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2023 Construction Business of the Year: PROCON

Published Thursday May 25, 2023

Author Scott Merrill

PROCON

Jen Stebbins Thomas and John Stebbins, managing directors of PROCON, Business NH Magazine's 2023 Business of the Year in the Construction/Engineering/Real Estate category.


 

Founded in 1935, PROCON in Hooksett is one of the oldest privately held, family-owned and operated design-build firms in the United States. It is now being run by the fourth generation of the Stebbins family, siblings Jen Stebbins Thomas and John Stebbins. The managing directors took over the family business in 2021 after the sudden passing of their father, Mark Stebbins.

When their father took over from their grandfather, it was still relatively small, Jen says, adding that one of the things their father did was hire architects, engineers and designers. “When you’re a client, you normally go out and hire an architect and a builder. What our dad did was bring architects into the contractor space,  and now everyone plays on the same team; everyone needs to row in same direction,” she says.

The company, which employs 150 people, now has 50 in-house architects, engineers and designers. “We consider ourselves a fully design-build integrated solution. It’s one stop and everyone is in the same building working on the team for people,” Jen says. And the model works, with more than 95% of PROCON’s work coming from repeat business.

Robert Slater, president of Southern NH Poured Concrete Construction in Londonderry, has worked with PROCON on several projects. “They have some of the best people in the industry running projects,” he says, adding that PROCON often answers questions in minutes, “which saves a tremendous amount on the cost of projects. That has been one the biggest things they bring to the plate— their in-house people are always available, and that puts them at the top of the chain in the construction industry.”

Among the major projects PROCON is currently working on are two large buildings on Boylston Street in Boston for the Kraft Group and a five-story mixed-use building for the Tuscan Village development in Salem, says John. “Our father stressed being fair with people and not just trying to squeeze the most out of each transaction,” he says. “It’s a partnership with everyone involved. We want to have
ongoing relationships.”

That includes supporting the community. PROCON gives back extensively to nonprofits, including Waypoint, Easterseals, Granite United Way, Granite YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of Manchester and others. PROCON has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 60 years for Granite United Way, including $110,000 in 2021.

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