Page 27 - BusinessWest March 31, 2021

Dan Bradbury of Associated Builders, the firm putting up this structure in Bloomfield, Conn., says firms had to pivot in 2020 and find new ways to get the job done.
construction because there is no access to repave the roads. So the plant openings are great news for companies like Raymaak- ers, which plans its water- and sewer-line projects around those openings.
Other managers look forward to a time when they do not have to socially distance their crews and wear masks all day.
“Masks are another nuisance to deal with,” Pelletier said. “If we can start to get distancing and masks behind us, it will speed things up on the job site.”
As part of planning for future business, Bradbury has begun to ask some fundamental questions about what lies beyond the hori- zon. “Where is the growth poten- tial going to be as we come out of COVID, and which industries will still want to build and have the money to build?”
As he considers the types of industries that are prevalent in Western Mass. and Northern Conn., such as aerospace and manufacturing, he wonders if
government spending will still drive those industries. He has also given some thought to the insurance industry.
“Typically, there has been a huge demand for office space for the insurance industry, and how they address that moving forward is a big question mark coming out of COVID.”
As the insurance industry reconsiders its needs, Bradbury added, there has been a sharp decline in demand for all office space. “We are definitely not building more office space anytime soon.”
But his and other firms are building — and that’s good news after a year of uncertainty and a pandemic that hasn’t yet gone away. u
“Where is the
growth potential
going to be as we
come out of COVID,
and which industries
will still want to
build and have the
money to build?”
PALMERPAVING.COM I SERVING MASSACHUSETTS AND NORTHERN CONNECTICUT Palmer, MA Easthampton, MA Barre, MA Springfield, MA
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