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South Coast Improvement, Co. says ‘thank you’ to Franciscan Hospital with pillow puppets.

image of Sean Whalen of South Coast Improvement
Marion, Mass.-based South Coast Improvement Co. (SCI) recently delivered pillow puppets to patients at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, MA as a ‘thank you’ for their patience during a recent SCI project.

MARION, MA…

When you think of general contractors, you usually don’t think “warm and fuzzy”. That’s unless you ask the children at Franciscan Hospital for Children in the Brighton section of Boston. After a recent visit by South Coast Improvement Co. to deliver 25 pillow puppets to the children, the consensus there is that GC’s, particularly those from South Coast Improvement, are all that and a bag of potato chips.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the past few years at Franciscan Hospital and the cooperation of the staff and patients and their families has been phenomenal,” said Sean Whalen, South Coast Improvement’s vice president of business development. “We go to great lengths to minimize any disruption to hospital activities. That’s only possible with help of staff and the patience of patients. The pillow puppets for the kids are just our way of saying thank you.”

South Coast Improvement’s projects at Franciscan Hospital have included the relocation of the reception desk, a renovation accomplished without ever closing down the entrance lobby. To minimize the impact to traffic flow and in and out of the hospital, South Coast completely constructed the new reception desk off-site and prepared the wiring in advance. Installation was as simple as dropping in the desk and plugging in the electrical.

Installation of the new reception desk wasn’t the only thing special about this project. South Coast Improvement designed the millwork for the reception area to look like blades of sea grass waving in the breeze. South Coast Improvement also designed a cloud system, constructed out of drywall, and hung it over the new reception desk.

“We’re delighted with work performed by South Coast Improvement on the reception area,” said Chantal Brandimarte, advancement associate for Franciscan Hospital for Children. “As for the pillow puppets, I can’t say I’m surprised. The crews who have worked on these projects have always had a soft spot for the kids and this generous gift just shows that.”

South Coast Improvement Co is a recognized leader in providing building and renovation services to a client base of senior living, healthcare and institutional clients. In addition to Franciscan Hospital for Children, South Coast Improvement has also done extensive projects at hospitals such as the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (the former Jordan Hospital) and such healthcare facilities as National Health Corporation, Sun Health Care Group and Welch Healthcare and Retirement Group.

For more information on South Coast Improvement, Inc., please call 508-748-6545 or visit www.southcoastimprovement.com.

South Coast Improvement, Co. says ‘thank you’ to Franciscan Hospital with pillow puppets.Read More

South Coast Improvement, Co. adds Franciscan Hospital in Boston, MA and Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, MA to its growing list of healthcare clients

Marion, Mass.-based South Coast Improvement, Co. recently complete project in the reception area of Franciscan Hospital in Boston, MA.
Marion, Mass.-based South Coast Improvement, Co. recently complete project in the reception area of Franciscan Hospital in Boston, MA.

MARION, MA, BOSTON, MA and PLYMOUTH, MA…

For the past decade, South Coast Improvement Co. (SCI) has provided design/build services to long-term care facilities, rehabilitation facilities and brain trauma units throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. With the recent completion of projects at Franciscan Hospital in Boston, MA and Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, SCI has expanded its services to include hospitals.

“I have always thought the work we’ve been doing for years with our renovations in occupied units for long-term-care patients and in brain trauma units would translate very well to conventional hospital work seeing how process and the finished product are just as vital in both sectors,” said Tom Quinlan, president of South Coast Improvement Co. “These two projects at Franciscan Hospital and Jordan Hospital are proof positive that what we do also works for traditional hospitals.”

At Jordan Hospital, South Coast Improvement Co. provided a complete build out for the new Outpatient Spine Clinic. The project featured a reception area, new administrative offices and multiple exam rooms.

Said Quinlan, “Getting the opportunity to work with a respected provider like Jordan Hospital was a tremendous boost. Their architect, Jaca Architects is among the most respected healthcare architects in the northeast so we knew we had to be right with our work.”

