CRE Gives Back During Annual Day of Service

Christina River Exchange takes pride in supporting our neighbors within the community. Every year, CRE teams up with their affiliate brands The Buccini/Pollin group and BPGS Construction, and associates spend an entire day giving back to the local community by providing volunteer services during our annual Day of Service. Through a coordinated, associate-led effort, we were able to help 12 organizations in the Wilmington, DE area this year, many of which we have supported for years. With multiple service opportunities and varying activities, associates were able to select a volunteer option they are passionate about. This year, our associates volunteered at the following organizations:

• Claymont Boys & Girls Club

• Ministry of Caring Child Care Center

• Kingswood Community Center

• Ronald McDonald House of Delaware

• Delaware Humane Association

• City of Wilmington Herman Holloway Park

• City of Wilmington Clifford Brown Plaza

• New Castle Country Hope Center

• Neighborhood House

• Sunday Breakfast Mission Thrift Store

• Sunday Breakfast Mission Shelter

• Saint Peter’s Cathedral School

During this unprecedented time, now more than ever before it is important to give back to the most vulnerable in our community as we are all in this together. We encourage you to help all of the wonderful organizations above as well on your own time or through monetary donations.

To view all of the heartwarming photos from our Day of Service, click here. For more information on BPG’s outreach initiatives, click here.

CRE Welcomes New Procurement Specialist, Paige Trakas!

As Christina River Exchange continues to grow and develop new client relationships, we recognized the need to grow our team as well. Please join us in welcoming Paige Trakas as a Procurement Specialist I!

Meet Paige Trakas

Prior to joining Christina River Exchange, Paige previously worked at GGA Construction in the design-build field. She comes to us with prior experience in residential and commercial design. Paige received her B.F.A in Interior Design, with a Minor in Graphic Design, at New York Institute of Technology, where she learned how to present her designs, take different types of criticism, and using public speaking to her advantage.

While Paige enjoys the challenges each type of design has to offer, she realized her passion lies in Interior Design. She is excited to apply her knowledge of the industry to the FF&E procurement cycle, helping to make our client’s incredible projects come to life!

To get to know Paige a little better, we asked her a few questions…

What led you to Christina River Exchange? The job description first caught my eye, being able to get back into the interior side of a project was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. After researching and visiting CRE’s website multiple times, I noticed that their previous and current projects were in great locations both near and far. Their ability to work in the hospitality industry by managing a project and making awesome relationships is also a huge plus!

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? As a Project Engineer at GGA, I was able to assist and finish a design-build project,. It was one of the few projects I was able to choose furnishes and finishes on.

What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day? My favorite way to unwind after a busy day would consist of eating good food (dinner) and taking a hot shower!

Are you an early bird or a night owl? It is easier for me to wake up early rather than to stay up late…

What was your first job? Non-professionally my first job was a hostess for Schaefer’s Canal House in Chesapeake City, MD. Professionally my first job was a Project Engineer for GGA Construction in Middletown, DE.

What are three words your friends would use to describe you? Sometimes Shy, Nice… ahhh I have no idea – some people think I’m funny… hard question!

What is your favorite restaurant? It is hard to narrow it down, but one of my favorite restaurants would have to be DogFish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

We welcome Paige to our team with open arms & look forward to her contributions!

Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary - A Note from Founder Michelle Schwandt

It’s hard to believe Christina River Exchange opened its doors on A Street five years ago today. Like any new business, we experienced the thrill of success and, as well, the angst of lessons learned as we worked hard as a team to master the art of FF&E procurement.

In five years, we’ve completed 16 hotels, 5 multi-family projects, and 5 restaurants/commercial projects! But we share these successes with our co-workers at The Buccini/Pollin Group, BPGS Construction, and the many professionals to include the designers, architects, contractors, vendors, operators, and our Clients with whom we work every day. We are truly grateful for your support, for making our work enjoyable, and mostly, for your friendship.

And to our CRE team members – both present and legacy – thank you for all you do each and every day. Here’s to many more successful projects together… and to another five years!

Cheers!

