CONSULT DESIGN CONSTRUCT / Our Team

Meet Vincent Franco

Principal

Vincent grew up working for his father’s general contracting company in New York City since he was 10. This business is in his blood. He has worked on multimillion dollar homes, built out space for Fortune 500 companies and gut renovated hospital floors, restaurants and New York City apartments. But experience is only part of Vince’s story. What sets Vincent apart is his attitude towards people and his passion to make every client’s vision a reality. Vincent’s commitment to his clients and their team is unparalleled. A golden gloves boxer and martial artist, Vincent understands that hard work, dedication and willingness to listen and learn are necessary to excel. He brings these qualities to every project. No matter how big or small, Vincent treats every project as if it were his own.

Vincent graduated in 1987 from Catholic University with a BA. Vincent, his wife, Debra, and their five children, reside in Scarsdale NY. He has always been actively involved in a number of charitable efforts including spearheading multiple food and clothing drives for Food For The Poor, Covenant House and homeless shelters in NYC, as well as sponsoring two children in Brazil. Vincent brought numerous truckloads of supplies to his hometown of Long Beach when it was devastated by superstorm Sandy. Vincent has also taught religious education for the last six years. To say Vincent values the importance of relationships is an understatement — he is a friend and collaborator and always goes the extra mile to make people happy.

Matt Axelrod

Partner

Matt has worked in the real estate and construction industry for over twenty-five years. After spending the first part of his career as a certified public accountant working at Berdon LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, he joined several real estate private equity firms in New York City where he served as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director setting strategy, building infrastructure, and overseeing asset and property management. During his career, he has been involved in approximately $250 million of construction related projects. Matt is responsible for business strategy, financial management, and organizational roles and responsibilities. Matt graduated from Boston University in 1988 earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and earned his CPA in 1993.

Cheryl Gianfrancesco

COO

Cheryl has an extensive background providing operational and accounting related services. Prior to joining Consult Design Construct, she founded the “Portable CFO” helping multiple construction companies with their financial reporting, risk management, billing and expenditures, cash management, internal controls, and working capital management. As Chief Operating Officer, Cheryl is responsible for all financial and operational matters. Cheryl holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business Administration from Iona College.

Francis Piraino

Project Manager

Francis joined Consult Design Construct with past experience in residential and commercial renovations, alterations and build-outs, as well as mechanical insulation. As a Project Manager, Francis is committed to ensuring timely communication and coordination between clients and team members. Francis has a bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College, a certificate in Construction Project Management from New York University and holds a 30-hour OSHA Construction Safety card.

Leonardo Lage

Project Manager/Finishes

Leonardo has worked in all phases of construction for over 18 years. Most notably he worked at Derecktors Shipyards in Mamaroneck, NY, a worldwide leader in yacht and commercial construction, where he learned specialty finishes in carpentry, painting, and fiberglass. At Consult Design Construct he is responsible for project management and providing high quality specialty finishes for our clients.

Ivan Schettino

Master Millworker

Ivan is a master millworker with 29 years of experience in custom cabinetry and millwork. Custom millwork is a family business for Ivan who honed his skills for his father’s firm while growing up in Capri, Italy. In 2001, Ivan opened his custom millwork shop located in the village of Port Chester, New York and has provided dozens of our clients with high end, custom cabinetry and millwork. His work was recently featured on the front cover of NJ Design magazine.

Vincent, Francis and the rest of the CDC team were extremely professional and supportive from the moment they walked in the door. They communicate well and know which problems to elevate to the level of client contact and which to simply solve. They go above and beyond to make sure small details concerning design and function are just right, and have an eye towards preserving the feel of the house. Additionally, they are great at understanding that each family’s budget is different and will work with you to bring your project in on budget. We will use them again in the future when we decide to finish our basement.

Renovating our condominium with Vincent Franco and the men at CDC was a totally cordial and cooperative venture. All of the contractors worked long hard hours to get the job done in a timely manner. More importantly, each part of the extensive renovation was done with meticulous attention to detail and refined finishes. Beyond that, Vincent and his co-workers made many helpful suggestions that improved the design and function.

Vincent Franco manages to do every time what so few contractors can do ever: his projects come in on time, on budget, and with quality as promised. Add to that his honesty, friendly demeanor, and sense of fairness, and you have the contractor you call again and again. Vincent has done five major projects at our house, interior and exterior, and is now working on the sixth. We wouldn’t consider going to anyone else.

As experienced renovators, we knew that for our extensive kitchen remodel we needed someone whose personal standards of professionalism and craftsmanship dictate that nothing less than the highest quality of work will do. Vincent Franco is one of those rare people. He listened carefully to what we were trying to achieve, suggested improvements, as well as areas where we could reduce costs, and then put together a superb team to create the most beautiful kitchen we have ever owned. We had the same wonderful experience and gorgeous results when Vincent completely overhauled our basement. We wouldn’t dream of working with anyone else!

CDC did a spectacular job from start to finish. They took a measure of pride in their work that was exemplary. We were kept informed throughout the job and experienced nothing but their professionalism each day. There is NO OTHER company I will use in the future.

Using CDC has been one of the best decisions we have made to ensure our renovation met the success we envisioned. Vincent Franco was truly adept in collaborating with all guilds and professionals throughout the entire process. We could not be more please in our beautiful home.