Affect Group was founded in January 2020 by Bernard McNamee and Cathal Egan, just weeks before the pandemic reshaped New York City, with the goal of delivering projects that affect positive spatial change.
What began as a general contracting and construction management firm has since evolved into a multi-division group with expertise spanning millwork fabrication, property development, and self-perform trades. Today, Affect specializes in ground-up mixed-use developments, commercial office interiors, hospitality, retail, residential, institutional, critical environments, and educational projects. Along the way, the firm has partnered with some of the world’s most recognizable brands and landlords, always with an emphasis on building lasting relationships and consistently adding value.
“From the outset, Affect was built on a simple idea: approach every project with the mindset of an owner,” McNamee explains. “We see ourselves as builders, thinkers, and makers.”
With a commitment to creating positive change, the company is guided by professionalism, integrity, innovation, responsibility, and accountability. These principles shape what internally is known as “the Affect Way” a culture rooted in hard work and a strong moral code.
People and Values First
“Our people are our biggest asset,” McNamee emphasizes. “We’ve been fortunate to build a team of technical thinkers who not only know how to execute but who also care deeply about the work and the relationships behind it.”
That people-first approach has fueled Affect’s growth from 20 employees to more than 50 across all divisions in just a few years. A major step in this evolution has been the establishment of an advisory board, with senior industry leader Grant Gagnier joining as its founding member.
Grant’s involvement has been hugely pivotal, bringing decades of experience from some of the country’s largest contractors. He is working closely with the leadership team to refine strategy, formalize systems, and implement SOPs that will allow Affect to scale with discipline and precision. His guidance is not only strengthening governance and operations but also ensuring the company is positioned to compete, and succeed, at the next level of growth.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have the team that we do. Their hard work, dedication, and expertise are the foundation of everything we’ve achieved to date. Without them, we would not be where we are today, nor would we be in a position to scale for the future.” Mc Namee adds.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have the team that we do. Their hard work, dedication, and expertise are the foundation of everything we’ve achieved to date.”
A Methodical Approach to Planning
Pre-construction remains a cornerstone of the firm’s approach. “We take pride in our planning process, we build it on paper before we ever set foot on site,” says Egan. “That mindset is central to our Vision Zero philosophy: zero accidents, zero lost work hours, and zero defects.”
The company develops construction management plans that are detailed, methodical, and shared with all stakeholders before a project begins. From quantification and value engineering to coordination drawings and mockups, the goal is to eliminate surprises. “By ensuring everyone is aligned at the outset, projects run smoother, safer, and to the highest standard,” Egan adds.
McNamee agrees: “We encourage owners and design teams to engage us early. That collaboration allows us to drive value into projects and avoid costly redesigns or aggressive value engineering that can derail timelines.”
A Team Built on Rigor and Craft
Affect’s estimating team is another differentiator. Many were trained as quantity surveyors in Ireland and the UK, bringing a culture of precision and accountability to budgeting, scoping, value engineering, risk management, and procurement. Combined with in-house manufacturing and self-perform trades, the firm can prototype ideas, explore alternative construction methods, and identify efficiencies that deliver value beyond its peers.
Growth Through Integration
In 2024, Affect expanded its capabilities with the acquisition of Keany Interiors, rebranded as Make X Affect. The 12,500-square-foot Yonkers facility has already proven to be a major advantage, giving Affect scale, control, and in-house expertise at a time when quality millwork is increasingly scarce.
The division is led by Director of Millwork Stephen Keany, whose leadership has been pivotal in shaping its success. Under his direction, Make X Affect has become a cornerstone of the group’s integrated model, ensuring craftsmanship and precision that align seamlessly with client expectations.
Looking forward, Affect has ambitious expansion plans for the division over the next five years, including doubling facility capacity and diversifying its output. Plans are also underway to launch a training academy within 18 months to prepare new tradespeople and engineering staff for careers in millwork, drywall, and carpentry, an investment aimed at safeguarding a craft the company views as essential to the industry’s future.
The group is also strengthening its self-perform platform through ABM Interiors, led by Shane Treanor. ABM delivers drywall, carpentry, and millwork installations, giving Affect full in-house control of finish trades. “This is a real advantage in a market where many contractors rely entirely on subcontracting,” McNamee notes. “Self-performing allows us to ensure tighter control over quality, safety, and scheduling while reducing dependency on external trades. It minimizes delays and provides clients with a smoother, more reliable delivery process.”
