PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
dations for his service with the military.

“Vince is a patriot and a leader,” says Zocher. “His
discipline, dedication and spirit of innovation will pay
dividends for our clients. We are proud to have him
with us.”
Recently, DeCaro earned a business degree and
graduated summa cum laude from Rider University.

Commendations he received while in the military in-
clude the Joint Service Achievement, NATO, and good
conduct medals.

In the third appointment,
Danielle Stafford will work closely
with peers, project managers, su-
perintendents and executives to
keep the New Jersey office run-
ning smoothly as office manager
and project administrator. She has
nearly 10 years of experience in
project support and office admin-
istration and brings great enthusi-
asm to PREMIER.

“I knew PREMIER was the right
Danielle Stafford
place for me when I met with the
team,” says Stafford. “There’s a culture here of ab-
solute dedication to clients and pride in what they do—
it’s exactly the right environment for me.”
Stafford began her career in the competitive New
Jersey construction industry working for a top contrac-
tor, overseeing presentations and bids. She acquired
experience in a financial institution as well where she
maintained employee licenses and schedules. Stafford
arranged appointments and meetings, submitted ex-
pense reports, maintained office inventory and sup-
ported the accounts receivable department.

She most recently served as an office manager and
project coordinator for a leading design and construc-
tion firm in Westfield, New Jersey. While there, she su-
pervised payroll, benefits information, paid time off and
expense reports. Stafford coordinated onboarding and
training for employees and upper management, admin-
istered the assembly of company and project informa-
tion for business owners and lent a hand in the
development of new company branding.

At PREMIER, Stafford handles her day-to-day office
functions with a positive, problem-solving approach
with everything from welcoming guests, developing
positive relationships, maintaining consistency with of-
fice procedures and helping teams prepare important
documentation. She sees to it that the office space is
well organized, professional and welcoming to employ-
ees and visitors alike. Additionally, she provides admin-
istrative support to project managers from the initial
stages of planning to project closeout. Stafford is most
fulfilled when she is helping teams meet deadlines and
promoting progress along the way.

“Danielle has the experience and vitality to help our
Northeast team succeed,” says Zocher. “She knows
what it takes to keep projects moving forward, while
keeping protocol on track. We’re excited to have her on
the team.”
Stafford grew up in New Jersey and has a true affin-
ity for the Garden State. She is currently working to-
ward a degree in business.

PREMIER Design + Build Group, LLC is a full-service
design + build firm specializing in industrial, medical,
commercial and adaptive reuse projects.

The company handles small tenant improvements to
large-scale new construction developments and pro-
vide due diligence, full construction and outsourced de-
sign services. It has completed LEED Gold and Silver
projects, and is a member of the U.S. Green Building
Council. Medici Living Group hires Quinton Kerns
as new design director
Medici Living Group, the world’s largest co-living
provider based in Germany, has recently hired urban
compact living expert A. Quinton Kerns as design direc-
tor. In his new role, Kearns will design for two of Medici
Living Group’s brands, QUARTERS and Medici Living.

QUARTERS, a newly established brand, covers the
Berlin and New York markets. Kearns will be responsi-
ble for the expansion of the brand across U.S.

“With Quinton Kerns, we have won a creative mind
with design expertise in co-living who knows the U.S.

market by heart. That is very important for our further
expansion in the U.S. I am convinced that Quinton will
further develop the design language of our co-living
brands and successfully lift it to the next level,” said
Medici Living Group CEO and founder Gunter Schmidt.

“Thanks to his excellence design competence, Quin-
ton will inspire our customers with our future co-living
projects. He fits in very well with our brands,” he said.

Kerns has more than ten years of work experience in
designing projects ranging from residential to hospital-
ity and workspace facilities. Before joining Medici Liv-
ing’s team, he worked as senior designer for three
years at WeWork, a brand under co-living developer
WeLive in New York. He built the brand and launched
its first two buildings in New York City and Washington,
D.C. Before designing for WeWork, Kerns worked for
project developer Stantec, formerly known as Add Inc.

He also co-founded WHAT’S IN, an initiative dedicated
to the research of innovative housing solutions, such as
co-living and micro living spaces in emerging urban
communities. New York Construction Report — WINTER 2018 – 19