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- Metro Walls Receives Numerous Excellence in Construction Awards
Metro Walls, a leading drywall, framing, and acoustical contractor in the Northeast, was recently recognized at both the Associated Builders and Contractors New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter’s (ABC NH/VT) Excellence in Construction Awards and the Associated Builders and Contractors Massachusetts (ABC MA) Excellence in Construction Awards. The award receptions were held on October 24th, 2024, at the DoubleTree in Manchester, NH, and November 7th, 2024, at the Four Points Sheraton in Norwood, MA. Metro Walls received an Excellence in Construction Award at the New Hampshire Ceremony for multiple projects including 60 Penhallow at Brick Market in Portsmouth, NH, and The Armature in Portland, ME. The 60 Penhallow project, a 97,000 square-foot mixed- building, provides residents both office and retail space for the community. This complex project features an exceptional exterior facade with compound radius walls and a range of finishes , including wood, metal, and granite. The use of mass timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) further enhances this impressive design. Once a parking lot, this site was transformed into a stunning four-story structure inspired by Portsmouth’s rich maritime history, incorporating artistic timber and copper elements throughout. A second Excellence in Construction award was received by Metro Walls for their work on the Armature in Portland, ME. Previously a surface parking lot and public works garage, this land was underused in the heart of Portland, a rapidly developing neighborhood near the water, featuring restaurants, bars, and retail shops. As more people relocated to this sought-after community, a 240,000-square-foot eight-story apartment complex and retail space was built in order to support the growing neighborhood. The building is equipped with numerous amenities for residents, including a pool, courtyard, private parking, indoor and outdoor fitness spaces, a gaming room, a pet washing station, and 6,500 square feet of retail space. "We are honored to be a part of a project that has become such a distinct landmark and destination within Portsmouth," said Steve Gagnon, Senior VP and Project Manager of 60 Penhallow at Brick Market. "Metro Walls is proud to be recognized amongst great contractors. Congratulations to all of the other winners." The Metro Walls team also won a Merit award from the Associated Builders and Contractors Massachusetts chapter. The award was given to the 60 Penhallow at Brick Market project. The Excellence in Construction Awards (EIC) honors contractors for their complex, innovative, and high-quality construction projects assessed on criteria including safety, complexity, aesthetics, challenges overcome, cost, and completion time. These awards recognize all members of the construction team, and the winning projects are selected by a panel of judges made up of industry experts. Thank you to ABC for the recognition and putting on two spectacular evenings.
- Metro Walls' Summer Charity Recap
Check out what our team has been up to! It was a busy summer for our team in the Northeast! Metro Walls sponsored and participated in numerous charitable initiatives for the months of June through August. From children's hospitals to veteran-based charities, the company has given back to many deserving corporations across the nation. JUNE In June, our team at Metro Walls took to the streets for a fantastic cause, sponsoring the New Hampshire chapter of the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk in Manchester! With hearts full of passion and determination, we rallied together to raise over $11,000 ! Our efforts contributed to over a whopping $100,000 total, all dedicated to funding crucial research and advancements for families in need. But the fun didn’t stop there! As June came to a close, our employees hit the greens for our highly anticipated annual golf outing. The event was a beautiful day on the course filled with friendly competition, including a putting contest and opportunities to purchase team mulligans – all to raise funds for the Employee Ownership Foundation. Being a 100% employee-owned company, we love giving back to the foundation that enhances benefits and opportunities for ESOPs across the nation! At the end of the event, the winners prevailed and were announced as Brendan McElroy, Dave Wintle, Bryan Lavoie, and Mike Levesque. They chose The Wounded Warrior Project as the charity to receive Metro’s donation, making a meaningful impact on those in need, especially the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. JULY As the warm July days rolled in, we at Metro Walls couldn’t wait to celebrate our amazing team with our second annual Employee Appreciation Outing! We hosted the event at Mel’s Funway in Litchfield, NH, and our fantastic Employee Ownership Committee really knocked it out of the park. Employees and their families embarked on a day of fun, including mini golf, go-karts, and more. The event also included numerous exciting raffles for employees and their loved ones to participate in. The best part? All the proceeds from those raffles went straight to the Employee Ownership Foundation! AUGUST In August, our team was on a roll, diving into not just one, but THREE fantastic charity events! At the start of August, we kicked off the month by sponsoring the Friends of Aine Kids Try-athlon, a chi ldren’s event that the company supports year after year. Along with families from our team participating in the fun event, a company-sponsored table with exciting swag pieces was set up to congratulate the participants on accomplishing the try-athon! As August wrapped up and summer started to take its final bow, Metro Walls revved things up with our 6th Annual Rally for a Cause Charity Motorcycle Ride! This epic event is so much more than just a scenic ride; it’s a fantastic celebration that brings people together for one last hurrah of the season—all while raising money for an important cause! This year's charity recipient being The Liberty House. The Liberty House is a local charity that provides homeless veterans transitional housing and resources to empower them on their journey to independence and self-sufficiency . This year’s event was a roaring success, raising nearly $6,000 through a fantastic combination of registrations, sponsorships, and thrilling raffle prizes! With summer officially over and the back-to-school season in full swing, Metro Walls hosted a company-wide backpack drive to help fill 24 backpacks for Catie’s Closet. The organization does amazing work, helping young people access life-changing necessities that really make a difference in their lives. Supporting our community and creating positive change is an important initiative at Metro Walls, and we’re all about stepping up to help those in need. We love sponsoring local events and giving back, and this backpack drive is just one of the many ways we’re making an impact. So, keep your eyes peeled for more exciting charitable opportunities this fall! Together, we can continue to spread some good vibes and support our amazing community.
