Daily News

Western Builders Appoints Bryan Hughes as President

GRANBY — James Sullivan, president of the O’Connell Companies Inc., announced that the board of directors has appointed Bryan Hughes as the new president of Western Builders Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, effective Oct. 3.

“We are very fortunate to have someone of Mr. Hughes’ caliber and experience, and I am very confident that Bryan will successfully lead Western and will do so with a clear understanding of our culture and reputation,” Sullivan said. “He has exceptional operational and communication skills and is client- and employee-focused with deep leadership capabilities, proven to me in his nine-year tenure in another subsidiary company, Daniel O’Connell’s Sons. With this renewed leadership, I am confident our best years lie ahead of us, and that Western will continue to be the builder of choice in the communities we serve.”

While at Daniel O’Connell’s Sons, Hughes filled numerous roles over the years, most notably as an experienced project manager on several college and university campuses. These projects ranged between $30 million to $80 million in overall construction cost. They include Dartmouth College Hood Museum (Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects) and the UConn Athletic Village (Newman Architects and RDG Planning & Design). Most recently, he managed a project in Rhode Island with the Narragansett Bay Commission, which followed a design-build project-delivery method. Hughes holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

“I am delighted to be named president of Western Builders Inc.,” Hughes said. “Our team is full of intelligent and experienced personnel who each embody a true passion for their work. That same feeling of pride and purpose has been constant throughout my own career, and it’s ultimately what inspired me to take on this leadership role. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves, get to work, and continue to build Western’s already-impressive legacy.”