The Professional Contractor Winter 2014 by The Warren Group

THE PROFESSIONAL

WINTER 2014

A Publication of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc.

BOSTON CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

COMES BACK STRONG

THE PROFESSIONAL

A Publication of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc.

16 Boston Construction Industry Comes Back Strong

cover story

features

04 PRESIDENT’S VIEW The New Normal: Not so Bad!

05 HEALTH INSURANCE Affordable Care Act: What’s on the Horizon for 2015

06 FINANCE Ready Access to True Costs Will Guide Profitability 08 LEGAL BRIEFS Will Massachusetts Courts Enforce an Agreement Requiring Indemnification for a Party’s Own Gross Negligence? 12 BENEFITS Using Fringe Dollars to Benefit Your Employees and Your Bottom Line

14 FALL EVENTS PHOTO GALLERY

19 20

INDUSTRY RESOURCES Small-Quantity Metal Suppliers Fill Need for Fast Turnaround MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Wright Architectural Millwork Reaches 40-Year Milestone

22 TECHNOLOGY The Rise of Mobile Technologies in Construction

24 YEAR-END PROJECT PHOTO GALLERY

30 MEMBER NEWS

The Professional Contractor

PRESIDENT’S VIEW

BY RICHARD R. FISHER

The New Normal: Not so Bad!

f you were to re-read this column going back to our first issue in 2007, you’d have a pretty good sense of the ups and downs of our economy over that time – or rather, the downs and ups. That first issue, coming before any hint of recession, featured a rendering of a striking new tower planned for the South Station area. It wasn’t long after that the economy began to unravel and for much of the next five years, our commentary tried to be hopeful, as the economy and the construction industry suffered the worst recession most people had ever experienced. We started to report signs of a turnaround in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the recovery had reached the construction industry and companies were busy again, bidding work and building backlog. And it’s not until this year, finally, that we were able to report that even the margins are coming back. Things may not be the same as the pre-recession boom – but so far, this new normal is not so bad! The recovery now seems solid – and here to stay. That’s certainly the message you will get, too, from our cover story – which gives a rundown of projects in the works, not just in Boston, but across the state, as confidence spreads, funding loosens, and developments crop up at every turn. The pace of construction is impressive! The South Station Tower may not be back – yet – but the tower rising from the old Filene’s site in Downtown Crossing is on its way to completion – and this, combined with the many projects underway in the Seaport district,

are exciting symbols not only of Boston rising, but of economic comeback that benefits the entire state. In short, it’s been a great year for our economy and our industry. You can see that reflected in the impressive array of projects completed by ASM members in 2014, shown in our “year in review” feature on page 24. It’s been a great year for ASM, too, as we celebrated two major legislative victories (on unemployment insurance reform and construction retainage); enjoyed record attendance at our events (see our photo gallery page 14); and welcomed more new members than we have in several years. Looking ahead to 2015, we should begin to see the positive effects of our new 5 percent retainage legislation, with improved cash flow for contractors and faster project close out, which will both help to support and sustain the upward trend in development. Of course, 2015 will also bring changes of a different sort, with a new governor in the corner office on Beacon Hill, as well as a new attorney general and senate president as well. ASM looks forward to building positive relations with our new elected officials, and working collaboratively to ensure that economic growth continues across the commonwealth. As you get ready for the new year in your own company, be sure to read the articles in this issue of TPC, which are full of good nuggets to help keep the “new normal” going strong. s

Richard R. Fisher is founder and president of Red Wing Construction in Beverly. He can be reached through ASM at (617) 742-3412 or by email at president@associatedsubs.com.

The Professional Contractor is published by The Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc. 31 State Street | Fourth Floor | Boston, MA 02109 tel 617-742-3412 | fax 857-453-4338 mail@associatedsubs.com | www.associatedsubs.com

ASM Officers

President: President Elect: Vice President: Vice President: Treasurer: Past President:

Richard R. Fisher, Red Wing Construction Joseph H. Bodio, Lan-Tel Communications, Inc. Steven P. Kenney, N. B. Kenney Co. Inc. James B. Miller, Salem Glass Company Russell J. Anderson, Southeastern Metal Fabricators, Inc. David G. Cannistraro, J.C. Cannistraro, LLC

Winter 2014

ASM Directors

The Warren Group Design / Production / Advertising www.thewarrengroup.com custompubs@thewarrengroup.com ©2014 The Warren Group, Inc. and Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc All rights reserved. The Warren Group is a trademark of The Warren Group Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

HEALTH INSURANCE

BY MICHAEL DESCHAINE, VINCENT THORNE AND DAVID THOMASER

Affordable Care Act: What’s on the Horizon for 2015

ven though the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been around since 2010, each year brings new requirements for businesses in assuring their medical plans meet federal guidelines. Although reminiscent of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform signed by thenGov. Mitt Romney in 2006, the federal requirements are more comprehensive in scope. The politics of the act have resulted in a number of modifications to the original act as well as delays to the original implementation dates. While 2014 was to be the most transformative year for the ACA, delays for “applicable large employers” (ALEs), companies employing 50 or more full-time equivalent employees, allowed employers extra time to prepare. However, many ALEs will be required to begin complying with new requirements beginning in 2015. Some midsize (50-99) employers may be granted a further delay until 2016, providing certain criteria are met. Within the Massachusetts Small group (aka regulated) market, the vast majority of requirements that were instituted by the health care carriers in 2014, including out of pocket maximum limits, are being tweaked in 2015. The employer is responsible for notification requirements (exchange notice and summary of benefit comparisons) and for conforming to the probationary (or new hire) period limits (maximum 90 days). Attempting to navigate the complexities of the Affordable Care Act without the assistance of a trusted advisor team is not advisable. The composition of the trusted advisor team will vary from business to business; however, it will likely include an employee benefits broker, a CPA or tax advisor, a tax or ERISA attorney, and a combination of payroll, time and attendance, and/or HRIS advisors. Among the plan design issues to be considered for 2015 are grandfathered plan status, cost-sharing limits and FSA contribution limits. Determining your ALE status is critical to under-

Vincent Thorne

Michael Deschaine is president of Cross Employee Benefits. Vincent Thorne and David Thomas are senior vice presidents of TGA Cross Insurance in Wakefield. They can be reached through the Wakefield office at 781-914-1000.

