"Nothing takes the place of persistence," reads the inspirational message hanging on the wall in the executive office of Brooks Properties, the commercial development company based in Salem. For more than 25 years, the company has pursued that philosophy, growing the business from a single building on Powers St. in Lawrence, Mass. to a constellation of high-quality commercial and industrial facilities that now includes more than 40 buildings and 1.5 million s/f in N.H. and neighboring Mass.
The properties, all owner-operated and maintained, range from a former county courthouse refurbished for medical and office use in Exeter, N.H. to the 208,000 s/f Lawrence property that once housed Wang Laboratories and is now a cornerstone of the Lawrence Industrial Park. Most of the facilities are along the I-93 corridor in southern N.H. and northern Mass. to allow easy access for tenants.
The company prides itself on meeting the most technical and specialized requirements of its tenants - and in providing round-the-clock service. Among the services and systems provided by Brooks Props. are HVAC, refrigeration, data centers, biotech facilities and specialized power configuration including all redundant systems. All construction is performed with a respect for the surrounding environment, and the company works with local towns and government agencies to identify and solve any environmental problems and meet all regulations.
Far from an absentee landlord, Brooks Props. offers 24/7 service for its tenants, with a pledge that the phone will always be answered by a human being rather than a recording. The company believes in teamwork and a hands-on approach to projects. As a team, employees constructed a 100,000 s/f building in Lawrence in 90 days, as well as a two-story, 16,000 s/f office building in Salem, N.H. in 72 days.
Brooks Props. is also the parent company to Powers Builders, its construction arm, and Brooks Landscape and Maintenance, which performs landscaping, snowplowing and maintenance work on company properties.
The company enjoys high employee loyalty. Many of those working at its Salem headquarters have been with Brooks Props. for more than 20 years and consider themselves part of the "Brooks family."
Brooks Props. was founded in September, 1980 by Harold Brooks, a Lawrence High School graduate and entrepreneur who had retired from his successful plumbing business and was seeking a new venture. Today, the company is owned by Brooks and managed by a team that includes myself and brother Eric, Joe Friedman - president and Linda Peluso - CFO.
Harold was a founder of Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, and he and other family members and employees remain active in the community through such organizations as the YMCA, the American Lung Association and the M.J. Brooks Family Foundation, named after Harold Brooks' late wife, Mary Jo. The foundation helps people who are battling cancer and are in financial need.
As they look to the future, family members and employees say they are committed to maintaining the ideals and ethics that Harold brought to the company with its founding, and seek to build and maintain quality commercial and industrial buildings that will benefit the Merrimack Valley and the surrounding region for decades to come.
Julie Brooks is the marketing director for Brooks Properties, Salem, N.H.

BRIEF COMPANY DESCRIPTION FOR USE WITH PRESS RELEASES

Brooks Properties is a family-run commercial and industrial development company based in Salem, New Hampshire. Founded in 1980 by Harold J. Brooks, it owns and maintains more than 40 properties, with a combined 1.5 million square feet of space, along the Interstate 93 corridor in Northern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Today, the company is owned by Mr. Brooks and managed by a team that includes his son, Eric Brooks, daughter, Julie Brooks, Joe Friedman - President and Linda Peluso CFO.