News

Broccolini Construction says it takes pride in its work and specializes not only in constructing buildings, but also relationships.

After nearly 60 years, Broccolini Construction has earned a reputation as a general contractor and developer that takes pride in its work, Vice President of New Business and Real Estate. Development Hillel Greenbaum says. “It’s not just a generic corporation,” he states. “They bring their passion to every project.”

Donato Broccolini founded the construction company in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1949. He began with the construction of a single-family home, and followed it up with the construction of several residential units.

Over time, the company grew to construct entire neighborhoods in Montreal. During the 1970s, Broccolini Construction changed its focus and began building commercial and institutional projects.

Today, the company’s work predominantly consists of corporate projects in Canada, Greenbaum says. “We do a lot of work for big pharmaceutical [companies],” he says.

In addition, Broccolini’s sons now manage the company. John Broccolini is president, and his brothers, Joseph, Paul and Peter Broccolini, share the title of vice president. But the family’s legacy has not ended with the second generation, Greenbaum says.

“Now, we’ve got a third generation involved,” he says, explaining that John Broccolini’s children work in project management and estimation roles. “They’re learning the business from the ground floor.”

Considering the Long-Term
Broccolini Construction has enjoyed longevity in its industry thanks to the strong relationships it has formed with clients, Greenbaum says. “The motto at Broccolini is that ‘They don’t just build buildings, they build relationships,’” he states.

Greenbaum notes the company has a high percentage of repeat business, which includes several retailers. For instance, “We’re the exclusive builder for Best Buy in Quebec,” he says.

The company also focuses on building strong relationships with its suppliers and municipalities, Greenbaum says. “We’re not here for a project-by-pro-ject basis,” he explains. “Everything is viewed in the longer term.”

Playing Key Parts
Greenbaum joined Broccolini Construction in 2002 after working for a commercial real estate firm in Outremont, Quebec. When Broccolini Construction came to build an office building for the com-pany, Greenbaum discovered that he had met the Broccolinis before.

“Over the course of our discussions [in] the on-site meetings, we realized we were friends from the neighborhood [at the ages] of six and seven,” he recalls, noting that he became good friends with the Broccolini brothers afterward.

Greenbaum enjoys the atmosphere at Broccolini Construction. “There’s a true feeling of a family in the office,” he says, noting that this has nurtured an environment where all employees are viewed as critical.

“We don’t believe in Jack Welch’s pruning of the bottom 10 percent,” Greenbaum says. “This is a collaborative effort, and each individual has their part to play.”

Although the company has avoided becoming a bureaucracy, that might rep-resent a future challenge, Greenbaum says. “One of the challenges we’re going to deal with in the next few years is, how do you implement checks and balances into a entrepreneurial-based family business?” he says. “[It] will have to be dealt with.”

Streamlining Construction
With clients who want their projects delivered faster, design/build has become the company’s preferred method of de-livery. With design/build, “We are the architect and professional,” Greenbaum says. “It allows us to streamline the process and fast-track delivery.”

The company is also aided by Auto-desk's Buzzsaw technology, which is an online project management service for storing and sharing project documents. With Buzzsaw, Broccolini Construction can transmit plan changes to sub-trades immediately, Greenbaum says.

At the Forefront
Broccolini Construction is working on Faubourg Boisbriand, a 1.3-million-square-foot power center for Cherokee Dev-elopment. Located in Boisbriand, Quebec, the $110 million project will feature retail, residential and office towers when completed.

In addition, the company recently completed work on Telus House, a 160,000-square-foot, nine-story office building in downtown Ottawa.

The building features a two-level underground parking garage, along with state-of-the-art HVAC and mechanical systems.

The project is also the “first LEED-cert-ified office in Ottawa,” Greenbaum says. Telus House is also the third building the company constructed using sustainable initiatives.

“We’re right at the forefront of that in our industry,” Greenbaum says. However, he asserts that the LEED system is still “evolving and still in its infancy.”

Greenbaum says he sees a “bright future” ahead for Broccolini Construction in both general contracting and development. In addition, “We’d like to continue our presence in both the Quebec and Ontario markets,” he states.