standing the rules and regulations applicable to your specific organization. It is important to note that the shared responsibility penalties that will be levied on companies that fall out of compliance may result in fines of up to $2,000 or $3,000 per employee, depending upon the area(s) of non-compliance. The method of determining a company’s status as an applicable large employer can be very complicated and, for many businesses, may require the use of a specialized payroll and time tracking system. Employers will also be required to provide annual reports to the federal government as well as their employees in 2016, based on 2015 payroll and head count data. These reports will provide the government with the data needed to properly administer the individual mandate and other provisions of the ACA. The combination of employee tracking and government reporting will require many businesses to reassess their way of doing business and, in many instances, will not lend itself to relying on manual systems. Finally, employers should be mindful of the implications of the ACA’s individual mandate, a regulation that requires most citizens to obtain some form of health insurance or potentially face a fine, is expected to increase the demand for employer sponsored health coverage. As the Affordable Care Act continues to transform and take shape, employers are faced with an even greater responsibility to understand the health benefits offered to their employees. s The Professional Contractor

FINANCE

BY DAN STANHOPE, CPA

Ready Access to True Costs Will Guide Profitability

n construction, there is the phrase “costs drive revenue,” meaning that the driver behind how you recognize revenue is your costs. Owners, estimators, project managers and accounting staff all need to fully comprehend a company’s true cost structure to clearly understand their financial position. This information needs to be presented to the appropriate people (management) in a timely manner so important business decisions can be made. These financial metrics and benchmarking activities guide companies to profitability.

Why is it so important to understand your true costs? Just because your company is busy, doesn’t mean you are profitable. Knowing your company’s true cost structure is vital to your success. Cost structure is an important tool providing insights into: budgeting, allocating burden, pricing work, and working up change orders. Without a solid understanding of your true costs, you run the risk of tying up resources on jobs that are not profitable.

Anticipating Project Expenses When budgeting/estimating for a job, if your true costs are unrealistic, you run the risk of carrying the wrong figures in the estimate. Anticipated project expenses must be carefully and accurately assessed, and take into account direct costs and indirect costs. Contract estimates should accurately represent the amount of direct costs, including labor, subcontractors, materials, supplies, equipment rental and other direct costs. Accounting for indirect costs is equally as important when working to enhance your bottom line. Depending on your line of business, costs such as contract supervision, indirect labor, union benefits (if applicable), employee benefits, payroll taxes, insurance, tools, equipment, fuel and depreciation can all be a Dan Stanhope, CPA, is a manager at Alexander Aronson Finning CPAs based in Westborough, Boston and Wellesley. He has over 10 years of experience providing tax, assurance and business advisory solutions to the construction industry. Dan can be reached at 774-512-4134 or at dstanhope@aafcpa.com.

Winter 2014

significant portion of the overall job costs. I have heard clients say: “if I carry the indirects in the budget we won’t get the job.” If that is true, the job might not be a good fit, or you should take a look at your indirect cost pool and determine if there are opportunities to reduce these expenses. Regardless, indirect costs are a part of doing business and a factor directly impacting profit margins. To ensure you have accurate figures for these two buckets (direct and indirect), you need to obtain subcontractor/material quotes, estimate labor hours, review labor rates, and assess burden rates. This can be time consuming, but missing even one of these components could result in a lost opportunity, a job that leaves money on the table, a job that makes no profit, or – worst case – a job that loses money.

Allocating Burden Burden is an important part of your cost structure. Burden is the means of taking all indirect costs and allocating these into specific jobs. In order for the work-in-process (WIP) schedule to be meaningful and useful, your finance department needs to have a handle on the burden rate, and ensure it is accurately allocated to projects. If not done properly, the WIP schedule could reflect margins that are significantly different than what is reported in your income statement. This could result in a few consequences: your WIP reflects that you are doing better/worse than actual, or you are reflecting an unrealistic picture and your CPA, surety, or bank could lose faith in your internal financials and WIP.

The Skinny on Pricing and Bidding In the pricing/bidding stage, it’s important to understand how aggressive you can be. Without a clear picture of true costs, you could leave money on the table or price yourself out of the job completely. Knowing your true costs by line item can allow you to price each individual cost with a mark-up as opposed to applying a global markup. You can have different mark-ups for each line item, or different mark-up tiers based on the complexity of the job. This break-down will help if you get in a “last look” situation and you need to

“skinny the price.” This breakdown could also identify that you have already taken the profit out of the job and it would be in your best interest to bow out.

Change Orders Project managers can more efficiently work up a change order if they have ready access to the true cost structure, which also expedites approval and billing. The biggest issue with change orders is formal approval. Too often, change orders go unapproved while the work has already been “put in place,” essentially providing the customer with extended credit terms. Often, out on a job a contractor will be asked to do something verbally and, because resources are in place and timing is right, they proceed with doing the work and thus incurring the costs. The risk here is that paperwork and approval can lag or the owner and contractor might not agree on the value or price. You can’t bill for the change order until it is approved, and the longer it takes to get that formal approval the less likely you are of realizing the full value. There can be confusion between contractor and owner about what is in, and what is out of scope.

Why is it so important to have timely job costing? After a job has been awarded it is important that the cost reporting is set up to mirror how the job was estimated. This will help facilitate a post job review as well as assist the project managers in running the job from the initial kick off meeting to completion.

CALD ER WOOD HALL, THE IS AB ELLA S TEWAR T GAR D NER MUS EUM, B OS TON, MA

Photo: @ Benjamin Johnson / Shawmut Design and Construction

ARCH IT E C T URE B Y R E N Z O P I A N O BU I LDI N G WORK S H O P

When measuring success, you need to keep score. If you have a solid job costing system, regular cost meetings will help identify problems that may present themselves in the numbers, such as: cost overruns, unapproved change orders, underbilling issues, and profit fade. Accurate and timely reporting and meetings allow project managers to gauge the stage of the job, update estimated costs to complete, and better manage resources to maximize profit margins. Upon completion of a job, teams should meet to review the final job cost in comparison to the original estimate. This postmortem meeting will ensure that estimating gets the feedback they need on the rates they have been carrying, the hours they anticipated the job to take versus actual, and if the buyout of the project was in line with expectations. This information will be useful when estimating the next job, and in driving improvements in efficiency and profitability. It is critical that estimators, project managers and accounting departments have a handle on the company’s true cost structure. Management should also stress the importance of monthly cost meetings so the team can review the cost reports and recommend necessary corrective actions. If you’re bidding on contracts without a clear understanding of the true costs, you’re probably under-estimating project costs. Ready access to true costs can help you to make more money per job, and to never leave money on the table. In order to build stronger, more profitable businesses, your team needs to have an accurate, clear and real-time picture of your company’s financial position. s

prof.contractor.ad.gardner.comp.v2.dec.2014.indd 1

11/20/14 9:23 AM

The Professional Contractor

LEGAL BRIEFS

BY CAROLYN M. FRANCISCO, ESQ.

