Meridian Construction leverages new partnership

GILFORD — Coordinating subcontractors and skilled craftsmen is a challenge, especially in growing a construction business. It’s also hard to find and keep skilled, reliable workers full-time in this labor market, especially while the economy continues to grow with record low unemployment.

For the construction industry to satisfy demand, having enough workers to fill crews is among the biggest challenges. Meridian Construction’s core team of project managers, tradespeople and dedicated subcontractors have always served clients reliably, but had to think outside the box about how to maintain a growth strategy in a tight labor market.

In January, Meridian Construction started plans for a management agreement with Mark Carrier Construction, Inc. in Manchester.

The management partnership has given the two companies the ability to grow not only geographically but also in terms of contractor, vendor and client relationships. MCCI has built strong business relationships throughout Southern New Hampshire and into Massachusetts, while Meridian’s established network covers all of New Hampshire from Nashua to the North Country.

“We’re discovering that we’re stronger together,” said Meridian’s President Tim Long, after a meeting at MCCI’s Manchester office. “Carrier’s people are great to work with...they’re starting to appreciate Meridian’s organizational skills and have come to value the people we bring to the table. By the same token we’ve found some very talented men and women on their team who’ve been extremely helpful and welcoming to our management philosophy. It’s definitely a win-win situation.”

Long addressed the challenges of growing within a tight labor market. He said the partnership is working well. “Having Carrier’s people working with Meridian’s management team and our proven systems has given both companies extra leverage to take on more projects suited to our business model. From a few conversations I’ve had, it’s given our companies an even higher level of respect in the market.”