Agostini Bacon Construction Companies

A family-owned and-operated company since 1967, Agostini Bacon Construction Companies has been providing construction management and general contracting services throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Located in East Providence, Rhode Island, Agostini Bacon specializes in public and private educational facilities as well as municipal work.

Depending on the project, Agostini Bacon provides general contracting as well as construction management services. Founded by John Agostini nearly 50 years ago, the company is under its third generation of ownership. John’s son George Agostini took leadership in 1984 and now Steve Agostini, John’s grandson has taken over as president of the company.

A new approach

Agostini has launched a new rebranding effort in an attempt to separate to a degree the difference in services of bid contracting and construction management. “Bacon is going to be more focused on the contracting side of things while Agostini is going to be the construction management portion of the company,” says Kerrie Puglia, marketing director for Agostini Bacon. “Both sectors of the company will remain working on the same type of projects such as educational and institutional.”

The rebranding effort of the company began in 2014 with new logos, letterheads and additional marketing assets, including an updated website. For a company that does more than $100 million in revenue with 100 employees – 23 of them in the office – Puglia has remained very busy in the company’s marketing department. “We all wear many hats around here,” she says.

Among the top 400 largest construction companies in the country, Agostini Bacon has received several recognitions. In the state of Massachusetts, the company earned an “Excellent” label by the state’s appraisal division of Public School Contractors. Having achieved and maintained average scores in excess of 90 by the Massachusetts Division of Capital Planning and Operations, the industry Benchmarking Report characterized Agostini Bacon as the “Contractor of Choice.”

As a contracting and construction management firm, Agostini works with subcontractors for a majority of the work it completes. “We self-perform concrete foundations, hardware installations and some of the carpentry trades such as installation of Division 10 specialties,” says Puglia.

According to Puglia, it is Agostini Bacon’s family ownership that sets the company apart from other large players in the area. “Our owners are very involved directly with our clients in order to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction,” she adds.

“We are recognized for employing highly skilled professionals at all levels of our business,” reads Agostini Bacon’s website. “As one of the longest tenured firms operating in this region, our key personnel average 14 years of service or more. Our experienced staff of estimators, supervisors and project managers is one of the best safeguards a client can have in protecting their construction investment.”

The family-owned firms are also able to deliver a range of in-house services, going a step above and beyond a traditional construction management role. Agostini Bacon hand delivers rough carpentry and concrete foundation services as a certified union contractor.

Continued growth

While many companies in the construction industry struggled through the recession, Agostini Bacon was able to not only survive but also thrive through the tough times. “We actually did really well through the economic downturn,” says Puglia. “In the public works sector the number got really tight and bidding was very close among everyone, so we were fortunate to have such a great reputation that we were able to consistently be awarded jobs.”

Recently, Agostini Bacon has completed two high school projects in Massachusetts.  The first is the Somerset Berkley Regional High School in Somerset, Massachusetts. This $70 million project involves the construction of a new, three-story 222,826-square-foot facility accommodating 1,000 students and 100 staff.  The scope of work encompasses all related site work, and multi-purpose playing fields including a lighted full size synthetic turf football field with a new grandstand and press box. The second project is the Franklin High School in Franklin, Massachusetts.  This $90 million project involves the construction of a new 306,543-square-foot high school, accommodating 1,650 students and 165 staff.  This three-story building includes an 830-seat auditorium, 17,700 square foot gym with 6,000-square-foot indoor walking track, and classroom and science labs with integrated technology.  

Agostini Bacon has been heavily involved in the higher education sector. The company has added a building at the University of Rhode Island to be used as a Center for Chemistry and Forensic Science facility to its portfolio. “This was our first large chemistry building,” says Puglia. “We also just completed a project at Johnson & Wales University, which included renovations to the Harbor View Residence Hall. It was done over the summer under a very tight schedule.”

With a steady backlog and vast opportunity in the education market, family-owned and-operated Agostini Bacon Construction Companies continues to build on nearly 50 years of trusted general contracting and construction management backed by hands-on ownership.