Will Massachusetts Courts Enforce an Agreement Requiring Indemnification for a Party’s Own Gross Negligence?

he United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts faced that question in 2010 and again in the fall of this year. Both times the court answered “no.” Federal courts have jurisdiction to decide disputes between parties of different states involving more than $75,000 in potential damages. In these “diversity of citizenship” actions, a federal court applies applicable state law to the dispute, and follows prior decisions of the state’s courts. If there are no controlling decisions, the federal court must predict what the state’s highest court would do under the facts of the case. In two such diversity cases, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts analyzed whether the Supreme Judicial Court would decide that it is against Massachusetts public policy for a Carolyn M. Francisco is a partner at Corwin & Corwin LLP, one of the oldest and largest law firms in New England dedicated solely to construction law, and counsel to ASM since 1950. She may be reached at 617-849-6032 or by email at cfrancisco@corwinlaw.com.

Winter 2014

party to be indemnified for its own gross negligence or reckless, willful or wanton conduct. The first case involved the interpretation of indemnification provisions in a contract between CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSX) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The agreement included broad indemnification provisions requiring the MBTA to indemnify CSX against liability arising out of injury to or death of any MBTA employee (including an employee of an MBTA contractor), irrespective of the negligence or fault of CSX. In 2003, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad LLC (MBCR) was an MBTA contractor, responsible for operating the MBTA’s commuter rail services. In December of that year, a CSX freight train and struck and killed a MBCR employee while he was removing snow from the tracks during a storm. The employee’s estate brought a wrongful death lawsuit in Massachusetts state court against CSX and MBCR. CSX filed a federal district court lawsuit in Massachusetts seeking a declaration that pursuant

to the agreement between CSX and the MBTA, the MBTA was required to indemnify CSX against any damages arising out of the wrongful death state court action. The MBTA countered that to the extent the accident and resulting damages were caused by CSX’s gross negligence, or reckless, willful or wanton conduct, it was against public policy to require the MBTA to indemnify CSX, regardless of the terms of the indemnity agreement.1 Contracts that violate public policy are not enforceable. While the Massachusetts Appeals Court has held that it violates public policy to enforce an agreement which releases a person from his gross negligence, neither the Appeals Court nor Supreme Judicial Court has ruled on whether an agreement to indemnify a person against his own gross negligence is void because it violates Massachusetts public policy. In analyz-

“THE STATUTE PROHIBITS CONTRACT PROVISIONS WHICH REQUIRE A SUBCONTRACTOR TO INDEMNIFY ANYONE FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE NOT CAUSED BY THAT SUBCONTRACTOR.” ing the Supreme Judicial Court’s comments and rulings in analogous cases, the Federal Court in the CSX case was convinced that the Supreme Judicial Court “would not enforce an indemnity agreement covering gross negligence.” 2 The CSX court held that “it appears that Massachusetts courts will not enforce agreements releasing defendants from their own gross negligence and

that is in effect what the indemnification here would do. Although CSX would still be liable in a technical sense, it would be saved from the true consequences of its gross negligence because the MBTA, rather than CSX, would be responsible for paying damages.” 3 The court held that the indemnicontinued on page 10

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The Professional Contractor

Legal Briefs continued from page 09

fication provision was unenforceable under Massachusetts law to the extent it required the MBTA to indemnify CSX against grossly negligent, reckless, willful or wanton conduct. 4

Angelo v. USAT The Massachusetts Federal District Court was again asked to interpret a broad indemnification clause against allegations of gross negligence. Richard Angelo was a member of USA Triathlon (USAT). As a condition of membership and to participating in USAT’s competitions, Angelo was required to execute a waiver and release of liability, assumption of risk and indemnity agreement. In this agreement, Angelo agreed to indemnify USAT from any liability, claims and damages which arose out of his participation in USAT events, including claims caused by USAT’s own negligence. In 2012, while participating in a USAT triathlon, Angelo died during

the swim portion of the competition. Angelo’s wife brought a wrongful death action against USAT alleging, among other things, gross negligence by USAT. While denying responsibility for Angelo’s death, USAT alleged that Angelo’s execution of the indemnity agreement obligated Angelo’s estate to indemnify USAT against the wrongful death claim. The federal court held that the indemnity agreement executed by Angelo was enforceable as to claims arising out of USAT’s ordinary negligence, but it was not enforceable as to any claims which may arise out of the gross negligence of USAT. Like the CSX court, the federal court in Angelo v. USAT concluded that “Massachusetts courts would not enforce an indemnity provision insofar as it relieved a party from liability stemming from its own gross negligence.”

Ramifications for Construction Contracts Broad indemnification clauses are

common in construction contracts. Depending on the terms, indemnification could require a contractor or subcontractor to pay all damages incurred by another party because of their negligent conduct, even where the contractor or subcontractor is less at fault. Massachusetts courts have consistently upheld one-sided indemnification provisions on the theory that parties to a contract are free to assign the risk of liability among themselves. Indemnification terms in subcontracts are governed by G.L. c. 149, §29C. The statute prohibits contract provisions which require a subcontractor to indemnify anyone for personal injury or property damage not caused by that subcontractor. Indeed, such clauses are void and unenforceable under the law. Massachusetts courts, however, have defined “caused” very broadly to include any loss or damage arising out of the subcontractor’s work, thus limiting

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Winter 2014

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protection for subcontractors under G.L. c. 149, §29C. The Massachusetts Federal District Court has now on two occasions opined that indemnification terms which include claims arising out of grossly negligent conduct of the party seeking indemnity would be found in violation of Massachusetts public policy and thus not enforceable. It is unclear whether the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court would rule as the Federal District Court has predicted, including in a construction dispute involving a prime contractor’s contractual indemnity, or a subcontract indemnification clause which is otherwise governed by G.L. c. 149, §29C. In light of the Federal District Court rulings, however, an overly broad indemnification in a construction contract or subcontract may one day face judicial scrutiny based on public policy considerations in a case involving gross negligence or reckless, willful or wanton conduct. s

Footnotes 1. “Negligence, without qualification and in its ordinary sense, is the failure of a responsible person, either by omission or by action, to exercise that degree of care, vigilance and forethought which, in the discharge of the duty then resting on him, the person of ordinary caution and prudence ought to exercise under the particular circumstances … Gross negligence is substantially and appreciably higher in magnitude than ordinary negligence. It is materially more want of care than constitutes simple inadvertence. It is an act or omission respecting legal duty of an aggravated character as distinguished from a mere failure to exercise ordinary care. It is very great negligence, or the absence of slight diligence, or the want of even scant care…” Altman v. Aronson, 231 Mass. 588, 591-592 (1919). 2. CSX Transportation, Inc. v. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, 697 F. Supp. 2d 213, 227 (2010). 3. CSX Transportation, 697 F. Supp. 2d at 227-228 (2010). The Court also found that enforcing the indemnification provision would undermine the Massachusetts wrongful death statute under which punitive damages are awarded if the decedent’s death was caused by the gross negligence or malicious, willful, wanton or reckless conduct of the defendant. The statute aims to deter and punish such conduct. The goals of the statute would be undermined if a party could shift the costs of its own gross negligence to another through an indemnification agreement. 4. CSX Transportation, 697 F. Supp. 2d at 229 (2010). Although the agreement was freely bargained for by sophisticated parties, the Court held that “[e]ven sophisticated parties cannot contract around public policy.” Id. 5. Cheryl Angelo, Personal Representative of the Estate of Richard Angelo v. USA Triathlon, USDC No. 1312177-LTS (Sept. 18, 2014); Slip Op., 2014 WL 4716195.

