Giving back has been a top priority for Callahan Construction Managers since Jack and Marie Callahan established the company in Bridgewater, Mass., in 1954—with years of community involvement giving rise to the Constructing Communities initiative in 2015. The Callahans brought their five sons into the business as it grew, beginning a tradition of service that continues to this day.
“At Callahan, we believe that in order to work successfully in a community, we must first become a true partner,” says President Patrick Callahan. “Constructing Communities is our community partnership blueprint and reflects our core principles of integrity, quality, service, customer satisfaction and outstanding project management.”
Callahan Construction Managers supports several national organizations on an annual basis through monetary donations, galas, fundraising dinners andmore. But the real heart of its philanthropic mission is giving to the communities that support the company’s work every day.
In each city where Callahan Construction Managers performs work, the company reaches out to municipal leaders to discover what type of help they need most.
In some communities, local leaders have requested help serving the homeless; others are focused on high school educational enrichment programs; while others seek assistance in their efforts to help disadvantaged women and children.
Once community service activities are confirmed, company leaders aren’t the only ones making these outreach efforts a priority. Callahan’s more than 180 employees are all in when it comes to lending a hand.
“Our employees are really excited to do the things we do. Whenever we send notice of an upcoming service project, people are so responsive that our volunteer opportunities fill up in less than an hour,” says Phil Dinan, business development and community relations manager. “They are genuinely very excited to help.”
Now in its second year, one of Callahan Construction Managers’ top service projects is the Quincy School Community Partnership’s President’s Path and Career Connections, where staff provides job shadowing for career and technical education students at a local high school.
During the past school year, the company has partnered with select career and technical education classes to provide a hands-on experience to educate senior-level students about the engineering and construction industry through active site visits, regular interaction and co-ops.
“We want to build toward the future, inspiring the next generation of students,” Dinan says. “Whether they want to be in the trades, engineering, architecture or related fields, we give them real-world experience by applying class lessons to actual day-to-day jobsite activities.”
As part of the Quincy program, Callahan Construction Managers also conducted its first Women in the Trades summit last year. The half-day summit provided an opportunity for female students enrolled in non-traditional career programs, their teachers and guidance counselors to learn firsthand about opportunities for women in the skilled trades, along with personal insights from women actively working in these fields.
“We are committed to the development of the future generation of our industry and we continually seek opportunities to provide hands-on education,” Callahan says. “Supporting the progression of women in the industry is of vital importance, and this summit offers an engaging forum to empower young women to capitalize on opportunities in the industry they may have traditionally overlooked.”
