He just traded in his Lamborghini for a Bentley…is on an ‘awards’ roll (tabbed for Philly 100, SmartCEO Future 50, and Young Entrepreneur of the Delaware Valley)…served with a Marine security unit in Bosnia…coaches U-10 girls soccer…and is looking for land to start a pit bull rescue.

   If you’re Dexter Lanigan, these are good times.
   The 33-year old former Marine has just won Disabled Veteran Owned Business status for his commercial construction management and general contracting company, New Age Development Group.
   The nine-year old company, with current projects in six states and the District of Columbia, has nine employees and has just had its two best years ever ($30 million annually)—at the height of the recession.
   Asked for his secret to success in such a tough economic environment, Lanigan says “it’s all about the relationships. What you put into it is what you get out of it.
   “I treat others the way I would want to be treated. And I’ve taken a lot of chances and they’ve paid off,” Lanigan adds.
   Which must be true since the former union carpenter is literally on an “awards roll,” racking up honors from Young Entrepreneur of the Delaware Valley, Philly 100, and SmartCEO.
   Lanigan married his high school sweetheart, Jaime, in 2000 and they have three daughters—Alyssa, 9; Julianna, 7; and Lauren, 3. Jamie, her mother, and the three girls (each of whom has her own female dog) comprise the all-female Lanigan household.
   Two of the family’s four dogs are pit bulls (the other two are boxers) and the Lanigans are currently looking for land to start a pit bull rescue. “Pit bulls get a bad rap,” Lanigan says, “and they’re really great with kids.”
   The Philadelphia native clearly has a very soft spot for daughter #1, who was born with a tumor on her lung—which was successfully removed at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We weren’t sure what would happen…and now to be able to coach her and see her thrive on her U-10 select soccer team in just her first year is just a great thrill,” Lanigan enthuses.
   New Age Development started out in the residential construction business, but made the transition to commercial work in 2006 and hasn’t looked back since. “Home owners were tough to deal with,” says Lanigan. “And high end commercial work has been very profitable for us.”
   The company, which just moved into new headquarters in Northeast Philadelphia averages about 20 projects a year and currently is working in California, Connecticut, and Washington, DC as well as in the tri-state region.
   Lanigan, who alternates between homes in Avalon (seven bedrooms and eight and a half baths) and Richboro, joined the Marines right out of high school because ”I wanted something challenging.” The Lanigan family is all “military”…father Dexter served in the Navy, older sister Daniela is retired Air Force, and Lanigan’s uncle spent 28 years in the Marines.
   Dexter, Sr., a former union carpenter himself and now a superintendent for the NY based construction company, Acadia Realty & Trust, and his “stay-at-home” wife Jo-Ann are active foster parents who currently have four children in their care.
   Lanigan, who played soccer, baseball, and swam at Archbishop Ryan High School, left the Corps on disability as a Lance Corporal.
   The former summer lifeguard says the best part of his job is that he never knows what to expect. “I’m always meeting new people and I love to hear their stories.”
   Examples of current New Age projects include the conversion of the Alison Building at 1805 Walnut St. in Center City into 13 high-end condominiums on Rittenhouse Square (an a Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Spa part of the $13.6 million project), fitting out a 6,000-square-foot Juicy Couture at 1701 Walnut, and a 6,400-square-foot yoga studio at 1401 Walnut above a Banana Republic.
   The growing Lanigan empire also includes NADG Property Management, billed as “the Tri-State area’s premiere commercial, residential, and retail property management company,” which currently manages more than 300,000 square feet in the tri-state area.
Self described as a “hard worker, motivator and good father and husband,” Lanigan says he measure success by “being able to give my family what they want. I want them to have the better things in life.”
   Starting New Age was his “toughest decision,” and his greatest fear is that the firm is “growing so quickly that I lose control.”
   But he has no regrets so far. Asked if he would like a “do-over,” Lanigan replies “I wouldn’t change anything.”
 
http://www.newagedevelopmentgroup.com/
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Pictured: Dexter Lanigan, Jr.