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BENEFITS

BY BRIAN RENAUD

Using Fringe Dollars to Benefit Your Employees and Your Bottom Line

nderstanding and staying compliant with government legislation is top of mind for contractors, but especially so for government contractors. Contractors who work on government jobs (those covered by the Davis-Bacon Act, Service Contract Act, state prevailing wage, and living and responsible wage ordinances) understand that the wage determination for each job class has two parts: 1) the base wage and 2) fringe benefit dollars. For a business owner, knowing what to do when paying out base wages is pretty straightforward. But when working on prevailing wage jobs, truly understanding how to use fringe dollars to benefit both your employees and your company can have some twists and turns. Here’s a quick guide that reviews the business case for using fringe dollars to provide benefits for prevailing wage workers. Using fringe benefit dollars to provide bona fide benefits for your hourly workers can save you thousands of dollars. How? Every fringe dollar used to provide benefits such as retirement plans and health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance for your prevailing wage workers is taken off your payroll. That means these dollars are not subject to assessments for FICA, federal and Brian Renaud is the New England sales director for Fringe Benefit Group, which pioneered the offering of prevailing wage benefit plans, and specializes in working with government contractors. He can be reached at 877-223-6584 or brenaud@fbg.com.

Winter 2014

state unemployment taxes, and (in most states) workers’ compensation insurance. Rates for state unemployment taxes and workers compensation insurance vary depending on the state, but a conservative estimate is that you can save 25 cents for each dollar taken off payroll. Over the life of a contract, those savings can have a huge impact on your company’s bottom line. Americans are not great at saving money. A recent report by Fidelity found that almost half of Baby Boomers are not on track to be able to afford basic expenses in retirement. A 2013 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that nearly half of workers had less than $10,000 saved. Using a portion of the fringe to establish retirement plans for prevailing wage workers is a way to help your workers ensure they have enough money for a comfortable retirement. Some retirement plan loan programs allow workers to access funds, eliminating the need to use high-interest credit cards to pay for unforeseen events. Every American is required to have health insurance. While small businesses got a reprieve from having to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, there was no delay in requiring all individuals to have health insurance. Ask the brave souls who tried to enroll for coverage online or in person via the exchanges if that’s something they want to do again. Employers who are worried that their workers will quit if they discontinue paying the fringe as additional

cash wages will likely find that their workers are much more amenable to the idea if it prevents them from having to find or renew health insurance on their own. Putting money into retirement plans for your hourly workers means company owners can save more, too. Using fringe dollars to make contributions to retirement plans for your prevailing wage workers opens up some strategies that allow you to save more for retirement and reduce your personal and business tax burdens. Tracking hours made easy. Some prevailing wage benefit plans include a unique tracking mechanism called “hour banking,” which can make tracking hours simpler. Hour banking breaks down the monthly health insurance premium into an hourly rate, which makes tracking, accounting, reporting (and bidding!) much easier. The hourly rate can be applied to specialty benefits as well. Hour banking can be done for companies working on projects in several states, across multiple job sites and employees who perform work in different job classifications. It enables workers to “bank” extra hours and premium accumulated during peak work times, then draw from that bank to extend coverage for themselves and their families when work is slow. What happens when bad weather causes project delays? Or perhaps you have a lag between contracts that result in short-term SullGroupTPC 1/29/09 3:49 PM Page 1 layoffs? This is especially important with ACA’s requirement

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USING FRINGE BENEFIT DOLLARS TO PROVIDE BONA FIDE BENEFITS FOR YOUR HOURLY WORKERS CAN SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. for all individuals to have health insurance. How will your employees pay their health insurance premiums during work stoppages or slowdowns? If they do any work for you that month and are otherwise a full-time employee requiring coverage during a month, your company will be on the hook for the ACA penalties in some situations. These are just a few of the advantages of using fringe benefit dollars to provide benefits for workers on prevailing wage jobs. Whether your company is new to public works projects, or has been working on them for years, it is crucial to seek assistance from an experienced partner. Resources are available to help you bid more effectively while remaining compliant with relevant legislation. Visit www.contractorsplan.com to learn more. s

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The Professional Contractor

FALL EVENTS PHOTO GALLERY General Contractors’ Showcase

The crowd packs the room at ASM’s GC Showcase

Attendees wait to speak with a prominent general contractor.

We hope these discussions lead to productive relationships!

A Packed House for ASM’s Special Program on the New 5 Percent Retainage Law

The crowd listens intently.

No empty seats at ASM’s retainage seminar! 14

Winter 2014

Atty. Carolyn Francisco leads the presentation.

Plenty of questions followed the presentation.

The subcontractors liked what they heard!

The Latest in Mobile Technologies for Construction

Dexter + Chaneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kathryn Schneider at the podium. Two of ASMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board members share their experiences.

Subcontractors of all sizes were on hand.

Exhibits complemented the presentations.

The Professional Contractor

BOSTON CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY COMES BACK STRONG Signs of Life Appearing in Central, Western Mass. By Scott Van Voorhis

Developer John Hynes’ Seaport Square rises in Fort Point.