- President Bryan Hussey Receives 2024 Business Excellence Award
Metro Walls’ President Bryan Hussey was recently honored at the 2024 New Hampshire Business Review Business Excellence Awards on October 10th, 2024. Bryan was awarded the 2024 Business Excellence Award for the Real Estate and Construction – Large Company category. This annual awards program recognizes the achievements of business owners and operators in New Hampshire for their dedication, innovation, and leadership across a variety of industries including technology, nonprofit, real estate & construction, healthcare, and more. The prestigious award is a testament to Bryan’s contributions to the company, highlighting his growth, leadership, and commitment to the community. With over 25 years of experience, Bryan rose through the ranks, beginning as a laborer and gaining an abundance of experience as he transitioned from field to office, ultimately leading him to his role as President. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to excellence, Bryan has steered Metro Walls to become an industry leader while guaranteeing the consistent delivery of high-quality work. His nomination further expressed all that Bryan has accomplished with the company. From expanding Metro Walls across the Northeast to acquiring Aceto Acoustics, Bryan has continued to drive the company toward remarkable growth and continued success. Michael Yeatman, Vice President of Construction at PROCON, continued the praise for Bryan, noting “B ryan’s passion for the construction industry, dedication to exceptional service, and commitment to empowering his team are evident through his forward-thinking leadership style. His qualities are indisputable to anyone who has had the pleasure of working alongside him.” In addition to building strong relationships, Bryan has sustained a thriving business by consistently putting people first exemplifying outstanding leadership. Metro Walls is thrilled to share this award achievement and share more about the exceptional contributions of our President Bryan Hussey. Congratulations to all the 2024 recipients! https://www.nhbr.com/events-awards/business-excellence-awards/
- Metro Walls Welcomes New Safety Director
We are thrilled to announce that Matt Gifford has joined Metro Walls as our new Safety Director! With over 10 years of construction safety experience, Matt has an impressive track record, having worked on projects ranging from residential buildings to life science facilities. In his role as Safety Director, Matt will lead our safety initiatives and strengthen our positive safety culture across all four of our offices and service areas. He will oversee and enhance our health and safety programs to ensure the well-being of both field and office teams. Matt’s extensive experience managing large-scale safety programs, including OSHA compliance, incident investigations, and policy development, will be invaluable to our continued success. His people-first approach focuses on building personal connections, fostering safety awareness, and embedding a mindset of working safely in everything we do. We’re excited to have Matt onboard and look forward to the positive impact he will bring to our team!
- Metro Walls Team Recognized at Safety Awards & Graduation
Metro Walls was recently recognized at the 2024 Associated Builders and Contractors New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter’s (ABC NH/VT) Safety BBQ with three safety awards, which was held on June 6, 2024, at the ABC NH/VT Concord office. Metro Walls was honored to accept two awards in the Special Trade Contractor (SIC 17) category for over 400,000 Personnel Hours. These accolades include Third Place and Most Creative Safety Program. Receiving these awards underscore Metro Walls’ ongoing commitment to safety excellence and the outstanding team that drives our success in all aspects of our work. In addition, Metro Walls received the STEP Safety Management System Bronze Award, acknowledging our safety achievements and continuous efforts in developing and implementing a top-notch safety program. This initiative empowers our team to constantly strive for excellence by pinpointing areas for further improvement, building upon our already outstanding safety practices, and celebrating our strengths. This annual event also celebrates the participants of the Future Leaders in Construction (FLiC) program, among whom were two members of the Metro Walls team: Allison Bryant, People Operations, and Taylor Prime, Marketing Communications Manager. The eight-month FLiC program supports emerging leaders by assisting them with identifying and developing their leadership skills. Congratulations to all the recipients of the 2024 ABC NH/VT Safety Awards and all of the Future Leaders in Construction 2024 graduates!
