The Blog

N. Billerica, MA – May 15, 2020 – Tecta America New England’s Portland crew donates labor for roofing installation on Portland Ronald McDonald House AdditionTecta America New England’s Portland, ME crew recently donated the labor to install a commercial roof onto the new Portland Ronald McDonald House (RMH) addition. When the addition to the 1856 Greek Revival building is complete it will provide 15 additional guest rooms, 2 kitchens, a laundry room, more common areas and dining space, and more outdoor space for guests to enjoy. Working in collaboration with Peter Horch Roofing, Portland team members Tavis Williams, Ryan Benson, Ed Tracy, Perry Allen, Norm Gosselin, Dean Baker, Ethan Owens, Ray Williams, Vinnie Martorano, Mark Drummond and Kevin Howe helped make RMH bigger, better, and able to help even more families whose children are being treated at area hospitals. Project Manager Mark Drummond said, “It was rewarding to help make the Ronald McDonald House larger so it can help more families while their ch ...

Salem, MA, May 18, 2020…Groom Construction has teamed up with Root to provide emergency meals for area organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their Salem headquarters and professional kitchen, Root alumni and staff are preparing meals, funded by Groom, for agencies serving the homeless, youth in foster care, formerly homeless youth, and individuals with disabilities. These organizations include Lifebridge North Shore, Northeast ARC, Plummer Youth Promise, North Shore Community Development Coalition and the YMCA Grace Child Development Center. Groom first approached Root in early April to ask if they would prepare a dinner for clients at Lifebridge North Shore, a Salem-based homeless shelter. “By using Root to prepare the meal, we were helping two essential organizations that are serving those in distress during this time,” said Dave Groom, Principal of Groom Construction. “The initial meal went so well that we asked Root if they could do more.”This partnership has allowed Root to provide over 420 nutr ...

BEVERLY, Mass. – May 6, 2020 – Connolly Brothers Inc, a general contractor and construction management firm, announced the completion of the new $16 million corporate headquarters for Harmonic Drive LLC, a manufacturer of gearheads, gear component sets, and servo actuators. Connolly Brothers provided pre-construction, design and engineering, and construction management services for the new 97,000 SF office and manufacturing plant situated on a previously undeveloped six-acre site in the Dunham Ridge Business Park in Beverly, Mass. Founded in Beverly in 1960, Harmonic Drive relocated from two buildings in Peabody to its new U.S. headquarters. “We are excited to be back in Beverly where it all started,” said Doug Olson, CEO at Harmonic Drive. “Connolly Brothers was the perfect fit for our project given their 140-year history in Beverly and their proximity to and experience with designing and building advanced technology facilities like ours. They were able to meet our stringent budget and schedule restraints, a ...

BOSTON – May 5, 2020 – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced today that it has been selected to fit out a 40,000 SF early childhood center and headquarters for Horizons for Homeless Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young homeless children and their families. Construction is expected to start later this spring and be completed in early 2021. Located at 1785 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, Massachusetts and designed by studioMLA Architects, the new early childhood center will consolidate three existing centers into one. Serving 225 children ranging in age from two months to five years, it will include a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activity space, a family library and literacy center, flexible community and training space, and an art room. Indoor and outdoor spaces will incorporate trauma-informed design strategies to better serve childr ...

Gould Construction InstituteCOVID-19 Update on School Classes and TrainingsGood afternoon, We appreciate everyone’s patience during these challenging times and we know the uncertainties are frustrating for all. Be assured, our goal is to continue to meet the educational and training needs of our students and our customers. As we continue to work on solutions for alternative training, please realize that this is new uncharted territory for all of us and we are learning as we go. This pandemic is fluid, therefore; changes and updates will continue to occur and we may have to make adjustments along the way. We will do our best to keep you informed. GCI Remaining School ClassesThe Governor announced yesterday that schools will remain closed for the remainder of this year. The possibility of GCI resuming in person apprenticeship trade classes is not looking too promising. To help our students complete the remainder of this school year, we will now resume our existing classes with virtual online instruction only ...

  Imagine having one-click access to same day delivery of parts or other materials without losing time or having to leave a jobsite. And how about saving up to 20 percent on regularly scheduled next-day deliveries? Both are a reality now for ABC member companies, thanks to our chapter’s new partnership with PartRunner, a technology and logistics firm. PartRunner partners with large and small vehicles to deliver virtually anything to where it needs to go at any time. Simply enter what you need on their convenient app, just as you would order an Uber or Lyft. It’s on-demand delivery at the click of a button. It’s also a smarter logistics system. By partnering with a broad network of delivery vehicles, PartRunner not only provides on-demand delivery, but it can do it for up to 20 percent less than you currently spend. And in response to these challenging times, PartRunner now offers a non-contact delivery option. Some ABC Massachusetts firms already work with the company ...

Due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the DAS offices will be closed to public and will not be accepting documents in person or by mail through April 3rd.

Read the full notice here

Today Governor Baker has imposed a stay at home order and closed in-person locations of non-essential business. Construction is not halted under the Governor’s order because construction is included in the list of essential services that are allowed to continue. Under the category of “Other Community-Based Essential Functions and Government Operations,” on pages 7,8, the list includes “construction workers who support the construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of construction sites and construction projects (including housing construction).

At his press conference announcing the order, when governor was asked about construction, and stated that it is considered essential, he also said that social distancing and handwashing guidelines must be followed on sites.

The Governor’s Order and the full list of Essential Services can be found here.

The state website has additional information and resources available as well.

From The Boston Globe on 3/16/2020By Martin Finucane, Travis Andersen, and Tim LoganBoston Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Monday ordered a halt to construction projects in the city amid concerns about worker safety during the coronavirus pandemic.Even as many other businesses around Boston have closed or ordered employees to work from home to try to stop the spread of the virus, large construction sites downtown were fully up and running Monday morning.The busy construction sites and the multiple cranes soaring above the city’s skyline have been an emblem of the city’s bustling economy, which is now being dealt a body blow by the coronavirus outbreak.Walsh said the shutdown was effective Tuesday. He said companies should maintain the crews necessary to make sure their sites are “safe and secure.” The sites need to be secure by Monday, March 23. He said skeleton crews could stay on to make sure the sites are safe.“The coronavirus is one of the greatest public health challenges our city has ever faced,” he said.“The ...

As the construction industry grows, it becomes more complex and nuanced. While construction is the tie that binds all of ABC together, members have a vast array of talents and interests. ABC committees provide an outlet for those members to grow in their areas of interests while simultaneously contributing to our chapter.For years, the greatest challenge for our organization and the construction industry as a whole has been finding qualified talent to meet the demands of a growing industry. One of the ways ABC develops programs to address this need is through our Human Resources Committee, where HR professionals and other personnel decision makers exchange ideas about both attracting employees to construction and retaining those workers.And we don’t just focus on the present. A vibrant Future Leaders Council engages member company employees who are under 40 to both strengthen the organization and create a pipeline of young talent for member companies.In a state like Massachusetts, ensuring that open shop ...