Winter 2014

The lean years for contractors that followed the Great Recession are now fading fast amid an unprecedented development boom in the Boston area, with some signs of resurgence in the harder-hit Central and Western Massachusetts real estate markets as well. Boston officials have given a green light to more than 13 million square feet in new residential and commercial space over the past two years, while Cambridge, already jam-packed with some of the world’s hottest life science and biotech companies, is getting ready to welcome a million more square feet of development. Meanwhile, the real estate boom, well underway now in Boston and Cambridge, is starting to spread beyond the urban core, though progress is uneven. Route 128 is seeing a surge in office and residential construction, with half a dozen major projects taking shape along the corridor, with 495 showing signs of life as well. Meanwhile, Worcester is remaking its downtown through the ambitious CitySquare project, while to the north, just off Route 2, a major new family resort is underway in Fitchburg. For its part, Springfield is rolling out the carpet for $1.6 billion in new projects, including an $800 million downtown casino by MGM. Even so, Central and Western Massachusetts have yet to see the kind of frenetic construction activity now taking place in the Boston area. A stronger economic recovery is needed to provide stronger demand for new projects across the state, not just the Boston area, noted David Begelfer, chief executive of NAIOP Massachusetts, which represents developers across the state. “The problem is that it is predominantly Boston-

Roseland Property Company’s Portside at East Pier, pictured here under construction last year, is now accepting tenants.

centric,” Begelfer said of construction activity across the state. “You go farther out and it falls off.”

The Booming Urban Core

The epicenter of the Bay State’s building boom can be found in the Boston/Cambridge urban core. Boston has 62 construction projects underway right now, everything from office and condo towers downtown to smaller apartment buildings in the neighborhoods. Some of the headline grabbers include Millennium Partners’ 60-story tower, under construction in Downtown Crossing, which will be topped by a $37.5 million penthouse. Boston Properties recently broke ground on the first of three towers planned for the Garden/North Station site in a partnership with Garden and Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs. Down in the Seaport District, Joe Fallon is building a condo tower, the latest installment in the multibilliondollar Fan Pier project, along with a 17-story office building. And over by Fenway Park, the Abbey Group is putting a 322-unit apartment tower where a McDonald’s once stood, while in Jamaica Plain a 196-unit residential complex is taking shape where the Home for Little Wanderers once stood. “If you look at 2013 and 2014, they will have been the biggest building years in the history of Boston,” said Brian Golden, director of the BRA. “That is looking at the square footage, under construction and dollar value.” All that is not counting the array of major projects that have been given a green light by Boston officials, but have not yet necessarily started construction yet. The BRA has given a green light to $2.7 billion worth of new projects from January through the end of September. Projects getting ready for takeoff include: a 21-story downtown Boston hotel; a $300 million mixed-use project in Roxbury; and apartment and condo projects ranging from a few dozen to a couple hundred units in Fort Point, South Boston, Jamaica Plain and Dorchester, among other neighborhoods. In Cambridge, a bevy of developers are building yet another round of lab space in a city that has already be-

A tower rises in the Seaport.

come a global headquarters for the life science sector. Officials agreed last year to revamp the zoning for a broad swath of developable land owned by MIT in the Kendall Square area, unleashing the potential for another 1 million square feet in lab, office and residential construction. Novartis is poised to finish work next year on its latest addition to its Kendall Square campus, a 550,000-squarefoot lab, office and retail complex, while Pfizer recently completed a major expansion of its research campus. On the other side of Kendall Square, Alexandria, a national developer of lab space for biotech and life science firms, is busy building hundreds of thousands of square feet of additional lab and research space. “It happens in waves, and the waves for the past couple of years have been coming into Boston and Cambridge,” said Peter Abair, director of economic and global affairs for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, of the influx of life science companies into Kendall Square and Boston’s Innovation District.

Suburban Explosion

Still, it’s not just Boston and Cambridge that are seeing a big jump in proposed projects and new construction, but the suburbs as well. Well more than a million square feet of new office, retail and residential construction is underway right now along Route 128. Waltham, Burlington and Needham are emerging as major hubs for new development. TripAdvisor is building a new headquarters in Needham, which is taking shape in a newly launched “Innovation Corridor” along Route 128 in Needham and Newton aimed at high-tech and other cutting-edge companies. The first phase of a 1.2-million-square-foot remake of the old Polaroid campus along 128 in Waltham is poised to open, while Boston Properties is working away on its latest addition to the local office market with the CityPoint project. And in Burlington, the Nordblom Co. is in the midst of a $500 million revamp of the old Northwest Park that has already seen a new Wegmans open, along with a “restaurant row” of new eateries. Out towards I-495, things are also hopping. continued on page 18

The Professional Contractor

Construction Industry Comes Back Strong continued from page 17

BOSTON HAS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is in the middle of a $250 million expansion of its drug plant at Devens, the former Army based turned corporate park in Ayer, Harvard and Shirley. General Electric has moved the headquarters of its health care and life sciences division to Marlborough, which has made a strong comeback from the early postrecession years, when Fidelity Investments shut down its campus. A developer now plans to build a new Hilton hotel to tap growing corporate demand as GE and a bevy of other high-tech and medical device companies set up shop on or near 495 in the city. On 495’s southern tier, Penn National is well underway with construction of a $225 million slot machine complex in Plainville on the Rhode Island border.

Promising Signs in Western and Central Mass

The development boom in Greater Boston has yet to reach Central and Western Massachusetts, but nonetheless there are promising signs of a potential uptick in new development. A massive redevelopment of Worcester’s downtown, the $565 million CitySquare project, recently took another big step forward, with plans for a 300-unit apartment complex and a hotel. Construction is expected to start in the spring. Out on Route 2 in North Central Massachusetts, Fitchburg is enjoying a major boost with the launch of con18

Winter 2014

struction on an $87 million family-style resort. Great Wolf Resorts is transforming a former Holiday Inn and CoCo Keys water park, with plans for 406 rooms and a 68,000-square-foot water park that would be the largest of its kind in the state. Several restaurants and 12,000 square feet of conference space are also planned. A little farther west on Route 2, Market Basket is building a new store off Route 2 as part of a larger, 100,000-square-foot shopping plaza. “They are utilizing a lot of local contractors on that project,” said John Harden, economic development specialist at the North Central Mass Development Corp., of the Great Wolf project. “We have definitely seen signs of recovery,” he said. Hard-hit by a tragic 2011 tornado and years of economic decline, Springfield is seeing a massive influx of federal and state dollars, and now some private investment money as well. More than $2 billion in development projects has either recently been completed or are getting ready for takeoff, including a planned, $800 million MGM casino downtown, said Jeffrey Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield. The projects range from an $80 million revamp of Union Station and a trio of new schools to an assembly plant for railway cars to be operated by a Chinese firm that just won a $550 million contract with the MBTA. A New York investor also recently touched down in Springfield, snapping up a 280 unit apartment complex with plans to offer market-rate, loft-style units, he noted. Meanwhile, work is gearing up on a $235 million replacement of a two mile, elevated stretch of I-91 that cuts through downtown Springfield. “When you see a couple cranes in the air, you can breathe easier,” Ciuffreda said. “With the MGM casino, we will have more than just a few cranes in the air.” s

