Principals of the Attune Team
David Cheairs
Alvin D. Howell, Ph.D.
Frederic A. Richards Hayden
David Cheairs
Vice President
David is a principal and founder of Attune Development Consultants. As vice president, he assumes primary responsibility for the tenant improvement development, design, and construction services division. With over 15 years of experience in the development, architectural and construction industry, David has been involved in all aspects of the real estate development process from inception to completion. He holds special expertise in the development and construction of healthcare facilities, commercial office buildings, religious structures, childcare facilities, and college campuses. He is also extremely knowledgeable in historic renovations and tenant improvements.
David's expertise has been in demand by general contractors as well as by development and architectural firms nationwide. Prior to founding Attune, he worked for Lincoln Property Companies where his responsibilities encompassed hands-on management of commercial construction projects from contract award to punch list completion, including budgeting, scheduling, design, contract negotiation, cost estimation, and tenant vendor coordination.
Before joining Lincoln Property Companies, David held the title of senior construction manager at Atlantic Realty Companies. In this role, he was responsible for managing all aspects (pre-construction, design, and construction) of the firm's Maryland properties including office, industrial and retail buildings, along with tenant improvement.
David has also served as a project architect/construction administrator at Noelker and Hall Associates, focusing on long-term care, educational/college campus, and hospital projects. In this role, David ensured that general contractors correctly interpreted construction documents, made decisions in the field, answered requests for information, reviewed pay applications, monitored schedules, and reviewed requests for changes from general contractors.
Prior to working for Noelker and Hall Associates, David provided owner's representation as a project manager for Texas Children's Hospital, demonstrating the leadership and skills to successfully manage 32 tenant improvement and base building construction projects simultaneously. He has served as a commercial construction project manager and as a project architect at an architecture firm in Houston, Texas. David also assisted in master planning, space planning, and construction management at Tacket Lodholz Architects.
David earned his bachelor's of science degree in construction management and a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Houston. He proudly served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and teaches college-level engineering/construction management courses at Frederick Community College.
Alvin D. Howell, Ph.D.
Director of Engineering
Alvin is integral to Attune's forensic investigation and owner's representation and project management divisions.
Since 1973, Alvin has been president and owner of Howell Construction Company. He has constructed more than 150 residential units and over 250,000 square feet of commercial buildings, as well as constructed or remodeled over 200,000 square feet of industrial and educational facilities.
In tandem with his construction company, Alvin has been involved in several construction projects in various capacities. He was the managing partner in charge of operations at Elm Grove Crossing Mall in Wheeling, West Virginia and currently serves as a construction consultant and construction manager at Superior Industrial Laundries. For 20 years, Alvin was a professor at West Virginia University where his duties included teaching mechanical, aerospace, and structural analysis engineering courses and serving as the design engineer and construction coordinator for the school's Transportable Heavy Duty Emissions Laboratory and Vertical Axis Windmill Prototype.
Alvin holds a B.S.A.E., M.S.A.E., and Ph.D. from West Virginia University. He is a licensed general contractor and licensed commercial real estate agent in West Virginia as well as a certified home building inspector and BOCA International member. He is also an in-demand expert witness as a building inspector and construction professional.
Frederic A. Richards Hayden
Director of Development Services
As Attune's Director of Development Services, Rick's responsibilities include owner's representation project management and project procurement. His organizational skills and attention to detail are unsurpassed. During his career, Rick has developed and managed the production of many multi-million-dollar projects, the largest of which was a $60 million project for American International of New York in Hato Ray, Puerto Rico. His experience as an architect collaborating with business owners has made him particularly cognizant of their needs and how to keep their projects within time and cost parameters. He is also especially adept at working with contractors to establish relationships for the best possible product.
Rick is a highly accomplished architect and engineer with involvement in a tremendous array of national and international projects, including more than 30 newspaper facilities and 50 schools. He is experienced in the development of housing, hotels, office buildings, shopping centers, medical facilities, churches, restaurants, and industrial structures, as well as historic preservation. Rick excels at managing architectural office and construction projects as well as developing and controlling budgets. His additional skills include code reviews and regulatory approvals, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding/negotiating, construction administration, and post-construction services.
Rick was a project manager, project architect, and production manager at Dario Designs, Inc. Prior to joining Dario, Rick spent two decades as the owner/architect of Hayden Architects and two years as a project architect for Montilla-Latimer, Architects in Puerto Rico.
Rick has always been active in his community and served as a planning board member in Gorham, Maine. He has also taught adult education classes at Windham High School in Windham, Maine.