QWUST
Our Story
QWUST
Our Story
Two decades. 500+ projects. 140+ professionals. One unwavering standard. This is QWUST.
In 2005, Marcus T. Reynolds — a structural engineer with 11 years on New York's biggest job sites — walked away from a senior VP position at one of the city's largest contractors. He had seen what construction could be when driven purely by billing cycles and quarterly targets. He believed it could be something better.
With a single project, a two-person team, and a handshake philosophy that prioritized honesty over hustle, QWUST Construction was born in a small office on the Upper East Side — just blocks from where our headquarters stands today at 1007 Fifth Avenue.
The name QWUST was always an acronym and always a manifesto: Quality Work United for Strong Trust. Every letter was intentional. Every word was a commitment. And in the 19+ years since that first project was delivered on time and under budget, not a single letter has been compromised.
Today, QWUST employs over 140 professionals — architects, structural engineers, project managers, site supervisors, master craftspeople, and support staff — and operates one of the most respected construction programs in New York State. Our work spans from intimate townhouse renovations in Brooklyn to landmark commercial towers reshaping the Midtown skyline. But our culture remains exactly what it was in 2005: built on trust.
Work With Us →QWUST isn't just a name — it's a daily operating principle. These five commitments are the foundation of every decision we make, every contract we sign, and every building we build.
We believe that quality is not a finish line — it's a continuous standard. From the concrete mix we specify to the millwork we commission, every decision at QWUST is filtered through a single question: is this the best we can do? The answer must always be yes. We use premium materials, employ master craftspeople, and maintain QA inspection protocols that exceed industry requirements at every stage of every project.
There is no substitute for hard work. Our team shows up early, solves problems fast, and never backs away from a challenge. We are builders in the truest sense — hands-on, field-present, and deeply invested in the physical act of construction. Our senior project managers spend as much time on-site as in the office. Our foremen know their buildings the way a musician knows their instrument. We work hard because our clients deserve nothing less.
Great buildings are never built by one person. They are the product of a unified team — client, architect, engineer, contractor, and tradespeople — all moving toward a common vision. QWUST creates the conditions for that unity. We integrate our design and construction teams under one roof, embed our project managers in client conversations from day one, and build relationships with our subcontractors that span decades. When everyone is aligned, extraordinary things happen.
Strength at QWUST means more than structural engineering. It means the strength to be honest when a project hits a complication — and the strength to solve it without cutting corners. It means the financial strength to stand behind our warranties and the organizational strength to absorb unexpected challenges without passing them to the client. It means structures that stand for 100 years and relationships that outlast any single project.
Trust is the hardest thing to build and the easiest to lose. We earn it through radical transparency — open-book budgeting, weekly project reports, accessible leadership, and a clear-eyed refusal to overpromise. When a QWUST project manager tells you it will be done by March, it will be done by March. When a QWUST cost estimate is handed to you, it reflects the real cost. That integrity is the most valuable thing we build — and it's what keeps our clients coming back.
Every QWUST project — from a kitchen renovation to a commercial tower — follows the same six-phase framework. It's been refined over 19 years and 500+ projects, and it's the engine behind our 98% on-time delivery rate.
Every project begins with a deep listening session — no PowerPoints, no sales pitch. Our senior consultants sit across the table from you and ask the questions that matter: What do you need this space to do? What does success look like in five years? What keeps you up at night about this project? From those conversations, we build a consultation brief that becomes the north star for everything that follows. This phase typically takes one to two weeks and culminates in a project feasibility report and preliminary budget range delivered at no charge.
Our integrated design-build team — in-house architects, structural engineers, MEP engineers, and interior design consultants — translates your vision into a complete set of construction documents. We produce 3D BIM models, structural calculations, energy performance simulations, and full specification packages before a single permit application is filed. This integrated approach eliminates the costly gaps that arise when design and engineering teams work in silos — and it means your construction documents are buildable the first time, without value-engineering surprises.
Navigating New York City's Department of Buildings is an art form. Our in-house expediting team has processed over 1,800 permit applications across all five boroughs and maintains established relationships with every relevant regulatory body. We handle all filings, respond to objections, coordinate with landmarks preservation commissions, and manage the full pre-construction phase — site surveys, soil borings, utility coordination, and the qualification and contracting of all specialty subcontractors. By the time we break ground, every variable has been addressed.
Construction is where QWUST truly distinguishes itself. Our superintendents are on-site every day. Our project managers conduct weekly owner-architect-contractor meetings and deliver written progress reports every Friday. Our proprietary project management platform gives clients real-time access to schedule status, RFI logs, submittals, and photo documentation from any device. Every material delivery is logged. Every inspection is witnessed by a QWUST QA supervisor. And our safety record — zero lost-time incidents in the past six consecutive years — reflects a culture where doing it right always comes before doing it fast.
Before we hand you the keys, your project undergoes a multi-stage quality inspection program that most contractors skip entirely. Our QA team conducts system-by-system commissioning — HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire safety, building envelope — and produces a comprehensive commissioning report verifying that every system performs to specification. Third-party special inspections are reviewed and reconciled. A final architectural punch list is completed to zero items. Only when every box is checked — and you have walked the space with us and signed off — do we consider the project complete.
Our relationship with our clients doesn't end at handover — it deepens. Every QWUST client receives a comprehensive Owner's Manual covering all building systems, warranties, maintenance schedules, and emergency contacts. You are assigned a dedicated after-care coordinator for the first 12 months who conducts a 30-day check-in, a 6-month building review, and a 12-month warranty inspection at no additional charge. Beyond year one, our service team remains available for any maintenance need, renovation question, or new project conversation. Many of our best projects have come from clients we built for five or ten years ago.
Our leadership team combines 200+ years of collective experience across architecture, engineering, construction management, and business. They are the reason QWUST delivers — every time.
A licensed structural engineer with 30 years of New York construction experience. Marcus built QWUST from a two-person startup to the city's most trusted construction firm. He holds a civil engineering degree from Cornell and an MBA from Wharton, and he still visits every active project site at least once a month.
Former VP of Operations at Turner Construction and a veteran of $800M+ in completed projects. Diane oversees all field operations, safety programs, and subcontractor relationships. Her relentless focus on process is the backbone of QWUST's 98% on-time delivery record. She is an ENR Top 20 Women in Construction honoree.
AIA Fellow, Columbia GSAPP graduate, and former principal at SOM. Jonathan leads QWUST's integrated design team and is responsible for the architectural vision of every project we build. His philosophy — that beauty and structure are inseparable — is the foundation of QWUST's design-build approach. He has received four AIA New York Design Awards.
PMP-certified with 18 years managing multi-million dollar builds across all five boroughs. Sandra personally oversees QWUST's 15 largest active projects and leads our project management training program. Her team's track record of on-budget, on-time delivery is unmatched in the New York market. She is a graduate of MIT's construction management program.
2022, 2023, 2024
Certified Builder Since 2012
Commercial Category — 2021
Four-Time Recipient
All Five Boroughs — Since 2005
Accredited Since 2008
You've read our story. Now let's begin yours. Whether you're at the earliest stages of a project vision or ready to break ground tomorrow, our team is standing by to deliver the QWUST experience.