INDUSTRY RESOURCES

BY GARY AINSWORTH AND DIANA VLAMIS KOSTER

Small-Quantity Metal Suppliers Fill Need for Fast Turnaround

n today’s economy, it is critical to provide immediate solutions to customer problems. While ultra-rapid response times were once considered a luxury option, today’s market expects and demands instant availability. Contractors in particular are feeling the fastpaced squeeze; the deadlines in any building or renovation project are a constant presence with penalties associated with missing milestones. A contractor’s processed metal needs vary widely from project to project, so a metal provider that can meet the individual requirements of each job is critical. Acquiring smaller quantities of metal components that a project requires can present a particular challenge for a contractor. These subcomponents can easily be missed when ordering the larger, more costly primary components. Ordering metals from most distributors often requires a large minimum order, and these sources often are not interested in supplying smaller ancillary parts. Contractors may not have the means to fully account for smaller components that may or may not be used, leading to waste and redundant purchasing on the next project. That’s why distributors of small quantities of metal, often referred to as small-quantity metal suppliers, now market their services to contractors. Using a “just in time” approach, these small-quantity metal suppliers offer a wide range of metals with immediate availability, including expensive and hard-to-find materials. Further, they provide key processing services such as saw cutting, hole punching, and shearing. Project managers are discovering they can rely on these small-scale suppliers to optimize labor time by delivering custom processed metals directly to the worksite, ready to be installed. As an example, on a new construction project that needed stainless steel cast sill flashing with A local entrepreneur with a background in operations, product development, and supply chain strategy, Gary Ainsworth is the owner/operator of the Metal Supermarkets® franchise in Woburn. He can be reached at gainsworth@ metalsupermarkets.com. Diana Vlamis Koster is an independent writer and marketing professional.

welded end caps immediately (due to theft), our company was able to deliver the flashing, in five formed and welded configurations, and get the project back on track. In another instance, a large property management firm was building a new parking garage, and required material to fabricate floor-mounted welded pipe protectors in a matter of days to stay on schedule, and we had it ready for him in six days, even before the installation contractor was ready! Small-quantity metal suppliers typically maintain a large inventory of standard shapes and sizes of all common metals. This allows them to supply incremental sizes of flat bar, round or square shapes of aluminum, stainless, hot rolled or cold rolled steel, as well as commonly used sizes of structural steel (angled or tubular), plus expanded sheet stock and hot rolled steel pipe in a variety of diameters. While there’s often a higher per-unit cost when ordering from small-quantity metal suppliers versus ordering in large quantities, the savings manifest themselves in other ways. Being able to order a small quantity is key, particularly with expensive materials, or a highly customized application. And it’s possible to decrease labor costs by offering value-add services like custom cutting and shearing, as well as the ability to meet tight deadlines, without contractors having to take on additional financial risk by holding inventory of expensive materials. With tight deadlines and custom metal work becoming increasingly common, these small-quantity metal suppliers provide another resource for owners, facilities managers and contractors. They are a natural partner to any business with metal needs. s The Professional Contractor

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

BY SCOTT SZYCHER

Wright Architectural Millwork Reaches 40-Year Milestone

Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz (center) proclaimed Oct. 9 “Wright Architectural Millwork Day” in honor of the company’s 40th anniversary. With the mayor are Wright Architectural Millwork owners, Treasurer Michael Buell, left, and President Walter Price, right.

s with many successful subcontracting companies, the origins of Wright Architectural Millwork – a Northampton-based, highlyacclaimed woodworking company – were rather humble. Jonathan Wright and Lenny Chandler got their start in 1974 doing small remodeling projects in Western Massachusetts. A year later, Wright became sole owner of a company called J.A. Wright & Co., which did remodeling and small cabinet making out of a two-car garage in an industrial building in Florence, Mass. By this point Wright had hired two other employees, including Walter Price, a young, skilled cabinetmaker who is now Wright Architectural Millwork’s president. Over time, the remodeling and cabinetmaking portions of this business grew to the point where it made sense to split the company into distinct remodeling and cabinetmaking divisions, named Wright Builders and Wright Architectural Millwork, with the cabinetmaking division getting much of its work via referrals from the Scott Szycher is membership, marketing & communications manager at ASM.

Winter 2014

remodeling division. They built a small manufacturing facility geared toward woodworking in the Northampton Industrial Park in 1978, which had the distinction of the being one of the commonwealth’s first passive-solar heated businesses. Since then, they’ve made four additions to the manufacturing facility, most recently in 2008 when the size grew to 37,000 square feet. Michael Buell joined the company in 1982, and immediately assumed a strategic role within the company alongside Price. “We had a free hand to run the woodworking operation for many years before we purchased it,” Price noted. “We learned the business on our own.” The knowledge they gained from day-to-day control of the operation emboldened Price and Buell to purchase the cabinet division in 1993, with the purchase of the real estate following in 2001. One of the keys to success back in the early days was their relationship with another ASM member company, Archer Corporation. The two companies’ collaboration in 1985 on a project on Boston’s Boylston Street served as the beginning of a 30-year relationship. It also helped Wright Architectural Millwork break into the lucrative construction market in Boston, where the com-

Two recent high-profile projects that highlight the fine craftsmanship of Wright Architectural Millwork.

pany now does 80 percent of its work; the remainder of its projects is generally spread between Route 128, Connecticut and New York, including Westchester County. Their client list is impressive, including numerous financial institutions, large corporations, investment and law firms, health care companies and municipalities. While the company has always been revered for its highend millwork, Price and Buell place a premium on superior business processes. “We’ve always had a collaborative, userfriendly process, and our clients really appreciate that,” Price said. “It’s one of the reasons that, while we do a lot of negotiated work, some general contractors approach us directly on projects that demand a lot from their subcontractors, from communication to craftsmanship. We’re able to keep our customers informed of anticipated schedules and lead times beginning with the bid process, and after award due to the strength of our engineering, project management, and purchasing teams.” The company’s ability to augment an architect’s design work is also a big plus on large projects. “We’re able to fill in any gaps we find in the design documents, which is a real competitive advantage for us during bidding and execution,” said Chris Buell, one of Wright Architectural Millwork’s estimators (and one of Michael Buell’s two sons who work for the company, along with Production Manager Jon Buell).

