The Larkin Group
The Larkin Group (LG) is a project management firm with a foundation in environmental sustainability. We assemble the team of experts required to execute each specific project and then manage the integration of all elements – from design to permitting and construction. No matter how complex or intricate the assignment, we dedicate the appropriate resources to successfully deliver a project.
Our expertise includes master planning, permitting, and construction of large mixed-use developments and re-developments. President and CEO, Owen Larkin, manages the integration of all elements needed to bring a development from concept to punch list completion.
The Larkin Group’s genesis was in high-end golf course projects with a sustainable focus. Two years after our formation we were selected in an international competition to work with golf architect Gil Hanse as Sustainability Managers for the course that hosted the 2016 Olympic golf competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Owen Larkin has a long history in public/private partnerships and a principle to balance community progress with environmental stewardship.
Our Approach
The Larkin Group’s guiding philosophy is “respect for the land-love of the game” and our stewardship bears that out.
The Larkin Group team members are pragmatic environmentalists who see the need to balance the needs of the business, with the requirements of the game and the protection of the land. We also believe a golf course can be an integral component of the community in which it’s based, providing recreational opportunities as well as economic and environmental benefits.
Our environmental practices are cutting edge, and we use them to help owners stay ahead of the swiftly changing regulatory environment. We believe in being proactive, avoiding situations in which a course must react to new restrictions, which can be costly and difficult.
By employing Best Management Practices that we’ve developed through decades of research, we can help reach environmental goals without sacrificing the playability or beauty of the golf course. Our objective is to guide a course in using fewer or no pesticides and conserving water.
Environmental
Environmental sustainability is not theoretical to us.
The core members of our team are environmental pioneers who’ve been involved in this work for two-plus decades. We’ve been in the field: researching, testing, refining methods, and creating new protocols. We work with universities and industry to find better products that will have less impact on the land. We are pragmatic environmentalists.
The Larkin Group’s management practices are a bellwether of environmental and regulatory practices. Our maintenance approach centers on conserving water and using little to no fungicides, herbicides, or pesticides. We’ve developed cultural protocols that are widely applicable and we’re constantly working to improve our methods.
Where appropriate, the Larkin Group will follow some of the protocols used at the Vineyard Golf Club on Martha’s Vineyard, where bio-stimulants and composted fertilizers are used in place of conventional pesticides. Controlled burns are used to kill weeds and make turf healthier. In fact, the Vineyard Golf Club is an ongoing beta test site for universities and industry as they search for new products that will lead to more natural turf-growing procedures.
While the Larkin Group encourages these practices, we recognize there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will apply to every course. The turf selection and Best Management Practices for each project will be tied to the microclimate in which it’s located. We strive to achieve sustainability without compromising the playability of the course
Renuart & Larkin
In 2012 the Larkin Group formed a partnership with General Gene Renuart, creating Renuart & Larkin, (R&L) a project management firm that specializes in the infrastructure of US Air Force installations. R&L concentrates on base redevelopment, reduction of energy usage, and infrastructure issues for the overall installation.
General Gene Renuart (Ret), president of Renuart & Larkin, is a retired United States Air Force Four-Star General. After almost 40 years of service, his career culminated as the Commander of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and United States Northern Command.
Our Roots: Vineyard Golf Club
The Larkin Group evolved from the success of the revolutionary Vineyard Golf Club on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. Since 2002 this beautiful 18-hole course has been managed with one of the most restrictive protocols in the United States; using no fungicides or herbicides, and only a handful of organic pesticides.
Owen Larkin was managing partner of Martha’s Vineyard Golf Partners, the entity that designed, built, and oversaw the protocol of this cutting edge course. Larkin also led the project through the very challenging permitting process on Martha’s VIneyard. MVGP built all facilities for the project, including a beautiful clubhouse, turf building and staff housing.
Internationally-known golf architect Gil Hanse completed a major renovation of the Vineyard course in 2015, increasing its playability but staying true to its organic roots. The Vineyard Golf Club continues to stand as a model of sustainability, garnering great interest in the world of golf.