Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

Best Places To Work In CT 2014 BPTW-4 Hartford Business Journal • March 24, 2014 www.HartfordBusiness.com By John A. Lahtinen Special to the Hartford Business Journal T he people at Consigli Construction are extremely proud of their family-owned business heritage. Originally founded in 1905 as a masonry contractor, Consigli has grown from its roots as a well-respected local contractor to a lead- ing construction manager and general con- tractor serving academic, healthcare, insti- tutional, corporate, life sciences, landmark restoration, and federal clients across New England and New York. In its second century of operation, the company is now run by the fourth generation of family ownership — President Anthony Consigli and Vice President Matthew Consi- gli. With more than 625 employees including 71 new hires in 2013, the company generated nearly $645 million of revenue in 2013 and is projecting to reach $700 million this year. Cynthia Croxford, project administrator in Consigli's Project Management Depart- ment and office manager in the Connecti- cut office for the past three years, said the company not only supported her and gave her the opportunity to change career paths when she was hired, but Consigli believes strongly in pulling its workforce from dif- ferent job markets to provide diversity in perspective and approach. "In my previous career, I was a paralegal in a law firm," Croxford says. "Consigli saw an opportunity in me to add a staff member to the team that has a different view of the world. They are not shy to take a chance on a person that they feel will be a good fit on their team." Croxford said what sets Consigli apart is the company's understanding that acknowl- edgement of hard work is the way to promote the best performance out of an employee. "If there is room for improvement, that is communicated professionally and clearly," Croxford said. "There is no mystery as to what is expected from employees – the bar is set high – but the tools to succeed are well within reach." Hand-in-hand with its commitment to building great buildings, Consigli is equally committed to building great people. This commitment will be a huge focus in 2014. Consigli University offers more than 5,500 hours of training through more than 130 classes, teaching both soft skills such as communication, business writing, and nego- tiation, as well as technical subjects such as OSHA Certification and safety protocol, estimating, project management, software training, and LEED certification classes. If a subject isn't offered in-house, employees can take advantage of the company's tuition reim- bursement program for job-related classes outside of the office. Always looking for ways to bring increased value, last year Consigli began an initiative throughout the company based on the principles of lean construction. This phi- losophy helps the company design and build more efficiently by focusing on improving on activities that add value and eliminating ones that don't. Internally, Consigli holds a yearly off-site retreat for all employees to discuss mea- surements and metrics from the previous year and plans for the future. Employees are asked to provide feedback on what could be done differently to make clients happier and make Consigli a better company. At the annual gathering, awards are given to honor employee achievements and the projects that represent the very best of what Consigli has built that year. In addition to annual awards, the com- pany regularly posts articles on its intranet that highlight employee promotions, perfor- mance, achievements, significant life events, and new hires. Ron Perry, a project manager for almost two years, said each and every team mem- ber at Consigli has the same passion for excellence. "It is as if we are brothers and sisters, not co-workers," Perry said. "We don't want to let our family down." Perry said in potential team members, he looks for passion, work ethic, and the sense that the right things should be done. "It's important if you are going to take on any challenge, that you just love and have faith in what you are doing," Perry said. "Culture, relationships, beliefs, atti- tudes, and goals are not just words, they are a religion." ● ▶ ▶ "It is as if we are brothers and sisters, not co-workers. We don't want to let our family down." – Ron Perry, project manager at Consigli Consigli builds on family legacy Ranked #1 Large Company Category (Above) Consigli employees celebrate at last year's Best Places to Work in Connecticut awards, where the company also won first place. (Below) The company puts together a hockey team each year for employees to compete. (Left) Consigli employees attend a gala for the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, one of the construction firm's clients. W i n n e r

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