- Metro Walls Sponsors 16th Annual Battle of the Badges
Metro Walls recently sponsored and attended the 2024 Dartmouth Health Children’s Battle of the Badges Hockey Championship, which took place on Sunday, March 10th at SNHU Arena in Manchester. Team Police, sponsored by Metro Walls, emerged victorious taking the 5-to-1 win over Team Fire for the 16th annual hockey championship to benefit Dartmouth Health Children’s and their pediatric healthcare programs and services. This is the fourth consecutive year that Metro Walls has been the presenting sponsor for Team Police and the eighth year sponsoring the annual fundraiser. “Dartmouth Health Children’s 16th annual Battle of the Badges hockey game was a huge success, raising $208,000 and counting, due to all the support that we received,” states Kelsey O’Brien, Associate Director of Development for Child Health Initiatives at Dartmouth Health Children’s. “In particular, we would like to thank our Team Police sponsor, Metro Walls. Over the years, Metro Walls has continued to sponsor Team Police and support Battle of the Badges, making a significant impact on Dartmouth Health Children’s pediatric patients and programs, as well as, playing a huge role in community engagement. Their support helps to provide important funding to some of our vital services like Child Life, Child Advocacy programs, Molly’s Place, and many more, and we are so grateful for their ongoing support.” In addition to sponsoring the event, the Metro Walls team had over 60 employees and their families in attendance to support this great cause. Proceeds from this year’s game exceeded $200,000, contributing to the sixteen-year event’s success, and raising over 3.3 million dollars for Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (CHaD). “Metro Walls is proud to support Dartmouth Health Children’s and the profound impact they have across the region,” said Bryan Hussey, President of Metro Walls. “The incredible work that they do to provide patients and their families the necessary support and expertise during challenging times makes a huge impact on so many lives, and we are honored to be able to support and contribute to their mission.” To learn more about Dartmouth Health Children’s and its mission, visit: https://childrens.dartmouth-health.org/
- Creating Sparks with our Community
In a recent display of community support, Metro Walls collaborated with the Hollis Fire Department to boost their critical live fire training efforts, which took place last month in Hollis, New Hampshire. Through the generous donation of time and labor, Metro Walls contributed their drywall expertise to enhance the training environment for the local firefighters. After obtaining the practice facility, the Hollis Fire Department recognized a need to install ceilings throughout the 2,100 square-foot-house, which were previously removed due to an asbestos abatement. The ceilings installed by Metro Walls would not only allow for an improved safe and productive training opportunity but would help contain the fire within each room to facilitate multiple iterations of training scenarios for the crew to extinguish. North Point Construction, who donated the materials, is a long-standing partner of Metro Walls and shares the same commitment to community outreach and support. When in need of this essential material, labor, and expertise to keep this initiative moving forward, the Hollis Fire Department knew Metro Walls and North Point Construction would be equipped and willing to handle this unique opportunity. “Metro Walls’ gracious donation provided the Hollis Fire Department with a rare opportunity to train on an acquired structure that was set for demolition in our town,” stated Hollis Fire Department Fire Chief Robert Boggis. “The live fire training that this two-story structure gave us was a realistic simulation to help sharpen our skills and prepare us for when we are called to uncontrolled fires. Fire is one of the most destructive forces on earth. It takes a specially trained, and dedicated individual to try and contain it. Structures, like the one Metro Walls prepped for us, allow us to hone a large array of those special skills. This opportunity allowed us to create realistic simulations and enabled us to perform many of the skills needed to give upcoming leaders chances to manage the scene. These types of trainings are invaluable and cannot be simulated in a classroom environment.’ “At Metro Walls, we’re proud to lend a helping hand to our first responders, so teaming up with the Hollis Fire Department on these critical trainings was a no brainer,” declares Bryan Hussey, President of Metro Walls. “We have nothing but respect and appreciation for the work they do and the sacrifice they make to keep our communities safe. It’s truly gratifying to know that our small contribution allowed for these rare, realistic, and valuable training scenarios for their firefighters. Collaborations like these are a great reminder that working alongside community partners can make such a positive impact on our surrounding communities, and we are proud to have played a part of this important initiative.” Because these trainings don’t arise frequently, making the most out of each training iteration, and using it as an educational tool for new and veteran firefighters is essential to build confidence, knowledge, and experience that can translate into the real-world. This initiative is the embodiment of public and private organizations working together for the betterment of our community.