Price is also quick to credit the company’s skilled office staff as a key component of their success. “All the good millwork shops have access to great equipment, like the Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines. But with our pre-production office processes, projects move through our plant with great velocity, and get to the project site very quickly.” That strategy requires numerous skilled office personnel and programmers, an area where Wright Architectural Millwork doesn’t cut corners, to say the least. “We used to have one office worker for every two shop workers, but now it’s closer to a one-to-one ratio. With tighter and tighter deadlines these days, our ability to do things quickly in the office and in the plant has become a necessity, not a luxury,” Price emphasized. In addition to more aggressive project deadlines, Price has also seen more materials come into their scope of work over the past 10 years. “We now deal with architectural metals, acrylics, glass, fabrics, stone, and different composites. But for anything we don’t fabricate, we build relationships with outsourced vendors, and put that in our scope of work. “ At the company’s recent 40th anniversary party, one of the highlights was Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz proclaiming Oct. 9 as “Wright Architectural Millwork Day” to celebrate the company’s success, longevity and contributions to the local economy. A longstanding member of the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI), a global leader in architectural woodwork standards, the company was among the first millwork firms in New England certified for the fabrication of premium grade woodwork under the AWI Quality Certification Program. They’re also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is a nonprofit organization promoting the responsible management of the world’s forests. As such, Wright Architectural Millwork is well-positioned to work on LEED projects. With 40 employees on the payroll and revenues of $13 million, the future appears bright for Wright Architectural Millwork: They just finished a $2 million project for Keurig’s headquarters in Burlington, and are currently working on the new Trip Advisor headquarters in Needham, along with multiple projects for Manulife in Boston. They’ve also benefited from their 20-plus years of membership in the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts (ASM). “We appreciate the value we get from our ASM membership,” mentioned co-owner and Treasurer Mike Buell. “Over the years, ASM has had huge achievements, such as Prompt Pay and the new 5 percent retainage law, which are indications of their strength and drive.” Whether it’s the value they provide their clients, or their own investments in employees and trade associations, Wright Architectural appears to be the embodiment of the old business proverb, “quality doesn’t cost – it pays!” For more information on Wright Architectural Millwork, contact Walter Price at 413-586-3528 x112, or visit www.wrightmw.com. s The Professional Contractor

TECHNOLOGY

BY SCOTT SZYCHER

The Rise of Mobile Technologies in Construction

ass by any modern commercial construction site these days, and you’ll see many of the same things you’ve seen for years: hard hats, cranes, building materials and company vehicles along the perimeter. But nowadays, you’ll also see an array of iPads, tablets, smartphones and other Panelists at ASM’s Oct. 27 seminar discuss the latest in mobile technologies. From left: Mahmoud Asad of Turner mobile devices. Construction Company; Phil Robinson of McDonald Electric Corp.; Joe Mierzejewski of J.C. Cannistraro; Steven Drouin Condensed construction of Interstate Electric; and Kathryn Schneider of Dexter + Chaney. Moderating the discussion was Scott Szycher of ASM. timelines have heightened the need for all members of a project team to have real-time But while the cloud offers numerous big-picture access to information and drawings, as well as stay benefits, the devil’s in the details: there are a mulconnected to their home offices. And technological titude of mobile software applications, including advancements in construction-related software and ProCore, BlueBeam, a host of programs from industry applications have allowed contractors to venture into giant AutoDesk, and more; there’s data security issues; this new frontier. and there’s the question of which products and techASM explored the new technology landscape at a nologies contractors should invest in. recent seminar, with experts from local contracting “Every project is different,” noted Mahmoud Asad, and software firms, who shared additional comments virtual design construction engineer at Turner Confor this article. struction Company, a general contractor known for leOne reason for the rapid growth of mobile veraging technology. “You have to consider the design technologies in construction is the emergence of team criteria, owner requirements, the background of cloud-based technologies, which deliver information the subcontractors on the job, the schedule and the and data over the web. “There are a lot of great busibudget.” ness reasons to migrate to the cloud,” said Kathryn At J.C. Cannistraro, one of New England’s largest Schneider, regional account manager for Dexter mechanical contractors, the dynamics are similar: they + Chaney, a provider of software solutions to the maximize their use of modern software and mobile construction industry. “It’s scalable, easy to deploy devices, but fully understand the need to adapt to and less expensive than having software programs on their clients’ processes and project needs. “We use a your own servers. Plus, it’s much better for supportvariety of Building Information Modeling tools, and ing mobility, as any device with Internet access can are always on the lookout for new cloud-based applicatap into what you’ve got on the cloud.” tions, but there are plenty of challenges associated With much of their work now done in the field, with that,” remarked Joe Mierzejewski, Cannistraro’s contractors have quickly discovered the benefits of plumbing division manager. “Do we use our file the cloud, including data exchange with accounting system, or the client’s? And since technology and softsoftware and instant access to project documents, ware are always evolving, what type of training is right change orders, daily logs and employee time-tracking for our team?” systems. Cannistraro has settled on some strategies on a technological basis, such as giving their employees virtual private network (VPN) access to their servers (and, Scott Szycher is membership, marketing & communications by extension, their software) through mobile devices. manager at ASM. “But what worked for us, as a large company, isn’t nec22

Winter 2014

essarily right for smaller subcontractors,” said Mierzejewski. Phil Robinson, CFO of McDonald Electric, was tasked with researching and selecting mobile technologies. He found it was a journey, rather than a direct process. “In 2009, we implemented a back-office accounting system that would enable a few of our foremen to access our domain through email and a shared folder with our project managers,” Robinson explained. “But within a few years, we found that we needed to make improvements, including our remote time capture capabilities. Our foremen were getting stuck with duplicate data entry responsibilities, and we needed to leverage the technologies out there.” They settled on a cloud-based software system last fall that was compatible and integrated with the back-end accounting software they were already using. It was fortuitous timing, as by earlier this year, they were getting requests from their personnel for additional mobile hardware, such as laptops and tablets, due to general contractor requirements. “At that point, I knew I had to have a conversation with my executive team about a company standard for field technology,” Robinson said. That conversation turned out to be multi-layered, covering mobile devices, which personnel should have access to the field technology, whether the equipment should be employee-owned or company-owned and various aspects of data security. While some investments and decisions have been made, Robinson admitted it’s still a work in progress. But for companies weighing their mobile technology options, McDonald Electric’s experience may be instructive. “Make sure you’re aware of technologies your preferred general contractors are using, and have some candid internal discussions on which employees should have access to sensitive data and work plans,” advised Robinson. “And think ahead: How will your choices affect other enterprise decisions? Should you use server-based apps, or put everything in the cloud?” “Once you think you’ve got things figured out, other issues pop up. But these technologies are here to stay, so there’s no avoiding them.” s

Protection starts here

and here.

