Partner Managing Director, Drew McCreery looks back on his career and the leadership from his former IVI colleagues.

Inspection & Valuation International, Inc. (IVI) was a national provider of construction, property condition and environmental consulting, due diligence, and advisory services for the commercial real estate industry for over 40 years.  Founded and incorporated in 1973 by the father-son team- Mario and Carl de Stefanis, P.E., IVI was a highly respected national due diligence leader and was instrumental in setting various report standards including ASTM and Standard & Poors guidance documents.  In their hay day, IVI employed more than 100 employees throughout the country with all three brothers (Carl, Mario Jr., and Mark) leading the organization.  IVI is full of rich history and was the home to many of the most respected due diligence professionals in the industry.

In May of 2002, I had the opportunity to be part of the IVI team in their Los Angeles Office.  Their mentorship, training, and professionalism in the industry pushed me from being an entry-level project manager to leading the West Coast at the time of my company change to Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. (Partner) in September of 2014.  Here at Partner, I was hired to manage and oversee the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac practice as the Technical Director of Agency Services.  Shortly after my hire here at Partner, IVI was acquired by CBRE and the organization that was IVI was no more.

My time at IVI was imperative to gain the knowledge necessary to be successful here at Partner.  I can remember my first day at IVI as if it was yesterday.  Walking into the office, just out of college, I felt like I was really part of something special and will always be very grateful to all of my colleagues and mentors during this wonderful time.  Being that IVI was considered a “boutique due diligence firm”, employees, including myself had the opportunity to do many different tasks and services, from construction monitoring to environmental and physical needs assessments to construction cost segregation.  This really aided in my broad spectrum of knowledge so as to properly further my career.

Since my hire here at Partner, many of my colleagues from IVI have also become part of the Partner Family, some of which had a strong impact on my development.  There are now more than 30 former IVI employees here at Partner with some notarial names as Bob Barone, R.A. LEED AP, and Justin Lia, P.E., LEED AP, Chuck Mulligan, LEED AP, Tony Lau, R.A., LEED AP, David Lent, Glen Sklenarik, P.E., Charlie Tallinger, Peter Biolchini, Scott Pritchard, Malcolm Rowe, P.E., Eric Mahoney, AIA, Terry Bailey, R.A., LEED AP, Patricia Hreljanovic, AIA, Daniel Knopman, R.A., Carol Milliman, AIA, Pasquale Riccardelli, R.A., Michael LaFalce, and Sarah Ehrentreu just to name a few.  Everyone on this list helped mold me into the due diligence professional I am today.

With so many IVI professionals here at Partner, the mission and values ingrained by Carl de Stefanis all those years ago have been retained and at play here at Partner.