Michelle

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In the past 5 years, we've worked on incredible projects in a variety of industries! Take a look back at some of our favorites:

Hotel: Virgin Hotels Nashville

Restaurant: Le Cavalier at the Green Room

Commercial Office Space: Swedesford Park

Multifamily Residential: 101 dupont place

Affordable Housing: La Central

Highlights from the 2021 CRE Masters Putting Tournament

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“Tee It Up” Temple receives coveted Green Jacket

Round 1 thrilled spectators as “Master of the Master’s” Mucklow surged to the top of the leaderboard at 13 under par, inching out “Tee to Tree" Turick and “Rham Can’t Beat This” Rentz. Turick announced his withdrawal late in the day due to an X-Box injury to his arm. The spectator favorite, “Master of the Master’s” Mucklow, was confident in his post-round press conference. When asked about his performance throughout Round 1, Mucklow attributed his stellar performance to “good course management” and “the ability to stay within himself” throughout the round.

But on Day 2, the final round of the CRE Master’s, the winds of success for Mucklow began to wane when amateurs, “Tee It Up” Temple, “Ace It At Augusta” Anderson and “Kill It With My Driver” Kufasimes came off the tee strong and carried sub-par scores throughout the round. The grit, focus and determination of these players could be felt by every spectator watching along the fairways. In the final 4PM pairing, “Master of the Master’s” Mucklow experienced a slow start on Hole #1. “Rham Can’t Beat This” Rentz went in for a long putt off the first tee and finished the first hole with a birdie. Mucklow knew he needed a sub-par round to fend off Temple. But both “Rahm Can’t Beat This” Rentz and “Master of the Master’s” Mucklow buckled under pressure leaving several birdie opportunities on the greens. “Tee It Up” Temple ultimately held on to his Day 2 lead and a combined low score of 21 under par. Temple stood proudly as he was presented the coveted green jacket. A true champion on golf’s greatest stage.

"Rham Can't Beat This" Rentz finishes strong on 9th hole.

“Captain Cabbage” Corace scores hole in one on 8th hole!

We would like to extend a special thank you to our co-sponsors, BPGS Construction, Program Superintendent Mandi Lemons, Beverage Distributors Z. Shope & Company, and CNEA Press Firm Executives, Claire Nester and Ellie Anderson for their live continuing coverage of the tournament. We also thank the players and spectators that came out for this year’s event.

Until next year, always remember, in the words of golf’s greatest golfer of all time:

“The road to success is always under construction.” - Arnold Palmer

CRE is Hiring: Procurement Specialist

Have you or someone you know ever considered working in FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment) procurement?

CRE is seeking an enthusiastic individual who is detail-oriented, a problem solver, and enjoys working on a project team that includes owners, architects, general contractors, designers, and vendors. As a Procurement Specialist, you’ll work on a variety of hospitality, multi-family, and commercial projects both for The Buccini/Pollin Group and third-party clients. We will provide the training! If interested, please email Stacy Bazzana (sbazzana@bpgroup.net) to express your interest.   

Michelle Schwandt Featured by NEWH

Michelle A. Schwandt, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Christina River Exchange, is also on the Board of Directors for NEWH Philadelphia Chapter, focusing on scholarship. NEWH is the premier networking resource for the hospitality industry, providing scholarships, education, leadership development, recognition of excellence, and business development opportunities.

Recently, Michelle was featured by the NEWH AC/Philadelphia. Continue reading the profile below to get to know our Co-Founder better!

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Since the company’s opening in 2016, CRE has managed the FF&E procurement for sixteen hotel projects, and five commercial and multi-residential projects, nationwide.

Prior to the start-up of Christina River Exchange, Michelle spent over nine years at MBNA America. As a senior executive vice president and member of the Senior Operating Committee (SOC), Michelle managed several core business areas within divisions of business development, marketing, corporate education and customer satisfaction.

She spent nine years as on Active Duty (US Army) as both a chemical corps officer and aviation officer. She was rated as a UH-1H helicopter pilot and is a Gulf War veteran.

NEWH AC/Philly: What is your favorite interior design trend?

Turning waste product (paper and plastic) into sustainable material for use in both fashion and furniture.

NEWH AC/Philly: What is the best benefit of taking the lead of NEWH AC/Philadelphia?