DeSanctis Insurance Agency

Serving the Bonding and Insurance needs of the N.E. construction industry for over 40 years. Ad a m De Sa n c t i s Gre g o r y Ju w a Ja m e s A xo n Mi c h a e l Ca rn e y Wi l d e r Pa rk s Mi c h a e l Gi l b e r t Br y a n Ju w a Da v i d B o u t i e t t e Pa u l Pa t a l a n o Dick Caruso Jonathan Duggan Eric Pratt

DeSanctis Insurance Agency, Inc. 100 Unicorn Park Drive Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 935-8480 www.desanctisins.com

We know there’s more on your mind than the safety of a building alone. Construction is a business where risk is around every corner. You need an insurance company that understands that. Not just from an insurer’s perspective, but from yours. Acadia. We’re closer to your business. Visit acadiainsurance.com or contact your local independent agent for more information about the ASM Safety Group and Dividend potential.

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ACAD-0137 ASMAD4.75x4.75.indd 1

12/16/10 3:53 PM The Professional Contractor 23

YEAR-END PROJECT PHOTO GALLERY 1A 1B

JC Cannistraro, LLC

(Watertown) used an innovative approach involving design-assist coordination and advanced BIM technology to deliver a prefabricated modular mechanical room prepackaged within a rooftop unit for the Mugar Building at Northeastern University. This approach saved weeks of onsite work and allowed the installation of all new mechanical infrastructure before the start of the fall semester, with no disruption to the active use of the science classroom and laboratory space. 1A Once the modular rooftop units

were modeled using BIM software, they were spooled directly to the shop for prefabrication. 1B A look inside the prefabricated, modular rooftop units installed at the Mugar Building.

Capital Carpet & Flooring Specialists (Woburn) performed 2A 2B

sheet flooring, vinyl composition tile, rubber flooring and remedial moisture mitigation for the Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich.

2C 2D Capital Carpet & Flooring Specialistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s floor covering design on the

new Duxbury Middle/High School.

4B 24

4C Winter 2014

Kenneth Castelluci & Associates (Lincoln, RI) received a 2014 Pinnacle Award of Excellence from the Marble Institute of America for its installation of exterior grey limestone and brick veneer at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne. 3

4A 4B 4C 4D

Chamberlain Companies Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Salem, NH)

architectural millwork at the South Shore Medical Center in Norwell, which was featured in the 2014 Spring AWI Design Solutions, and won an award of excellence.

5 DePaoli Mosaicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Randolph) work at the Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport.

6A 6B

John W. Egan Company

(West Newton) repainted the iconic National Grid (formerly Boston Gas) tanks during the Summer.

continued on page 26

Three Generations of People Protecting People 6A The Herlihy

Construction Division We speak your language. Our Construction Division has specialized in your industry for over 85 years. Contact us today and see the difference an expert can make in your business. Property/Liability | Fleet Automobile | Workers Compensation | Surety Bonding Contractors Equipment | Group Health | Subcontractors Design E&O Pollution Liability | Railroad Protective

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Member: Associated Subcontractors of MA | Builders Association of Central MA HIG.Contractor2012.F.indd 1

1/25/12 10:24 AM

The Professional Contractor

YEAR-END PROJECT PHOTO GALLERY 7C

Fernandes Masonryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (New Bedford) work on display at the following projects: 7A Holyoke Library 7B Webster Police Department 7C Franklin High School 7D Emeritus Assisted Living, Franklin 7E Army National Guard Readiness Center, Natick

Greylock Roofing 8A 8B Rindge Apartment Towers in Cambridge. 8C A medical office building in

Plymouth. 9A 9B

Interstate Electrical Services

(North Billerica) received an Excellence in Construction Award from the NH/ VT Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors for the core construction and fit-out of a 343,000 square-foot manufacturing facility for Safran and Albany International (Albany Engineering Composites) in Rochester, NH.

9A 26

Winter 2014

Lockheed Window’s (Pascoag, RI) craftsmanship on various projects: 10A East Bridgewater High School

10C 10A

10B North Reading High School 10C Foxwoods Resort

10D Essex Technical High School

10B

10D

Marr Companies’ (South Boston) hard work on display on a variety of projects: 11A Education First Center, Cambridge 11B 11C NorthPoint Project, Cambridge 11D South Station, Boston 11E Brigham and Women’s Building for the Future

11B

continued on page 28

11A

11C

11D

11E The Professional Contractor

YEAR-END PROJECT PHOTO GALLERY N.B. Kenney Company, Inc. (Devens) completed the HVAC work on two projects: 12A The new Somerset Berkley Regional High School. 12B The new student apartment building for the Wentworth Institute of Technology.

12A

Superior Caulking and Waterproofing Company, Inc.’s 13A 13B 13C 13D

(Palmer) green air barrier system for the UMass training facility and press box, Amherst.

William F. Lynch Company, Inc.’s (Worcester) work 14A 14B 14C

12B

13A

on the Nypro Healthcare clean room renovation project in Devens.

Wright Architectural Millwork’s (Northampton) expertise on 15A 15B 15C

display at several client locations.

13B

13D

13C 28

Winter 2014

14A

14B

14C

15A

15B

15C

The Professional Contractor

MEMBER NEWS

Schneider Electric Opens New Headquarters in Andover

Numerous dignitaries, including Gov. Deval Patrick, were on hand for the grand opening of Schneider Electric’s new, LEED Silver certified North American headquarters/R&D center in Andover. The project included renovating 150,000 square feet, and a new three-story addition that will house the company’s lab and office spaces. The state-of-the-art facility will also include an interactive Discovery Center, where visitors can test solutions through simulated demonstrations.

BUILDING PERMIT DATABASE

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BENEFITS: • Gain valuable insight with details including contractor information, estimated value of construction work and the type of work being performed. • Make informed decisions based on recent building activity. • Receive data conveniently: via a weekly email with the latest building permits in Excel format. • Use this vital data to conduct research and augment data files.

Learn more about how our new building permit database can help your business by calling 617-896-5392 or emailing datasolutions@thewarrengroup.com.

Winter 2014

Sue Mailman of Coghlin Electric Recognized in Worcester Business Journal

J.M. Electrical’s Paul Guarracino Inducted into Prestigious NECA Academy

J.M. Electrical CEO Paul Guarracino was inducted as a Fellow in the National Electrical Contractors Association’s (NECA) Academy of Electrical Contracting at their national convention in September. The Academy honors leaders in the electrical contracting field, and Fellows research industry trends and make strategic recommendations for future planning. Congratulations to Paul for this well-earned distinction!

Congratulations to ASM Board Member Sue Mailman, owner of Coghlin Electrical Contractors, who was recently profiled by theWorcester Business Journal for its “Outstanding Women in Business” series. The article provided insight into Sue’s background and path to the top, and showed how, like most successful leaders, she has found ways to overcome adversity, as well as give back to the community and encourage the next generation. She represents the fourth generation to lead Coghlin, which was founded in 1885 and will celebrate 130 years in business in 2015.

You put building first.

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