Suffolk Construction Co. acquires William A. Berry & Son

Suffolk Construction Company, New England's largest construction company has acquired William A. Berry & Son (Berry), the second largest construction company in the region. The two premier companies, both with New England roots and track-records, combined will have more than 1,200 employees and projected revenues of $2 billion. This transaction will further allow the company to position itself on a national scale, particularly in the areas of healthcare, education, life sciences/biotech, government and commercial development. "We see this as a tremendous growth opportunity for our company, both locally and nationally. Today's economic climate has changed the way our industry operates and we view this partnership as a way to leverage our expertise, tools and experience on behalf of our clients. We are now even better positioned to provide solutions to clients who need to find ways to build in this environment," said John Fish, CEO, Suffolk Construction. "There is an incredible amount of synergy between the two companies, because our core businesses are complementary, not duplicative. This partnership will trigger growth, provide efficiencies and add value for our clients. Our dedication to our employees, our clients and the community will not change, but strengthen through our partnership," said Peter Campot, president, William Berry & Son. Providing pre-construction, construction management, design/build and general contracting services together, the combined forces of Suffolk and Berry will offer resources, and innovation and technology to its clients in the construction industry in the 21st century, including: * A commitment to sustainable building practices with over 175 LEED accredited professionals, providing the most sustainable value for every dollar spent. Together, they boast more than 32 projects that are either LEED credited or pursuing certification, and strong national partnerships with organizations that specialize in emerging technologies and business practices; and * Use of state-of-the-art technology to support Building Information Modeling (BIM), which combined with a dedicated internal engineering team and experience with 25 active BIM projects, positions the team as a contractor of choice for clients. BIM is changing the way the construction industry operates, creating up-front collaboration online between builder and designer, resulting in a virtual project to identify inconsistencies and problems before construction. BIM provides savings in both time and cost for clients. Suffolk and Berry are responsible for constructing some of the most high-profile buildings in the region, including most recently: Suffolk: The Liberty Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Boston Hotel & Residences, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Needham, Hebrew Senior Life, NewBridge on the Charles, Patriot Place, MIT Dewey Library, John W. McCormack Building, Fenway Community Health and Legacy Place. Berry: Baystate Medical Center, Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Smith College's Ford Hall, Center for Life Science/Boston, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Maine Medical Center, Harvard Medical School's new research building and the University of Vermont's Dudley H. Davis Center. Because philanthropy is central to the culture of each company, the partnership will preserve its long-standing commitment to its community and civic ventures and believes that this is an opportunity for its programs to strengthen and grow. Suffolk's Red & Blue Foundation, focuses on making a difference in local neighborhoods by positively impacting underserved children, particularly through educational efforts. Its signature program, the Boston Scholar Athlete Program, was launched this year to support academic achievement through athletics in Boston's public school system. Berry's employees launched The Berry Fund Charitable Foundation in 1994, which is a grass roots effort that has raised more than $1.5 million since its inception, distributing 100% of the funds raised to communities around New England.