Page 60 - BusinessWest February 21, 2022

ish Family Services in Springfield.
“They’re expanding their facility to accom-
modate Afghan refugees who will be coming in,” Burger said. “That was a nice project to work on, and we’re glad to be part of it.”
As an Easthampton native whose business is located there, Perrier admitted he has a soft spot for his hometown. One recent project involved his company designing and building a 30-unit apart- ment complex in downtown Easthampton at the
“When we need relief on the cost of material increases, we do what all good contractors do. We open our books and show our client the original price from the vendor against the current price.”
corner of Cottage and Adams streets. “Anything we can do to improve downtown means a lot to me,” he said. “That building will
change the façade for downtown Easthampton.” When BusinessWest caught up with Burger, his
crew was in the early stages of building a 12-unit apartment complex for the Holyoke Housing Authority on South East Street. He said working with familiar clients like the Housing Author-
ity makes it easier to get jobs done during these uncertain times.
“Repeat business is great because we all
understand each other,” he said, also pointing to upcoming projects for longtime client Hot Table restaurants. In addi-
tion to just opening one in West Hartford, he is excited about working on new Hot Table locations planned for Westfield and Chicopee.
The aviation industry makes up a big part of Perrier’s business, with Delta airlines as a signifi- cant client. He is pleased to see things start to improve for the airlines. “From the second quarter of this year into 2023, we will be doing a massive amount of work at Logan and other New England airports for Delta.”
A rendering of the apartment complex Kevin Perrier says will change the facade of downtown Easthampton.
He also appreciates working with clients who understand the current climate and are mov- ing ahead with their projects despite supply and labor challenges.
Nailing It Down
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the current pricing, supply-chain, and workforce issues is the unpredictability surrounding them and an inability to project when or even if matters will improve, said those we spoke with.
In that respect, the construction industry is like every other business sector.
“Product shortages and price hikes are not unique to us or our industry,” Perrier said. “Most folks are experiencing them at the grocery store or just trying to find car parts.”
This shared pain doesn’t make the situation any more tolerable, said Perrier and others, add- ing that all they can really do is hope the econ- omy continues to improve, the pandemic con- tinues to recede, and the current ‘new norm’ will revert to a pre-pandemic norm.
In the meantime, life for contractors will con- tinue to be like a trip to the grocery store. They just don’t know what will be on the shelves and when. u
CELEBRATING 125 Years!
BUILDING HISTORY
SINCE 1897
Worcester Public Library, Worcester, MA Photography by CHODOS, Inc.
Jennifer Adams
Director of Marketing 413-584-0310 | www.dasullivan.com 82-84 North St., Northampton, MA
60 FEBRUARY 21, 2022
CONSTRUCTION
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