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V O L . X X X I N O. V I I A P R I L 7 , 2 0 2 5 22 R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G F O C U S founder Bill Nason last year at the 30-year-old Saco-based firm. He too grapples with a shortage of young talent coming into the industry, especially motivated individuals who he can train. But PM Construction has added a number of staffers recently, bringing the total employee numbers close to 35. "We've hired a new person to sup- port estimating, a new project manager, two new superintendents, all in the last six months, and a new executive director. We've almost doubled the office in a very short period of time," he says. Ferguson's been with the company for 14 years, starting as a laborer. He later moved into sales and then took on the role of vice president at PM's sister company, National Fire Stopping Solutions. He now leads both compa- nies while relying for much of the day- to-day management on COO George LaPlume at PM and Wes Pooler, a vice president at NFSS. Ferguson has upped support staffing at the sister company too, adding 12 new office positions in the past six months. Ferguson says he is still involved in "high-level sales" at both PM Construction and National Fire Stopping Solutions. "I do sit in on the majority of the estimations" at PM, he says. He's also focused on winning more projects. Stepping into leadership at PM, Ferguson felt that the company had "got- ten a bit stagnant. So I said, 'Lets go out and hire some more project managers and win some more projects,' which we've done but we've also stayed in our lane. "For instance, we do a lot of renova- tions and we've always had a very strong relationship with Hannaford. Probably 50% of our business is with supermar- kets, and most of those projects are in the $2 million to $8 million range. "But PM is really diverse. We're building affordable housing in Biddeford right now at Adams Point, which is a $12 million to $13 million job. And then we're doing work on a fire sta- tion in Portland, which is about a half a million project." To avoid stretching his construction team too thin with work around the state — as well as in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and New York — Ferguson's strategy has been to "rent to own" labor, and he's been surprised to find a ready pool of experienced con- struction talent for contract work. "You hear, 'ere's no good people out there,' but it's not true. I had 20 to 30 applications within an hour's radius of Rumford, for example, when we needed to hire there. Bill and I knew that if we were going to expand, we needed to bring in more talent, and this has been working really well." Ferguson added that Nason still comes into the office twice a week, but to workout — not "work" — in the company gym. 'Seamless' transition at Freeport-based home builder Lee Proscia became president of Houses & Barns by John Libby last September, taking over the reins from the founder, who retired after 53 years in the business. John Libby continues to serve on the firm's board of directors. Proscia came on board with the Freeport-based company in 2017 after working for Portland-based Wright- Ryan Construction, where he managed pre-construction for the homes divi- sion and led the millwork shop. Proscia says the transition into leadership has been "seamless. Most of our team, including myself, have been contributing to the success of the company for many years. It all starts with a great group of people that enjoy the process of designing and building timber frame barns and homes for our discerning clients." e company has 11 full-time employees. Proscia says he is keeping the team's collective eye on the future. "Our primary focus is on doing it better," he says. "ere are many mov- ing parts in the design and construc- tion of our projects. We are uniquely positioned as a leading design-build company with the integration of lead- ing technologies in design and project NICKERSON & O'DAY, INC. www.nickoday.com Constructors - Since 1952 Acadia Gateway Phase 2 Progress - Sched. Completion May 2025 MAINE since 1952 building CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TESTING AND INSPECTIONS • Soils, asphalt, concrete, masonry, fireproofing, and steel: Reduce potential delays, defects, and unexpected costs. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING • Soil and groundwater characterization, landfill monitoring, and site assessments GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING AND EXPLORATIONS • You see what's on top, we'll show you what's below. RWGILLESPIE.COM / INFO@RWG-A.COM BIDDEFORD, ME 207-286-8008 • NH 603-427-0244 • MA 508-623-0101 You hear, 'There's no good people out there,' but it's not true. I had 20 to 30 applications within an hour's radius of Rumford, for example, when we needed to hire there. — Tyler Ferguson PM Construction Co. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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