Located at 30 Warren Street in the Brighton section of Boston, Franciscan Hospital treats young children with a variety of ailments. SCI’s project included relocation of the reception desk without ever closing down the entrance lobby-a logistical challenge that SCI met by completely constructing the new reception desk off-site and preparing the wiring in advance. Installation was as simple as dropping in the desk and plugging in the electrical.

The other innovative component of the project was the millwork, which was designed to be blades of sea grass waving in the breeze. A cloud system was also constructed out of drywall and hung over the new reception desk.

“This project was unique in that the design called for a very colorful, welcoming motif that suggested a seashore yet still had to meet all of the Department of Public Health codes.” says Sean Whalen, SCI vice president of business development, who worked very closely with the architect and hospital management to bring this to fruition.

South Coast Improvement Co is a recognized leader in providing building and renovation services to a client base of senior living, healthcare and institutional clients. For more information, please call 508-748-6545 or visit www.southcoastimprovement.com.

South Coast Improvement, Co. adds Franciscan Hospital in Boston, MA and Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, MA to its growing list of healthcare clientsRead More

Back to school…South Coast Improvement Co. adds to institutional client list, begins projects for Northeastern University, Boston University, Mount Ida College and Dean College

MARION, MA, BOSTON, MA, NEWTON, MA and FRANKLIN, MA…

South Coast Improvement Company (SCI), a design-build general contractor serving New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, recently started multiple renovation projects at four major colleges and universities in Boston and the greater Boston area: Northeastern University, Boston University, Mount Ida College and Dean College.

Northeastern University contracted South Coast Improvement contracted to reconfigure parts of Dodge Hall for new administrative space. The project included a new HVAC system, sprinkler upgrades and premium finish package.

“We’ve been working very closely with the architects and the Northeastern project management team in order to bring this job to completion by the start of the fall semester,” said John Alessendrini, project manager for SCI.

At Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, SCI undertook two major projects. The first was the historic renovation of the building envelope of the Admissions Center. SCI stripped the building stripped of all existing siding, deleaded, and installed new HardiPlank cement board siding. Part of the project called for SCI’s Senior Vice President Henry Quinlan to design a window and door trim package that had to be approved by the Town of Franklin’s Historic Commission’s since it was a 100-plus year old building. SCI also substantially improved the efficiency of the building by installing storm window units and more insulation to the building.

The second Dean project involved SCI providing design-build services for the creation of a new Math Center. The Center includes a suite of classrooms, all equipped with the latest in audio/visual equipment.

At Boston University, South Coast Improvement was recently award four major renovation projects in the 725 Commonwealth Avenue classroom building. These projects include the reconfiguration of existing space for administrative offices. This will involve significant demolition, abatement, new HVAC and mechanicals, all new lighting as well as custom door packages and premium paint and flooring finishes. All four projects began simultaneously and required a multi-faceted critical path to success. All projects must be 100 percent complete by the beginning of the academic year.

Finally, SCI provided Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts with design/build services for the new President’s offices and administrative office suite. Senior VP Henry Quinlan and John Alessendrini worked with staff to develop and design the new suites to incorporate the architectural detail of the 100-plus year old building while providing the upgrades of modern business. In addition, SCI moved the campus police station to a new location, which involved a complete build-out of an unused space.

“Like our senior living and healthcare clients, conducting a project at a college requires strict adherence to process so you minimize disruption to ongoing activities at the school. Add in a deadline of finishing work prior to the fall semester and it really shows SCI at our best,” Tom Quinlan, president of SCI. “We’re delighted to add these four institutions of higher learning to our already impressive list of institutional clients, which includes Boston College, Belmont Hill School and The Rivers School in Weston.”

South Coast Improvement Co is a recognized leader in providing building and renovation services to a client base of senior living, healthcare and institutional clients. For more information, please call 508-748-6545 or visit www.southcoastimprovement.com.

