Construction Outlook March 2022

Page 47

An Interview with Robert “Brutus” Cantoreggi DPW Director Town of Franklin, MA Will you please provide us with some insight into your background, education, and history that led you into your current position. I have been in the public works field for 23 plus years in various positions in Massachusetts, 16 of those years as the Director of Public Works for the Town of Franklin. Previously, I was the Director of Public Works for the Town of Millis, the Highway and Grounds Superintendent for the Town of Norwood, and I began my career in public works as the Turfgrass Manager for the City of Cambridge. Prior to my career in public works, I served our country starting as a junior in high school in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. While attending college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I successfully completed the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps Program (ROTC) and was commissioned as an officer and selected to serve on Active Duty in the United States Army with the 7th Infantry Division in Fort Ord, CA. This was an awesome time in my life when I learned so much about managing people. I ended my tenure as a 1st Lieutenant and Airborne Paratrooper in 1993. I returned to College at UMass and continued my education with the GI bill. Besides my degree in Business Management, I gained additional degrees in Agriculture, Arboriculture, and Turfgrass Management. After graduation again from UMass, I was hired as a construction superintendent and built golf courses in Scottsdale Arizona and San Diego California before returning to Massachusetts. What other Industry Groups or Associations do you belong to? I have been a member of multiple public works associations on both the local and national levels for many years. I’m active in the Massachusetts MARCH, 2022

Highway Association where I currently serve on the Board of Directors, as well as being a member of other committees. You’ll also find me at the NorfolkBristol-Middlesex (NBM) Highway Association meetings, where I’ve been a long-time Board member and past president. Both of these groups develop not only camaraderie, they also keep me and other DPW officials up-to-date on what’s happening in the public works business. They are strong voices at the State House for Chapter 90 and other infrastructure funding increases. The development and growth of mutual aid between members has been a great accomplishment, and is helping to stretch our DPW budgets a little further. Last Fall, I had the distinct honor of being selected as a Top Ten Public Works Leader by the American Public Works Association. You might say I’m a big advocate of “Success through Association”! Will you please give us a brief description of Franklin regarding the make-up of the DPW, population, and infrastructure statistics? continued on page 47

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