About - Cooperative Companies

About Us

The Cooperative Companies sit at the intersection of the construction, development, property management and real estate industries.

We lead with the idea that each building and each project is part of a larger business plan for our clients. We are portfolio focused, not just project focused.

In the competitive commercial real estate market of today, stakeholders are looking for thoughtful representation that understands and supports their business drivers. This must be combined with a depth of technical construction knowledge, proactive management expertise and communication abilities that extend from the jobsite to the boardroom.

We started Cooperative Companies when we realized that the only way to truly deliver this level of advisory service was to be independent. In order to keep the focus where it should be—on doing work we are proud of—we left behind corporate overhead, sales quotas and office politics.

We are a boutique firm by choice, because our experience has shown us that truly skilled practitioners are rare and certain levels of service just cannot be scaled.

Key Differentiators

Our business forward mindset positions our services to advance the larger objectives of our clients. Our wide-ranging experience of the entire building lifecycle means we have the big picture knowledge to follow through.

Each assignment we undertake is managed by one of our Partners. We don’t sell you up-front on our resumes and then turn the project over to less experienced staff.

We are boardroom ready. We have the experience under pressure, the communication skills and the presentation abilities to address limited partners, a board of directors, demanding tenants or any other important stakeholder.

We offer ten hours of our time complimentary to any potential new client. During this time we will listen, review, discuss and even provide a second opinion on a project or a problem.

We specialize in project recovery and turnaround efforts, something we can offer with confidence due to past success.

Guiding Principles

Everyone deserves respect—even while directly communicating about difficult topics.

We measure progress via demonstrable results, we aim to give credit where due, and we strive to recognize deficiencies without needlessly assigning blame.

Project schedules only work when they are properly constructed and managed, and building permits and codes are not optional.

We believe everyone has an ability to learn, as well as an ability to be wrong and admit mistakes—accountability is expected and deserved from all stakeholders equally.

We maintain reverence for all skilled labor workers and prioritize the safety and success of those who put work in place with their physical bodies.

Our People

Mia Asmus Tunnicliff

FOUNDING PARTNER

The Cooperative Companies were founded by Mia Asmus as a result of many soul-searching conversations with her most trusted colleagues and friends in the industry. She found that all the best people were facing the same frustrations regardless of employer or job title. Mia felt certain that her best clients were also suffering under the traditional delivery systems, just as her colleagues were. The Cooperative Companies are an ongoing proof of concept for a different, better way.

Mia has more than 20 years of experience as a construction manager, developer and owner’s rep. She is a lifelong learner as well as a teacher and mentor. She still isn’t convinced about PropTech and ConTech (just ask her about it the next time you have two or three hours to spare), but she is sure that the business of buildings can be elevated to achieve something greater.

Philip Tunnicliff

Partner

Philip started in the construction business when he was 16 years old and spent the summer digging ditches. Philip is proud that he has held almost every position available in the construction industry. He has been a laborer, a foreman, a superintendent, a project manager, an estimator, an executive and a business owner. He will be the first to tell you that he was shaped just as much by those early experiences as by his later success—and it still amazes his wife how much he knows about a project just five minutes after arriving on site.

Philip has been working throughout the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean since 1999. He has done everything from building a major league ballpark to developing a private Caribbean island into a luxury fishing resort. He is still trying to figure out how to build boats and fish for a living, but in the meantime he loves finding ways to elevate the business of buildings.

Brenda Munson

PARTNER

Brenda is a veteran project leader who has completed complex assignments throughout the United States and Canada. She has a diverse background that includes design, organizational development, project management and corporate real estate. These complimentary fields provide Brenda with a unique viewpoint that speaks directly to what it takes to make a project successful.

Brenda is not much of a sports fan, but she is equally passionate about the multiple roles she plays within Cooperative Companies. She is a scout (assembling highly effective project teams), a quarterback (calling plays to lead her teams to successful outcomes) and a coach (sharing her winning playbook with the next generation of experts). In all facets of her role, Brenda is driven by professionalism and her belief in elevating the business of buildings.

Rick Pugatch

Partner

Rick’s unique and very well-rounded experiences in the development of commercial projects from concept through completion has earned him the trust and confidence of all the owners, institutions, business associates and peers he has worked with throughout the years.

He has been involved and directly responsible for the initial design, permitting, construction and land development of many types of projects as well as have worked very closely with leasing and property management organizations. This has enabled him to develop a complete understanding of the various issues involved in the commercial real estate industry from the development of the initial concept to groundbreaking, construction, lease up and ultimately, the management of these projects.

Rick loves sports and is passionate about golf, tennis and pickleball. He also loves music and building models in whatever spare time is left!

About Us

Key Differentiators

Guiding Principles