Back to school…South Coast Improvement Co. adds to institutional client list, begins projects for Northeastern University, Boston University, Mount Ida College and Dean CollegeRead More

Bristol County Savings Bank reports continued growth at Annual Meeting.

DATELINE: TAUNTON, MA…
At Bristol County Savings Bank’s recent Annual Meeting Bank President E. Dennis Kelly, Jr. noted that fiscal year 2008 was another challenging, but successful year. Beacon Bancorp and it’s subsidiary, Bristol County Savings Bank closed the year with $10.5 million in operating income before security transactions and taxes. This was a 26% increase over the previous year, ending the year with the Bank’s total assets at $1.1 billion, an increase of 2.0%. One of the highlights of the past year was the acquisition of a substantial interest in the Farrell Backlund Insurance Agency, LLC, one of the region’s largest property and casualty insurance agencies.

Kelly stated, “Despite the fact that negative issues seemed to dominate the banking news, 2008 was another good year for Bristol County Savings Bank, with increased operating earnings, after additional investments in people and infrastructure.” Bristol County Savings Bank’s retained earnings closed the year at $158.3 million or 13.7% of assets, a key measurement of the Bank’s continued success. The Bank’s strong capital position ranks Bristol County Savings in the top 10% for banks with $1 billion or more in assets on the state and federal level.

Bristol County Savings Bank Board of Directors
Dennis Cody, Chairman of the Board, noted changes to the Bank’s Corporators with the retirement of Clifford Bodge and Paul Scanlon. “We thank them for their contributions to the Bank over the years,” said Cody.

The following new Corporators were elected:
In the Bank’s Dartmouth, MA market three new Corporators were elected: Jean M. MacCormack, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Kirk Franklin, President, Frank Corporation Environmental Services of New Bedford; and Kara Johnston, Vice President of Fall River Electrical Associates Co., Inc., Fall River. In the Bank’s Taunton/Raynham market two new Corporators were elected: Russel F. Martorana, President, Farrell Backlund Insurance Agency LLC, Raynham; and Attorney Jeanne Quinn, Partner of Silvia & Quinn, PC, Raynham. David A. Strauss, President of Key Container Corporation in Pawtucket was elected a Corporator. in the Bank’s Pawtucket, Rhode Island market.

Anawon Trust
Paul Tucker, President of Anawon Trust, a division of Bristol County Savings Bank, reported that 2008 was a challenging year. Despite the erosion in the value of equity and fixed income securities, assets under management closed at the end of the year at $173.7 million.

Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation
2008 marked the 12th year of operation for the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation, which was established as part of the Bank’s 150th anniversary celebrations back in 1996. During 2008 the number of requests for assistance continued to increase and the Foundation was able to respond with a record $767,834 in total funding, assisting 115 different local organizations located throughout the Bank’s service area.

Bristol County Savings Bank
Bristol County Savings Bank is a full service financial institution offering commercial lending, personal and business banking, and mortgage services. The key words at Bristol County Savings Bank are: “Commitment, Stability, and Community,” values that are combined with state-of-the-art technology to meet the needs of its customers. A dedicated local community bank for over
162 years, Bristol County Savings Bank is actively involved in giving back to all the communities it serves both through financial support and the volunteerism of its people.

Founded in 1846, Bristol County Savings has $1.1 billion in assets. With the addition of Farrell Backlund Insurance, the Bank now has over 300 employees in Southeastern MA and RI. The Bank’s 10 full service banking offices are located in: Taunton, MA (2); Raynham, MA (2); Rehoboth, MA; Attleboro, MA; North Attleborough, MA; Franklin, MA; Dartmouth, MA; and Pawtucket, RI as well as a loan production office in Fall River, MA; and two Educational Branch Offices at Taunton High School and Attleboro High School.

The Main Office and Corporate headquarters of Bristol County Savings Bank are located on Broadway in Taunton, MA. For additional information please call 508-824-6626, or visit www.bristolcountysavings.com.

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