Gene McGovern, co-founder of Lehrer/McGovern Inc., died on Jan. 22. He would have turned 73 on Jan. 29.
McGovern, at his death a construction consultant based in Boca Raton, Fla., started his career at construction giant Morse/Diesel Inc., where he met Peter M. Lehrer. In 1979, the two started Lehrer/McGovern. The construction manager was catapulted into the limelight after it landed the high-profile centennial restoration of the Statue of Liberty, which finished up in 1986.
“Gene had a persona that was really unique,” says Lehrer, currently a construction consultant. “Through it all, he had an incredible gift in terms of understanding how to solve problems, motivate people and get things done no matter how monumental.”
Bovis bought half of Lehrer/McGovern in 1986, renaming it Lehrer McGovern Bovis. LMB eventually became Lend Lease.
The partners left in the mid-1990s. Then, McGovern started a construction management firm called Jones/GMO. After that, he formed Pavarini McGovern, with his son Eric. Eric is currently president and CEO of Pavarini McGovern.
Down-to-earth McGovern—a man of few words who was a good listener—had a way with contractors and was adept at solving their disputes. He had a hands-on business philosophy, even when it came to hiring. “Once the principals remove themselves so that they don’t know the people in the company, the company loses its unique character,” he said in a Sept. 6, 1984, ENR cover profile on Lehrer/McGovern.
除了恢复自由女神像之外，麦戈文还参与了世界上一些最引人注目的项目，包括迪斯尼，伦敦的金丝雀码头和马来西亚吉隆坡的Twin Petronas Towers。18luck官网麦戈文（McGovern）去世后，正在纽约州的塔潘·齐桥（Tappan Zee Bridge）替换咨询。
McGovern, a driving force who expected a lot of others, was well respected in the industry. “I don’t think there’s ever been anyone like him in the past nor will there be anyone like him in the future,” says Lehrer. “He was an extraordinary person.”