This position has given me the opportunity to connect with so many educators, faculty, and students through our scholarship fund. It is a rewarding experience to know we are supporting students in design and hospitality industry to help them achieve their goals.

NEWH AC/Philly: Tell us something we don’t know about you?

I spent most of my childhood summers at Indian River Inlet in Delaware, and my favorite recreation activity has been fishing. I love the thrill of throwing my line in either the sea, pond, or ocean and see what I can pull up.

CRE Participates in Annual Day of Service 2020

This year has been unlike any other, and similar to many events, our annual Day of Service looked a little different amidst the pandemic, but we were still able to get together as a team and spend an entire day giving back to the local community in Wilmington, DE.

On October 2nd, CRE joined associates from The Buccini/Pollin Group and BPGS Construction at Bellevue & Alapocas State Parks to clean up the grounds, including mulching, pulling vines, weed pulling, raking, edging, stone work, and much more.

Christina River Exchange believes one of our most important responsibilities is giving back to the community where we live and work. Through charitable giving and volunteer service, we strive to be a champion for our underserved communities.

CRE Team Attends 2019 BDNY Conference

Boutique Design New York (BDNY) is the leading trade show and conference for hospitality design professionals, and it was nothing short of amazing this year. The Christina River Exchange Team was captivated by the creativity that all of the vendors and attendees put forth in order to make a beautiful show.

As a team, we were able to source potential new vendors, as well as spend time with the companies in which we have established affable rapports. We were able to witness one of a kind pieces while also expanding our knowledge of items that we work with and purchase on a daily basis. The innovation from organizations all over the world never ceases to amaze the CRE Team, and we cannot wait to see what is in store at BDNY 2020!

CRE Team Grows With Two New Procurement Specialists

As Christina River Exchange continues to grow and develop new client relationships, we recognized the need to grow our team as well. Please join us in welcoming Courtney Miller and Sabrina Matheson to the CRE team as Procurement Specialists!

Meet Courtney Miller

Prior to joining Christina River Exchange, Courtney worked at Bear Creek Arsenal as a Supply Chain Associate. She comes to us with prior experience in supply chain, export and import logistics, and customer service. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management at Wilmington University.

Her interest in and knowledge of the industry will advance her ability to successfully work with Clients throughout the entire FF&E cycle of a project, from the design phase to installation. Courtney is thrilled to join the distinguished CRE team and assist on a number of projects.

To get to know Courtney a little better, we asked her a few questions…

• What led you to Christina River Exchange? I wanted to further my career by pursuing a position in procurement and also work for an amazing company. CRE holds values that match everything I was looking for.

• What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? I created an organized structure of reports for items that needed to be ordered and items that we were waiting to arrive. This system reduced production meeting time, and I was able to send out the appropriate spreadsheets that increased efficiency on our team.

• What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day? Happy hour or watching The Office!

• Are you an early bird or a night owl? Early bird! I am most productive in the morning.

• What was your first job? I worked as a party attendant at an inflatable party place.

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Meet Sabrina Matheson

Before Cristina River Exchange, Sabrina previously worked as a Bid & Purchasing Manager for the artwork manufacturer, Kaleidoscope Design Factory. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Florida State University.

Her experience in the manufacturing industry gives her a unique perspective on the FF&E procurement cycle, specifically relating to approvals, lead times, and schedules. Given her knowledge of manufacturing, Sabrina looks forward to assisting the team in all aspects of the FF&E Cycle.

We got the chance to learn more about Sabrina…

• What led you to Christina River Exchange? I was looking for a new adventure in the Pennsylvania / Delaware area and this position came up. It was an ideal opportunity for me to learn new skills and apply my current skill set from my previous position purchasing raw materials.

• What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? Any time I can make a process more efficient. For example, when all the complicated formulas finally work out in Excel, it’s a major accomplishment.

• What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day? It’s 50/50. Going for a run or sprawling out on the couch and binge watching TV.

• Are you an early bird or a night owl? Early bird! I like to wake up early to get a head start on my to-do list.

• What was your first job? Executive Assistant

We welcome Courtney and Sabrina to our team & look forward to their contributions!

