Dacon celebrates 30 years of design-build project delivery: Founded in 1985 by Richard Kuchinsky, Dennis Leahy and Ron Gagnon

Natick, MA This year marks the 30th anniversary of Dacon Corp., a fully integrated design and construction management firm that provides single-source solutions to clients’ most complex facility requirements.

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Founded in 1985 by Richard Kuchinsky, AIA, Dennis Leahy and Ron Gagnon, the company was among the first to challenge the traditional project delivery process in which the disconnect between architectural and building services often resulted in miscommunication, conflict, budget overages, project delays, and a less than ideal experience for all involved — particularly the client.

Kuchinsky had a different vision — one that transformed the decades-old delivery process by streamlining architectural, design, engineering, and construction services. The way his new company, Dacon (short for design, architecture and construction), did business was at the cutting edge of industry practices and set the gold standard for the future. Today, Dacon Corp. and its in-house architectural firm, PDA Associates Inc., is New England’s premier design-build company for the region’s leading corporate, healthcare, and development firms. With a singular focus on corporate facilities, Dacon has attained a reputation for helping each client reach their specific project goals.

Building Relationships

Dacon’s proven track record is evidenced not only by the successful completion of hundreds of projects to date, totaling more than 25 million s/f with a value of over $2 billion, but also by the longevity of its workforce and recurring business from satisfied clients.

Dacon Corp. currently employs 45 architects, engineers, CAD operators, planners, estimators, construction managers, and senior site superintendents in the field. The average years-of-service among the Dacon team is 18 years. Kevin Quinn, Dacon president, said, “We have a strong, senior employee base here at Dacon. That level of experience and expertise is beneficial on many levels. Our internal team members have developed solid relationships that result in the ability to work seamlessly with one another toward a common goal.”

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Building strong relationships with clients is another key component of the company’s success.

Quinn credits the Dacon team for their commitment to understanding each client’s individual business goals and going the extra mile to support the client’s current and future needs. He notes, “Ongoing communication with the client builds trust and establishes a truly collaborative environment. Clients know that we embrace their goals as our own, and will do everything in our power to deliver exactly what they want and need. That level of service instills confidence, which in turn leads to repeat business.” 

At any given time, up to 75% of Dacon’s clients are repeat customers. Chuck Reilly, vice president of business development, says, “Over the course of 30 years, we have been involved in almost every large site, office building, manufacturing plant, warehouse/distribution, and cold storage building outside of greater Boston. There are very few properties with which we do not have a history.”

 The Dacon Approach

Dacon Corp. and PDA Associates  provide a full range of services for corporate clients and local and national developers, including pre-construction services, construction management, general contracting, engineering, and internal, external and sustainable design. Recognizing the inherent advantages of bringing architects with design expertise and engineers with construction expertise together as one united team, Quinn said, “Our sweet spot is ground-up design-build projects of 50,000 to 500,000 s/f. With Dacon’s comprehensive in-house design-build and construction management services, clients need go no further to ensure their facility requirements are met — aesthetically and functionally.”

Dacon’s design-build approach coordinates schematic architectural design with preconstruction services to develop a guaranteed maximum project price at the project’s earliest stages, which gives clients a clear financial picture before construction begins. Reilly, said, “It is our job to design, engineer and construct the project to achieve the best possible market prices available, while at the same time delivering premier facilities that will support the client’s future successes.”

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Celebrating the Past, Welcoming the Future

As Dacon Corp. celebrates this milestone anniversary, its principals, Kevin Quinn, Armand Souliere P.E. and Renee Laskey, are grateful to all who have shared in the company’s long history of growth, development and success. Quinn said, “Our heartfelt thanks go out to the clients, friends, associates, brokers, partners, subcontractors, and consultants who have lent their support, guidance and expertise along the way. I congratulate every member of the Dacon team for bringing the design-build model to new heights with every project, and thank them for their remarkable level of commitment.”

Moving into the future, the company looks forward to continuing to build relationships with new and existing clients. Of equal importance is continuing the legacy of the company’s founders, in whose memories the Richard Kuchinsky and Dennis Leahy Memorial Scholarship at Wentworth Institute of Technology has been founded to help students majoring in architecture and construction engineering understand the importance of a collaborative work environment.

“Looking forward, we want to attract motivated junior design and construction professionals to enhance our core group, and provide them with opportunities to grow personally and professionally within our company,” said Quinn.