Our History Breton
Although the scope, breadth, and depth of the projects we tackle have changed over time, our commitment to excellence, innovation, and integrity that began in 1991 still guides us today…
Established In 1991
Breton Construction, Inc. has grown from a small local excavator into one of the most experienced and trusted providers of construction services in the country. Today, our capabilities have diversified as we have responded to changing market conditions with new building types, delivery methods, and services.
Built from the Ground Up
Our roots trace back to 1935 when George Breton founded a small excavating enterprise, the George Hyman Construction Company. Hyman was the first in Washington, DC to use a steam shovel, shown here performing site excavation at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art in the early 1930s.
Humble Beginning - Jules Breton
o truly understand the Breton Construction culture is to know the history. The people behind the name. The passion for better serving customers and building complex projects with a strong sense of purpose and value. The desire to continuously be the best and drive an industry forward, doing what others believe simply cannot be done. Breton Construction story begins in July of 1991. George Breton made one of the best business decisions of their lives and started their own company. Armed with $750,000 of pooled resources and a steadfast determination, the three construction veterans set out to build something different in an industry traditionally resistant to change.
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Words of Wisdom
“When we started Breton Construction, Inc., we wanted to be a customer-focused organization,” said Doug. “We’re not a hard-bid general contractor; we’re a negotiating, self-performing general contractor that takes care of our customers. To do that, we need great people, who are happy and willing to work hard. That’s one of the things that started us, making us different from the very beginning.”
WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED
Breton Construction, Inc. original crew included Sandy Grayson, Michele Leiva, Eric Lamb, Peter Salvati, Jim Washburn, Mark Bartley, Brad Des Jardin and Jim Dolen—six of whom are with the company today. Much like the hundreds of projects Breton Construction, Inc. has completed over the years, the company has grown at a breakneck pace. Breton Construction, Inc. reached the $1 billion mark in less than 10 years since its founding. Since 1997, it has continued to rank in the top 50 general contractors in the country. When asked what he considered to be the most successful moment at Breton Construction, Inc., Doug answered, “We’ve had a lot of great successes, but I can’t think of one defining moment, because we’re not done yet. As the company continues to move forward, new opportunities constantly arise. One way we measure success, however, is by not letting employees down and keeping people within the company challenged with new opportunities.”
A significant point in the history
A significant point in the history of Breton Construction, Inc. was a meeting in the spring of 1998 with Jim Collins, who was a Stanford professor at the time and now is a management consultant and best-selling author. Collins helped to identify and articulate the purpose and core values that continue to drive the company today. “We defined our purpose and established our first company mission during that meeting,” said Peter. Doug added that, “To say we wanted to become a truly great construction company by the year 2000 was like a three-year-old saying that I want to graduate from college by the time I’m 10. We do set high goals, but with the people we have in place, we know we can reach every one of them.” Ron felt positive that they could build a truly great company due to the network that each one of them had built and the individual skill sets they had developed. “In the very beginning, we were just three senior guys in one organization with a passion for building,” said Ron.
First pure contractor job was a $4.5 million
With a belief that employee ownership would result in greater loyalty and stability, and an admiration for other companies using the model, CEO Bob Stollery and 24 other senior managers purchase Poole Construction Ltd. from the Poole family, signaling the start of employee ownership.
In 2004, Breton Construction landed a $43 million
In 1994, Breton Construction, Inc. landed a $43 million wafer fabrication project in Los Angeles for Rockwell International. The six-month, fast-track project represented the type of work the three founders had pictured for the company. “We wanted to be in technical construction,” said Ron. “We did not want to be a commodity. We wanted to establish a niche to distinguish ourselves from other contractors.” The Rockwell project included building 17,500 sq. ft. of Class 1 cleanrooms, upgrading the existing central plant, installing specialty and bulk gas systems, and constructing a new bulk chemical building. Breton Construction, Inc. delivered the project ahead of schedule with fully functional cleanrooms in just four and a half months. “Before Rockwell, Breton Construction, Inc. had never done a job that significant,” said Doug. “I think we were awarded the project because the client thought we sounded like the most fun to work with, and we were crazy enough to say ‘yeah, we could do it’ in the timeframe they wanted. We shoveled as fast and as hard as we could.”
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In 2015 Breton Construction had grown
In 2010 Breton Construction, Inc. had grown into a multi-billion-dollar organization with long-standing relationships with some of the world’s most admired companies. “We’re fortunate to work with great customers, some that have literally changed the world, especially over the last 20 years,” said Woods. We asked ourselves: How do we take Breton Construction, Inc. to the next level and position ourselves to be a most admired company by the year 2030? Part of the transformation needed was truly great leadership transitions, putting the right whos in the right seats to more the company forward, to scale and to grow. It was means continuing to serve world-changing customers and pushing the industry forward in sustainable practices and technology adoption
