighting.
The firm’s construction business has proved to be critical in the early going, Walsh said, noting that he planned to focus on being a general contractor. Its first projects after relaunching included a ground-
up retail development in Kearny, which comprised a 6,500-square- foot strip center and a freestanding 2,500-square-foot building. The company is also working on behalf of Newmark Knight Frank to renovate and expand its New Jersey headquarters in Rutherford, in a project that spans roughly 25,000 square feet.
As an owner’s representative, the Walsh Company is spearheading the build-out of the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s future home at the American Dream project in East Rutherford, along with a renovation and expansion at Delbarton School in Morristown.
“I think we’re going to see Eddie dominate the field again,” said Klausner, who has worked with Walsh through mutual clients, during an interview in late February. “I think there’s a need and he’s hitting the market at the right time.”
To be sure, Walsh’s contacts and longstanding relationships have played a role in securing those assignments. For instance, he credited Jon F. Hanson of The Hampshire Cos. with helping him secure the New Jersey Hall of
Fame contract. For the Kearny
retail project, he cited Cushman & Wakefield broker Andy Merin’s role in connecting him with the property’s owner.
“Every industry has a couple of those people, where everybody in the industry likes them,” Klausner said. “Eddie is just one of those guys. When you do good, quality work and then you have that good-hearted nature and charisma, you’re going to be successful.
“This iteration of Eddie Walsh is going to actually be better than the first one, just because you learn a lot as you get older. And the group of people that he’s surrounding himself with, I think, are higher-quality than ever before.” RE
MULTIPURPOSE SPACE
Ed Walsh is no stranger to Morristown. It was the home of the Walsh Company for nearly
a decade and where his team remained once he sold the firm to Avison Young in 2012.
That made it a natural choice as he looked ahead to relaunching his own business, but he did
not originally consider the
retail storefront that he now occupies at 22 Speedwell Ave. Then he considered the needs of
his newest venture, Walsh PoE Lighting.
“Once I realized that we are in the lighting sales business, I did fit into this retail space,” said Walsh, who now has a 1,000-square-foot showroom as part of his 5,000 square feet.
The firm’s office space is equally important and also serves as
a sort of showroom to anyone considering the Walsh Company for its own corporate fit-out. Along with its exposed brick and high ceilings, the office features
open workstations, inviting lounge furniture and a bar.
Walsh notes that he was inspired after visiting a well-known co- working operator soon after he left Avison Young.
“The open office concept is pretty common these days, but the warm feeling and the openness,
I took a little bit from WeWork,” he said. “That was the first time I really went in there and saw what they were doing — and it was amazing.”
The Walsh Company’s headquarters in Morristown includes a 1,000-square-foot retail storefront that serves as a showroom for Walsh PoE Lighting, along with a 4,000-square-foot office space that houses the team led by Ed Walsh.
Photo by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