- Metro Walls Becomes 100% Employee-Owned
Metro Walls is proud to announce that effective January 1, 2021, it became a 100% employee-owned company. The existing shareholders sold 100% of their shares to the employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) allowing the company to stay independent and remain focused on its purpose and values. “This transition is extremely exciting for Metro Walls, and we are thrilled to offer this new benefit to our employees,” said President of Metro Walls, Bryan Hussey. “Becoming 100% employee-owned rewards our amazing team, keeps them invested and engaged, assists with attracting top talent and allows us to continue our growth and success well into the future. The transition to an ESOP fits our culture well, in which we want everyone to work together, succeed, and feel like part of a team. I think this is another reason people can be proud to work at Metro Walls.” The ESOP is a special retirement plan that buys and holds stock for the benefit of the employees. With this structure, employees will share in the success and future growth of the company as they earn shares over time while working at Metro Walls. Employee ownership through the ESOP will allow Metro Walls to continue to grow, serve its customers, and sustain its culture while offering its employees this unique added benefit in conjunction with their existing full-suite, inclusive benefits package. With this ESOP transition, there is also an exciting change in leadership. Mike Dion, the former Owner & President of Metro Walls, stepped away from the day-to-day operations and moved into the role of Chairman of Metro Walls’ Board of Directors. With that change, Bryan Hussey, former Executive Vice President and tenured 15-year Metro Walls employee, has been named the new President of Metro Walls. No other changes in management will take place. “We have built an amazing company with an incredible team over the last 20 years. Now, with this move to an ESOP, I’m so happy to be able to keep ownership within the company, give back to our employees, and have the freedom to shape our future,” said Mike Dion, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Metro Walls. “I have the utmost confidence in Bryan and our talented team to continue to do an outstanding job serving our customers and expanding upon the company’s success.” The ESOP announcement was made to Metro Walls employees at an all-company meeting on March 18th.
- Metro Walls Joins YPG for 3rd Annual Charity Bowling Tournament
Last night Metro Walls joined 21 teams made up of over 100 bowlers for the ABC Young Professionals Group's 3rd annual charity bowling tournament. Teams of 5 challenged fellow associate members munched on pizza and wings while competing for the coveted Best Dressed, Best Team, and Worst Team trophies. This year's tournament raised over $2,500 to benefit Granite United Way with an additional $500 raised in raffle ticket sales!
- "Hard Hat Heroes" Brings in Over $24,000 for The American Heart Association
We are so happy to report that our team "Hard Hat Heroes" came in as the #1 fundraisers for the 2019 NH Heart Walk! With a give of over $24,000, we love knowing that we are helping kids live healthier lives across NH! Congratulations to Amber Jackson and Bryan Hussey who were two of the top individual fundraisers for this event!
- Metro Walls Joins NH Construction Days as a Platinum Sponsor!
Metro Walls was excited to be a Platinum Sponsor for the NH Construction Career Days job fair last month! Thanks to the NHCCD for hosting over 1,500 high school students from across the state! Over two days we were able to connect with kids interested in the trades and we had a blast! To see our job fair video, click here!
- Morse High School in Bath Maine to Open in 2020
The community of Bath, Maine has committed some serious resources into building a brand-new high school, slated to open in December of this year. Morse High School in Bath sits on a new location at 34 Wing Farm Parkway. Built for the students of Bath and seven other towns, this school will be well-equipped for many uses. Plans include a two-tiered auditorium, a state-of-the-art vocational school that will serve several towns, a cosmetology division, a culinary division with dining room, two gyms, and more! Harvey Construction has been awarded the contract for this project. Jim Klemarczyk, the Superintendent, says, “This job has had some challenges as they all do, but I’d consider this one a pretty smooth ride”. As previously reported, this land ended up coming with the burden of large clay mass. This unexpected snag came with a price tag of $500,000. Fortunately, funds were available for the unexpected and neither the budget or the construction start time was impacted. Klemarczyk says the biggest challenge to maintaining the timeline is having the labor needed to meet deadlines. He credits the talents and manpower of Metro Walls for keeping this job on track. “Everyone is just so busy in this industry and a lot of my challenges involve finding creative ways to work around other team’s packed work schedules. The team that I can always count on is Metro. Their guys are hard workers and they always deliver. In my forty years in this business, Metro Walls is the best drywall company I’ve worked with”, says Klemarczyk on how he stays on schedule. This project has been the largest for Metro Walls’ Maine division. Leading the charge from Portland is General Manager, Don Lessard. Lessard, a native of Maine, has been working in the industry for over thirty years. His responsibilities include client relations, project management and office administration. In addition to these, he spends a lot of his time visiting job sites throughout Maine and supporting his staff in the field. Metro Walls’ Maine Division has grown tremendously the past few years. Lessard is proud of the nearly sixty workers he manages in Maine. According to both Lessard and Klemarczyk, Metro provided some standout employees on the Morse School project. “Both Casey and Dana have proven we can handle any size project in Maine. Their hard work, skill level, and ingenuity has not gone unnoticed by Metro or Harvey Construction”, says Lessard. With leadership and collaboration from teams like Harvey Construction, Lavallee Brensinger Architects, and Crooker Construction, this school is sure to be gorgeous, on time and on budget. These students will be thrilled to call the Morse High School their new home for years to come.