About Us

Public Facilities Group (PFG) is a leading practitioner of 63-20 Progressive Design-Build (63-20 PDB) and is focused on the successful delivery of public Infrastructure on behalf of our Public Partners. Our professional staff has significant experience in real estate development, P3 delivery and Public Finance. They have completed 30 projects with a total development cost of $2.2 billion. Each of these projects were completed ‘on or ahead-of schedule’ and ‘on or under budget’ with a lower cost than our public partners had experienced with other alternative delivery models.

We advocate the use of the 63-20 Progressive Design-Build as a means of delivering infrastructure projects on behalf of a public agency. 63-20 PDB is frequently classified as both an alternative delivery model and as a Public-Private Partnership, when in fact it is a combination of both. It takes advantage of private tax-exempt financing while also benefiting from the delivery efficiencies found in P3 delivery. As the Not-for-Profit partner, we structure the 63-20 PDB delivery and we serve as the obligated party, using 63-20 and 501(c)(3) bonds to finance and own public facilities for the public benefit. Our approach to 63-20 PDB also allows for private operations and maintenance, proper incentivizing, offers private guarantees of both cost and schedule, and builds in safeguards that allow the public to secure ultimate project control whenever they desire to do so.

Our clients are diverse. We have worked with public universities developing student housing, dining halls, and research facilities, with cities constructing city halls and parking garages and with counties and state governments delivering administrative buildings, medical office building and justice centers. We are proud of our track record in helping public agencies find cost-effective and efficient solutions to their own operational needs as well as those of their constituents.

Our Team

John Finke(206) 618-8864

John Finke is President of Public Facilities Group. He has more than 40 years of experience in local government, nonprofit management, private sector development, and financing public private partnerships. John pioneered the 63-20 Progressive Design-Build Approach and has used that model to finance and develop more than 1,600,000 square feet of government and university offices, 750,000 square feet of medical offices, 400,000 square feet of research laboratories, 2,500 spaces of structured parking facilities for public institutions and 1,100 units of student housing. These award-winning projects total more than $2 Billion in direct development costs.

Previous to founding Public Facilities Group, John worked for the National Development Council, now Grow America, where his portfolio of 27 Public-Private Partnership projects is diverse. Here is a shortlist of his portfolio while employed at the National Development Council:

• UW School of Medicine South Lake Union Biomedical Research Campus
• Bothell City Hall
• Redmond City Hall
• Harborview’s Ninth and Jefferson Building
• The Gateway at Alhambra
• Riverside County Law Building
• Center for Urban Waters
• 20 Additional P3 Projects

Erin Birkenkopf(206) 334-6455

Erin Birkenkopf is a Vice President at Public Facilities Group. Her experience with public-private partnerships began in 2005 on the public partner side as a housing administrator for the University of Washington.

In 2012, Erin joined the National Development Council, now Grow America, with a focus on asset management and financing of public-private partnerships. Her portfolio of work while at National Development Council included:

• UW School of Medicine South Lake Union Biomedical Research Campus
• Bothell City Hall
• Center for Urban Waters
• Harborview’s Ninth and Jefferson Building
• Washington State Data Center

Matt Calcavecchia(206) 849-6260

Matt is a Vice President at Public Facilities Group. He has 20 years of experience in P3 and has served in a variety of roles from asset management duties, promotion, marketing, project management, business development and strategic planning.

Matt has been with Public Facilities Group since its founding in 2016. Before that, Matt worked for the National Development Council, now named Grow America. He has experience in a variety of products and services, including low-income housing, New Markets Tax Credits, small business lending and Public-Private Partnerships. Matt served on Grow America’s Public-Private partnership team where he was focused on outreach and education. He also helped to create and implement strategies for advocating for Public-Private Partnerships at the federal level.

Matt Cooney(206) 865-5388

Matt is a Vice President at Public Facilities Group. He has 20 years of experience in municipal finance, first with Lehman Brothers and later with Barclays, including five years as a Director. During his career, Matt has worked with prominent municipalities in the western U.S. across a variety of credit structures. In addition to his general municipal practice, Matt has extensive experience working on third-party lease transactions, including P3 build-to-suit projects as well as other public-benefit financings and privately-managed tax-exempt-eligible projects. Before joining PFG, Matt managed roughly 15 distinct 63-20 lease and related financings for a variety of end users, with an aggregate par amount of approximately $1.6 billion.

Matt also is a dedicated U.S. Air Force Reservist, where he serves as a Medical Service Corps Officer.