Contractor Lee Kennedy says becoming a regional, LEED leader is a major business strategy.

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Lee Kennedy Co. Inc. understands it isn’t the size of a company or its type of work that makes it successful. The company believes success is more the result of a firm’s relationships with its people and clients – treating both groups well ensures quality work and long-term partners.

“Our people are a great source of strength,” says Eugene Kennedy, vice president of business development. “There is a lot of longevity at our firm and very little turnover. Some people even started with my father when the company was founded 30 years ago. We invest a lot in our people because they go above and beyond to put in the effort necessary for our firm to succeed.

“We also do well because of our strong reputation. We have many long-term clients; the first client my father worked with was Liberty Mutual and we still provide services to them. You keep clients by being careful and doing things right. It is about customer service and understanding clients’ needs. Most contractors can build a project, but it’s more about the bond you create with clients – that keeps clients around.”

The Boston-based, full-service general contractor and construction manager is a family owned firm, and Kennedy notes its “open-door, non-corporate and family oriented culture” has been important in establishing strong relationships with clients and employees. Lee Kennedy Co. was founded in 1978 by Kennedy’s father, Lee M. Kennedy. The elder Kennedy had worked as an architectural draftsman, field laborer, ironworker and crane operator, and this experience, the company says, gave him an idea of how “the ideal construction company” should operate.

“The ideal company would be one that actively promoted high levels of cooperation and accountability, with all levels of management working together and sharing a common sense of purpose and investment,” the company says. “Only when every employee was truly devoted to the successful completion of a job could the client’s needs be met with sufficient levels of consideration and professionalism.”

As a result, the managers of Lee Kennedy Co. meet regularly to encourage teamwork and improve the firm’s processes and procedures. To ensure a positive atmosphere among the entire staff, the company maintains an open-door culture, organizes many social events throughout the year and has two profit-sharing plans in place, in addition to other company benefits.

Demonstrating Teamwork
Kennedy explains the size of the company is an important factor in its strength and competitiveness. In the Boston and New England markets, he says, the firm is one of the few mid- to large-size contractors. With most of local firms being small or much larger, Lee Kennedy Co.’s size allows it to do a wider range of work.

The company was recently awarded a contract by Harvard University to build Weld Hill, a new plant science and research building. It also just won a contract with Aircuity to construct a LEED Platinum-certified Aircuity Center for Green Building Technology. Aircuity designs and implements mechanical equipment that helps improve air quality in buildings, and this structure will be the first of its kind in the region, if not the entire country, Kennedy says.

“We are excited about this opportunity,” he says. “It is a unique project and when finished, the showroom will demonstrate to people how to build other LEED-certified projects. Winning this job required a big effort from our in-house preconstruction team, and we are proud that their hard work got us selected to be the general contractor.”

Kennedy stresses the company will maintain a focus on teamwork and relationships as it grows. While Lee Kennedy Co. has no desire to be the largest firm in its region, it does want to continue to grow with its clients.

“Our goal is to become the best contractor in the region and to be more involved and be a leader in the LEED aspect of the industry,” he says. “As long as we keep doing well in terms of customer service, remain diverse in our services and maintain our quality, we will meet any goal we set forth.”