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Value You Can Feel: How The Primestone Group’s Core Values Shape the Client Experience
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When Values Impart Value: How Culture Creates a Competitive Edge at Lowe Engineers
CASE STUDY
Value You Can Feel: How The Primestone Group’s Core Values Shape the Client Experience
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By Shantel Evans
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At The Primestone Group, value is not a tagline. It is our benchmark.
As a boutique consulting firm specializing in cost estimating, expert witness services, risk management, and project advisory, we have learned that clients remember how you show up when things are hard. The way you respond in a crisis, the clarity of your communication, and the integrity behind your recommendations; these are the things that shape the client experience.
Our firm is built on:
- Trust
- Urgency
- Real-world problem solving
Trust: The Starting Point for Every Project
We do not sell services. We build relationships. And relationships are built on trust. Clients come to us when the stakes are high. That is not something we take lightly.
Every client interaction starts with a commitment to follow through. When we say we will deliver, we do, on time and without surprises. Trust shapes how we manage every step of the process.
Real-World Example
A client reached out for assistance when experiencing a significant budget overrun on a GMP proposal for a 500-bed apartment complex in the DMV area. An earlier check estimate from another firm had, unfortunately, misrepresented key cost drivers. The Primestone Group stepped in to reconcile the discrepancy. Our estimating team swiftly reviewed the project drawings and bid package and flagged critical inconsistencies. After we presented our findings detailing the cost discrepancies and duplications, the construction manager requested revised subcontractor quotes. As a result, the overall project cost dropped substantially. The savings, which were in excess of 6 million dollars, were real, but more importantly, the client regained clarity and control.
That is the kind of trust we aim to build with every estimate, every report, and every conversation.
Urgency: Our Response Time is Part of Our Value
Urgency is not about chaos. It is about focus. We move quickly and decisively because we understand the nature of the work. Clients are often under pressure themselves. They need answers, not delays.
Real-World Example
On a Thursday night, we received a call from a large East Coast contractor leading a major healthcare project. They needed a delay analysis and fast! Our scheduling team cleared the decks, pulled in the right people, and delivered a preliminary review by Monday morning. No corners were cut. The report was peer-reviewed, defensible, and actionable. So, what does that mean? Even though we had a tight deadline, internally, we looked at the project to ensure it was defensible and provided the contractor with clear, actionable steps to be taken.
Urgency is not an add-on to our process; it is embedded in our culture. We plan around our clients’ deadlines and structure internal timelines to allow for review and quality control, even when time is tight.
Real-World Problem Solving: Turning Data into Decisions
Construction is complex. There is rarely one clear path forward. That is why we emphasize practical, strategic solutions that our clients can actually use. The Primestone team blends technical expertise with a deep understanding of how projects move and stall in the real world.
Real-World Example
Halfway through the design phase of a K-12 project located in the southwest, escalating material costs and scope creep pushed the budget out of reach. A value engineering process was not planned, but Primestone recommended a focused, one-day VE workshop and built a structure for decision-making that allowed the team to regroup without derailing the schedule. We did not just estimate alternatives with cost savings of $4 million dollars; we helped facilitate clarity. That is what clients value most. The school board was thrilled that we brought the project back within budget, and the design team appreciated avoiding costly rework later in the process.
How Our Values Show Up in Deliverables
Sometimes, value shows up in the way something is presented, not just in what it says.
Real-World Example
A client asked for a high-level summary estimate for an embassy project. We provided that but also delivered a detailed breakdown across systems and scope areas. This breakdown became essential during negotiations with the general contractor and helped frame a check on the contractor’s schedule of values for billing purposes.
We do not do this because it is in the contract. We do it because that is what useful consulting looks like. The real value of a report is not the PDF. It is what the client can do with it.
A Boutique Firm’s Values Are Its Differentiator
Larger firms can rely on name recognition. Boutique firms like Primestone succeed only when we outperform expectations. That means we cannot afford to miss. Every client interaction is a chance to prove we are worth the call.
We are deliberate about who we hire because we know our people are our brand. We value direct access to senior experts and intentionally keep our structure lean to remain responsive and agile.
If our values changed or if we shifted toward volume over clarity or scale over service, we would lose what makes us different. The experience would suffer. The work would suffer. The relationships would suffer.
We are not willing to trade trust for size.
What This Looks Like Internally
Our values do not stop at client delivery. They shape our internal culture. For example:
- Every report is peer-reviewed before submission, regardless of timeline
- We encourage clients to reach out before there is a problem, and we build flexibility into our process to make room for that
- We empower team members to speak directly to clients because responsiveness is part of everyone’s job
The Real Value of Living Your Values
In a field where so much is driven by scope, deadlines, and numbers, it is easy to forget that what really drives client experience is how you show up.
When clients know they can trust you, see you move with urgency, and your work helps them solve real-world problems — that is value.
At Primestone, our values do not just shape how we operate. They define what it feels like to work with us. And that is what clients remember.
Shantel Evans is the President and Founder of The Primestone Group, a boutique construction consulting firm based in New York with offices in Maryland. A veteran of the U.S. Space Force, Shantel served over a decade in the military, including two deployments to Iraq, where she specialized in airport and runway construction management. Her background in operational leadership, crisis response, and construction cost management shapes Primestone’s commitment to trust, urgency, and real-world problem solving. She is an active committee member with NAWIC-DC and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, where she advocates for excellence, equity, and access across the AEC industry.
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