History – The Foundation Established in 1857, William A. Berry & Son, Inc. prospered as a local North Shore builder, specializing in high-end carpentry and millwork. Founded by William Berry, a respected member of a prominent Danvers family, Berry is one of the oldest construction companies in the nation. The last member of the Berry family to own the company was third generation Dudley "Max" Berry. A graduate of West Point, Max Berry developed an unusual niche for his family business: moving historical buildings. From the 1940's through the mid 1980's, Berry relocated homes from New Hampshire and Vermont and rebuilt them in locations such as South Natick, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. 1984 to 2006 – Building the Business In the early 1980’s, aging Max Berry was ready to sell the company. He met with John E. Kavanagh, III, who purchased the company in 1984 with long-time friend and colleague Peter Campot. John and Peter brought complementary skills and personalities to Berry. During its first ten years under the leadership of John and Peter, Berry grew an impressive 500 percent. The company built a core of business in the Longwood Medical Area, building complex projects for institutional clients and later expanding into the Metro Boston corporate commercial market. Beginning in the early 2000s, Berry began to expand its reach into Maine, Vermont, Connecticut and western Massachusetts. With an average annual volume of approximately $250 million, Berry went from local contractor to regional construction manager. Berry moved three times to accommodate this growth, ultimately building and occupying its own 62,000 SF office building in January 2004. Passionate about delivering consistent quality to clients, John and Peter continued building on the company’s founding traditions throughout their 23 years of leadership. Ensuring that the original Berry mission and philosophy would live on, John and Peter set a tone that maintained the camaraderie of a small business and implemented the company culture in everything they did. “It’s not any one thing that you do; it’s everything you do,” says Peter. 150 Years in Business…Still Building for the Future In early 2007, John Kavanagh retired, and Peter Campot purchased full ownership of the company. He leveraged 25 years of performance, expertise and customer service to bring Berry to the next level. In 2009, Suffolk Construction acquired Berry. The Suffolk/Berry partnership brings together complementary expertise, experience and tools. For clients, this means optimum results in innovation and technology as well as expanded resources. Today, Berry has more than 250 dedicated employees and an average annual sales volume of approximately $500 million, all while maintaining an exemplary safety record. With aspirations to be the best in the industry, Berry still remains true to its essential values and strives to exceed its clients’ expectations.