For McNamee, it’s the combination of development expertise, entitlement knowledge, and city agency navigation, paired with in-house millwork and drywall capabilities, that truly sets the firm apart. “We’re uniquely positioned because we bring both developer and owner experience to our projects,” he says. “When you pair that with integrated design and self-perform delivery, it creates a value proposition that goes well beyond the standard GC/CM model.”
Digital by Default
“At Affect, we see ourselves as a future-ready construction company,” says McNamee. “By embracing digital technologies, we’re driving greater efficiency and precision into every project, ultimately delivering better outcomes for our clients.”
To support this, Affect formed an internal Technology Committee to explore how AI and digital tools can be embedded into daily workflows along with our continued investment in automation and robotics in the millwork division. The focus is on reducing repetitive administrative tasks, freeing up teams to concentrate on building in the field, and creating a smarter, more streamlined approach to delivery.
Projects with Purpose
Recent and ongoing projects reflect the culture Affect is building.
On 57th Street and Madison Avenue, Make X Affect worked on the Dior Flagship, designed by Peter Marino Architect. The four-story destination featured soaring glass, curated spaces, and a lush interior garden. “That was a collaboration with Sciame Construction,” McNamee says. “We were brought in to handle specialty millwork, installations, and feature ceilings.” The Dior project followed an earlier collaboration with Sciame on a Louis Vuitton temporary store café, where Affect delivered a ceiling installation incorporating 6,500 suspended Louis Vuitton bag tags.
On the Lower East Side, Affect is currently constructing 11 Essex, a nine-story residential property with ground-floor retail. The project has been a logistical challenge, with zero laydown space and neighbors on all sides, but the team has kept the program on track through phased procurement and safety-first sequencing.
At Symrise’s Park Avenue flagship, Affect partnered with Interior Architects to design and build “The Penthouse” a two-floor buildout blending a custom fragrance mixing lab with a hospitality-inspired office space and terrace overlooking Park Avenue. “This project touched every part of our expertise, lab space, workplace, and hospitality,” McNamee notes. To manage the complexity, the team deployed full BIM coordination, lidar scanning, and 3D modeling. “By catching discrepancies between design and existing conditions early, we saved the client both time and money while keeping the program on track.”
In Harlem, Affect delivered 1638 Park Avenue, completing the residential building in just 24 months from site acquisition to TCO in order to vest under the sunsetting 421a tax abatement. The project required strict acoustic mitigation, environmental remediation, and multi-agency collaboration, as it was an E-Designated site located within 200 feet of Metro North infrastructure. By leveraging BIM and disciplined project management, the team reduced field coordination issues and safeguarded the client’s eligibility for critical 421a benefits.
Most recently, Affect completed an extensive HVAC upgrade for Brooklyn Prospect Charter School in collaboration with DBI Projects over a condensed 8 week summer shutdown period, is working with Porsche Cars North America on their flagship dealership in Manhattan completing upgrades, and is delivering the ground-floor entrance lobby, reception and bar fit-out of the Voco Hotel in Times Square. In addition, the team has commenced full amenity, entrance lobby, and corridor upgrades for Rockhill Management at a 320-unit apartment complex in Jersey City. Together, these projects underscore Affect’s ability to partner with top-tier clients across education, automotive, hospitality, and residential while staying true to its purpose-driven culture.
Looking Ahead
For McNamee, the company’s trajectory is rooted in values and hard-earned experience. “We approach everything with an ownership mindset and the precision of a manufacturer,” he explains. “Early in my career, I worked with large-scale developers, which gave me a deep understanding of how complex projects are structured and financed. Later, owning and operating hospitality businesses in New York taught me that customer service is everything.
That combination of developer discipline and hospitality service, shapes how we approach every project. When we work with clients, especially in hospitality, retail and complex mixed-use developments, we’re not just building for them, we’re thinking like operators, owners, and end users. That perspective drives the way we plan, the relationships we build, and the level of service we provide.”
With repeat business growing and new opportunities on the horizon, Affect Group continues to evolve as a vertically integrated platform, one that blends ownership perspective, craftsmanship, and digital innovation to deliver meaningful, lasting impact across the Tri-State.
