Ed Bond
A member of the Bond family has led the company through four generations. In 1912, Thomas' son Anthony became the second president of the company and turned over the reins to his son Ed in 1946. I took on leadership of the company in 1984. Today my son Anthony, the fifth generation is working as a project engineer in the field.
Commitment to clients and staff has always been the heart of the company. The original culture and style of the firm remains today. Everybody always spoke very highly of Thomas and Anthony as individuals. They didn't have contracts then like we do today. If there was a problem, you worked things out and did what was right. And when times were tough, they were known to take care of their people first. I wear a diamond ring that my grandfather once took to the pawn shop to make payroll.
Over the years, the company has grown to encompass several divisions and expanded throughout New England by adapting their strengths to additional opportunities. For example, capabilities with welded steel gas pipe led the civil and utilities division to opportunities in the steam and condensate area and in the chilled water area, systems that used similar materials. Over time, these capabilities, along with power distribution experience, made their services attractive to clients (colleges, hospitals, and industrial facilities) operating central utility plants and distribution systems. By then, the company had developed expertise working comfortably and safely in areas with high pedestrian or vehicular traffic, a prerequisite when working in campus and industrial environments.
Bond Brothers has followed the demands of clients and the industry, becoming experts in laboratory construction - over 1 million s/f of lab space, residence hall construction - over 2,750 academic residential beds, and construction of complex facilities with demanding logistics. The firm launched a focused corporate & interiors division and a healthcare services department to efficiently provide the precise services these clients require. The company established offices in Providence and Westport, Conn. in response to needs of projects for Brown University, Roger Williams University, and Northeast Utilities.
Today Bond Brothers takes special pride in its long-term relationships with clients such as NSTAR, Harvard University, MIT, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Whidden Hospital to name a few.
Over the years, Bond Brothers has constructed landmark buildings and utility projects including 500 Boylston St., 360 Newbury St. (the Tower Records building), Hynes Convention Center, Logan Airport Terminal A Redevelopment, and the NStar 345kV Transmission Upgrade. Today, the firm is building landmarks of the future such as Harvard University's Northwest Science Center, the MIT Media Lab, the Emerson College Paramount Center, and in Connecticut, the Northeast Utilities 345kV Transmission Line Project. The company prides itself on bringing the same focus and commitment to smaller building, renovation, and utility projects.
The firm has pursued technological advances across the years from the days when all excavation was performed completely by hand and concrete was mixed on the jobsite to the days of computer aided coordination and equipment perfectly suited to the task. Through it all, the company has tried to maintain an even keel by working hard to uphold its reputation of honesty and by keeping abreast of technological advances to improve the effectiveness of management controls and field execution.
The key to reaching the 100 year mark. I think the key to good business is professionalism, and that's what we've tried to develop here over the years. Our people are the best in the business, and we've been blessed to be able to develop a terrific client base. Great people serving great clients. That winning combination has carried Bond Brothers for 100 years and is taking the firm forward into their second century.
Edward Bond Jr. is president of Bond Bros., Everett, Mass.