Description
John Coe & David Orr
Bio
David Orr, founder and Chairman of Orr Partners, possesses 40 years of experience and has been involved in over 20 million square feet of construction projects. Mr. Orr began his career with one of the world’s largest construction companies, Morse Diesel, where he oversaw projects in New York City such as the Park Lane Hotel in Central Park South and 88 Pine Street.
After relocating back to the Washington, DC area, Mr. Orr was hired by Marriott International to supervise construction of Marriott Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. Subsequently, Mr. Orr gained additional experience with Richmarr Construction and as Partner for Lee Sammis Associates, where he directed their Washington, DC offices and managed the development of 14 master planned office parks.
In 1988, Mr. Orr founded David Orr Associates, the predecessor to Orr Partners, which has grown to be one of the Washington metropolitan area’s top development and project management firms. In 2006, Orr Partners was named to the Washington Business Journal’s Top 10 commercial real estate developers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Orr Partners has established a reputation for providing all of its clients with the highest quality of independent, impartial, and professional advice and project management expertise. David maintains oversight of the company’s upcoming projects and serves as Principal-in-Charge on key projects. He has been involved in over 35,000,000 SF of construction projects.
Mr. Orr leads Orr Partners development activities and also provides the firm’s clients with the highest quality of construction and project management services. He brings an extraordinary depth of expertise, creativity, and technical skills and is particularly strong in his knowledge of construction and in contract negotiation. He is recognized for a number of innovations in construction and program management including procedures with cost estimating and analysis, scheduling, contract management, and communications.
Show Notes
David Orr’s Role and Focus [00:05:00]
David Orr describes his role as founder and leader of Orr Partners, focusing on mentorship, strategic planning, and involvement in major transactions.
Real Estate Development and Economic Factors [00:05:30]
David Orr discusses how real estate development is influenced by macroeconomic conditions, interest rates, and customer needs.
Reducing Hard Costs in Projects [00:06:00]
David Orr talks about the challenges of handling hard costs in today’s market and shares strategies to reduce costs and gain a competitive advantage.
Origin Story [00:06:30]
David grew up in construction side of business. Grew up in Montclair, NJ. Dad worked for a general contractor in NYC. He was a laborer in NYC in high school.
Education [00:09:00]
Went to Syracuse and studied engineering and was in Air Force ROTC and did not serve. Discusses his passion for the US Navy and experiences on an aircraft carrier.
First Job [00:13:50]
Worked for Morse Diesel, a major contractor. Cited 200 Park Ave. project in NY.
Logistics of Building Large Projects [00:15:00]
Discussion on the importance of logistics in building large projects and the use of cranes.
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