As CRE Turns 3, Co-Founder Michelle Schwandt Reflects on Past, Present & Future

Three years goes by in the blink of an eye. 15 hospitality projects (and counting), 2 restaurants and 2 multi-residential projects….the journey has been nothing short of amazing. Our most memorable projects include Renaissance Philadelphia, The Hotel du Pont, ARC.The Hotel, Canopy Pike & Rose and The National.  These projects challenged us to think differently, think smarter and apply innovative solutions to meet the needs of our Clients. But more amazing than the projects are the people we work with every day – our hospitality associates at BPGS, architects, interior designers and vendors. We thank you for your professionalism and steadfast commitment to each and every project – and for making our work enjoyable!

To our Clients  - thank you for entrusting your projects with CRE. As we look to the future, CRE remains focused on three priorities: service, schedule and budget. CRE is committed to continuously evaluating our processes and relationships to ensure these priorities are always at the forefront of our work.

And finally, to the team at CRE – I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented and dedicated group of people.  Our team is enriched by your commitment to your work and to the relationships you’ve built with each other – because of you we’ve grown as individuals and as a company. Thank you for 3 years and cheers to a bright future ahead!

- Michelle Schwandt, Co-Founder & Managing Director

CRE Heads to Boutique Design New York

Now in its ninth year, Boutique Design New York (BDNY) is the leading trade fair and conference for hospitality design professionals.  The event brings in over 8,000 Interior Designers, Architects, Purchasing Agents and Owners/Developers over a two-day period each November.

Continue reading to hear what our very own David Summerfield, Procurement Specialist, had to say about the conference:

“BDNY was an experience to remember. The thousands of attendees made it possible to create a memorable show. During the show, CRE took the time to meet with many of the vendors we consistently work with to create and establish those long-term relationships. There were many custom pieces on display worth noting. These custom pieces were one of a kind as they all had their own personal touch to separate themselves from the other competition. The capability to utilize technology and sync it with a smart phone or tablet was rather interesting and unique. The visit to BDNY opened up an array of contacts to utilize and consider for the many projects we procure.”

Meet our summer intern, Madison Cann!

We were thrilled to welcome Madison Cann, a senior at the University of Delaware, to our team this past summer. With a background in purchasing, Madison was a great asset to our team and we truly appreciate all of her hard work!

Read our interview with Madison below to hear what she had to say about her experience working for Christina River Exchange.

Can you provide a little background information on what you are going to school for and when you are expected to graduate?

“As a senior at University of Delaware, I'm a Public Policy major and a Women & Gender studies minor. A lot of what I learn is about economic, social, and political structures/institutions and how individuals interact with them. Most of my work tends to be reading and writing, which has definitely helped me gain skills that are incredibly valuable for my future.”

What would be your dream job after graduation?

“Thinking about my post-grad career is still pretty crazy! My passions can have various career paths, so it's been hard to try to narrow down exactly what I'd like to do. I really want to pursue political advocacy, whether that be in a government position or a non-profit. I'm also fairly certain I want to do the peace corp in a couple years, and I also want to get a higher level degree. So, that question is pretty hard because I feel like I have a million answers for it!”

 What do you feel you learned the most during your time at CRE? Was there anything that surprised you?

“Working at CRE was really an amazing experience. With my previous studies and internships, I had never really gotten a chance to look at the implications of business and finance. However, getting to see how to navigate this was a really big eye-opener. It made me realize that having a good understanding of things like cost-benefit analysis and utilization of resources is fundamentally helpful no matter what career I pursue.”

What was your favorite moment while interning with CRE?

“I would say my favorite moment at CRE was when I got to lead a meeting with the CRE team about re-inventing our proposals and marketing. With my public policy background, I was really thrilled when my boss, Michelle, gave me the task of updating our proposal document and some of our marketing strategy. I have a passion for writing and for making an intended message accessible for a reader, so this project was really exciting for me. After working for weeks on the project, I got to bring together the entire CRE team and discuss what I had done and work with them about their collective ideas as well. For most internships, you end up doing a lot of mundane and less important tasks, but I feel like Michelle and the team really trusted me and my work. It was really amazing to be treated like a peer and less like a student. I feel so lucky that I got to work with such an amazing team all summer, and that experience of leading the meeting is one I'll remember forever.”