7 minute read

Under the Hard Hat

with UCANE’s Officers and Board Members

Will you please give us some information on your background and tell us how you got started in the construction business?

I was raised in Arlington, MA where I still reside today with my husband Robert and our three children. After attending college at UMass Amherst, I began my first job at State Street Bank. I later concentrated on Marketing and Public Relations at a couple of large firms in the Boston area.

My father William Sr. started W. L. French back in 1972. Myself, my brother Billy, and sister Jessica all grew up around trucks and heavy equipment. You might say the family construction business was in our blood. In 2002 I began working full time at WLF. The timing was right because I was able to take the experience and knowledge I’d gained outside of the family business, and bring some of that to the company.

How long have you been working in the family business, and what is your role at the company?

I’ve been working at W. L. French now for about 20 years, and my title is Principal and Owner. I am engaged in strategic planning for the future with my partners, and I am active and involved in the day-to-day operations at my company. It is important to me that I am hands-on and always accessible to the business and to our employees.

My role in the company also includes business development, client relations, and overall relationship management. In addition, I work closely with our environmental and soil management division to establish new business opportunities, automation, and forecasting.

Currently, I am working with the Massachusetts Soil Beneficial Reuse Coalition (MSBRC) to address lack of soil disposal capacity in our State and Region. The MSBRC is a group of industry peers that have recently joined together to address this issue and propose (short and long term) sustainable solutions to help mitigate it.

This year our family established the French Family Foundation. I am excited to manage this foundation to support our veterans, industry trades development, and further our volunteerism in community affairs. The hope of this foundation is to have influence in the lives of veterans, our industry, and to continue positively impacting the communities where we live and work.

UCANE Board Member Lisa French Kelley W. L. French Excavating Corp.

What types of construction work does W. L. French specialize in, and in what areas of New England do you pursue this work?

W. L. French specializes in mass excavation, site development, remediation, and soil management and disposal. Our Excavation side of business focuses on large and complex urban foundation digs and site work of all types throughout Massachusetts. We have a strong presence in Boston and surrounding communities like Cambridge and Somerville. continued on page 23

Our Soil Management business has us hauling from Boston to New York and all throughout New England, operating up to 150 trucks daily.

French now manages our own unlined landfill in Winchendon, MA and continues to manage two soil reclamation facilities out in Dudley, MA – Dudley Reclamation (alongside UCANE member Rampco Construction) and The Fish Road Reclamation Facility.

Supply chain issues continue into 2022, and more recently recordbreaking inflation has been a seriBoston Area ous concern for the construction industry. Locations Has W.L. French experienced these two prob-

2 Dexter Street Everett, MA 02149

Boston Area Boston Area

Locat431 Sec ionsond Street Locations 2 Dexte Everett r , Street MA 021 2 49 Dexter Street Everett, MA 021 Eve49 rett, MA 02149 431 Second Stre 43et 1 Second Street Everett, MA 021 Eve49 rett, MA 02149 We are still facing significant challenges due to supply chain issues; from parts needed to repair the equipment, to purchasing any and all pieces of equipment or trucks of any size.

Recordbreakinginflationhascausedsubstantialincreases to the cost of materials used on our jobs, from pipe products to concrete, asphalt and curbing. With such a large equipment fleet and with so many trucks on the road every day, the doubling of diesel fuel prices in the past year has hit us hard. Add in the current soil disposal capacity issue previously mentioned, and you have “a perfect storm”.

Getting through these tough economic times requires transparency and consistent communication between contractors, clients, subs, vendors, etc. Mitigating the impacts to our company requires a team mentality, which is what we have here at WLF. Much like COVID, we need to navigate these uncertainties together, because they affect us all, albeit differently.

BOSTON AREA LOCATIONS 2 Dexter Street Everett, MA 02149

100 Fremont Street Worcester, MA 01603 431 Second Street Everett, MA 02149 How long has your company been a UCANE member, and why did you decide to serve on the UCANE Board of Directors?

Minichiello Bros./Scrap-It, Inc., Minichiello Bros./Scrap-It, Inc.

Serves over 2500 customers a week and is one New England's largest buyers, Serves over 2500 customers a week and is one of New England’s largest sellers and processors of scrap metal. For over 60 years our goal has remainedbuyers, sellers, and processors of scrap metal. For over 60 years our goal the same - to provide the best prices in the industry along with top notch has remained the same - to provide the best prices in the industry along with customer service! Call Fred Rogers at 617-595-5505 top notch customer service! Call Fred Rogers at 617-595-5505

nichiello Bros./Scrap-It, Inc., Minichiello Bros./Scrap-It, Inc.,

Our company has worked with a lot of contractors over the years and many of them had good things to say about their affiliation with UCANE. We had always found UCANE contractors to be professional and dependable and our company wanted to be part of that kind of a group.

In 2018 we joined as members and UCANE has proven to be an exceptional resource for W. L. French. It has provided us the opportunity to expand and strengthen relationships with industry peers.

Personally, it has been an honor for me to be on the Board of Directors and to be able to work alongside some of the very best in the construction business. The sharing of knowledge and ideas while addressing industry issues at Board meetings is impressive. I find the UCANE Officers and Board members to be committed and passionate about keeping the construction industry strong and well respected and I am proud to be a part of that. n

Serves over 2500 customers a week and is one New England's largest buyers, sellers and Servesprocessors of over 2500 customers a week and is one New England'sscrap metal. For over 60 years our goal has remained largest buyers, same - to sellersprovide the and best processors prices in theof scrap industry metal. along For over 60 yearswith top notch our goal has remained customer service! the same - to provide the best pricesCall Fred Rogers at 617-595-5505 in the industry along with top notch customer service! Call Fred Rogers at 617-595-5505

Turn your metal into money today! Turn your metal into money today! Minichiello Bros. Inc.,/Scrap-It Inc. Minichiello Bros. Inc./Scrap-It Inc.

Dagle Electrical Construction Corp.

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