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Building Success: This Month's Industry Highlights
✓ LiUNA and IUPAT Sign Transformational Agreement
✓ BOSS Steel Inc. Constructs New Convent in New York
✓ New LiUNA Headquarters Dedicated to Armand E. Sabitoni
✓ T.J. McCartney Building Named Amongst U.S. Winners for CertainTeed's Gypsum Trophy Awards
✓ 4th Annual BTEA Golf Tournament to benefit the TJG Fund
This summer is packed with member news! See how BTEA members are strengthening our industry and check out new Fall programming now live for registration.
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Armand E. Sabitoni, LiUNA General Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus and Joseph Mancinelli, LiUNA International VP and Canadian Director
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LiUNA and IUPAT Sign Transformational Agreement
The Laborers International Union of North American and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades have signed a historic agreement to coordinate strategy, strengthen organizing, and build worker power together. The partnership was announced at the 2026 LIUNA Multi-Regional Conference. LiUNA has made it clear that this is an alliance, not a merger, with the goal of expanding market share and opportunities.
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BOSS Steel Inc. Constructs New Convent in New York
Over the past year, BTEA member BOSS Steel Inc., together with its partners in Local 7 and Local 12 in Albany, has helped construct a new convent in Upstate New York for the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior.
BOSS Steel President Brian Benson first learned about the project while the Sisters were in Florida teaching catechism lessons to children. “They had mentioned they were putting up a steel building, and I offered to get involved to make sure the pricing was fair,” Benson said. After reviewing the bids, Benson realized he could help deliver the project at a better value, ultimately donating over $1 million worth of construction.
The project also created a meaningful training opportunity for Local 12 in Albany, which was looking for hands-on learning for its apprentices. “I had reached out to Local 12 to ask about opportunities to work together on the project, and Business Manager Eric Brugeman was looking for on-job training for their apprentices,” Benson said. The timing worked out for BOSS Steel and Local 12 to collaborate on a project that gives back to the community.
The convent, located in Round Top, New York, is currently just under halfway toward its $20 million fundraising goal. Anyone interested in contributing to their fundraiser can do so at their website here: https://www.daughtersofmary.net/give/.
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New LiUNA Headquarters Dedicated to Armand E. Sabitoni
LiUNA marked the opening and dedication of the Armand E. Sabitoni New England Laborers’ Training Headquarters in Hopkinton on Tuesday, June 23, recognizing Sabitoni’s decades of leadership and his influence on union training throughout the region. The dedication marked a fitting tribute to an unparalleled leader.
Sabitoni began as a member of Laborers’ Local 271 in Providence and went on to hold leadership positions throughout LiUNA, including at the local, district council, regional, and international levels. In 2001, he became LiUNA’s General Secretary-Treasurer while continuing to serve as New England Regional Manager, representing tens of thousands of Laborers across the region.
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T.J. McCartney Building Named Amongst U.S. Winners for CertainTeed's Gypsum Trophy Awards
T.J. McCartney earned regional recognition for its drywall and interior construction work on the Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) Buildings 3 & 5, a major mixed-use development in Boston.
As a regional winner, T.J. McCartney will now advance to the North American Gypsum Trophy Awards in September 2026 in San Diego, where it will compete against the top drywall contractors from across the U.S. and Canada. Winners there may go on to represent North America at the Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy Awards in Madrid in 2027.
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2026 Power Forward Champion Honoree
On behalf of Gala Chair, The Honorable Martin J. Walsh, and Power Forward Founder, Kevin Stevens, we are thrilled to announce that Thomas S. Gunning has been named the Power Forward Champion Honoree this year for his work to combat substance use disorder throughout the union building trades. Please consider joining us to support recovery efforts and Power Forward's Sober Living Scholarships: REGISTER
| | We love to highlight our members! Awards, events, news to share about your company? Please email Katie (katie@btea.com) |
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Bay State Rises to 15th for Businesses, Dragged Down by Costs
MA rose to 15th overall in CNBC’s top states for business ranking in 2026, though it still faces challenges due to how much it costs to do business here. MA's overall ranking is up five places from 2025. The 2026 study ranked the Bays State first in education, sixth in access to capital, and eighth in technology and innovation. The state was, for the second year in a row, ranked 49th for cost of doing business.
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Healey Slams Brakes on Data Center Tax Incentives
The state will not accept applications for data center tax incentives until further notice, Gov. Healey announced as she simultaneously rolled out the guidance that she had pledged would focus on energy independence and environmental impacts. Healey said the hold on applications for the 20-year sales and use tax exemption for qualified data centers, which she agreed to as part of a 2024 economic development law, will remain in effect “until we have strong protections in place for our residents and communities against higher gas and electric bills.”
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JLL Finds 'Remarkable Change' In Greater Boston's Lab Demand
The number of tenants looking for space in the region increased from 28 to 49 from the first quarter to the second, according to JLL’s latest market report, which called this a "remarkable change" in demand. The region’s life sciences market benefited from more than 2.4M SF of leasing activity in the first half of the year, including renewals, representing the second-highest-ever volume during a first half, according to JLL.
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| What A Recent Massachusetts Ruling Means for Prompt Payments in Construction | | |
A new ruling out of MA helps clarify how contractors and subcontractors can navigate payment disputes while fulfilling contractual and legal requirements. The ruling could also offer insights into how these situations play out in other states. The June 26 MA Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling underscored how contractors need to follow the letter of the law when withholding disputed payments, say legal experts. However, the case also points to a broader lack of understanding around prompt payment laws in construction in the first place, attorneys say.
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| | Wu Nominates Housing Developer to BPDA Board | | |
A housing developer would fill a vacancy on the BPDA board created by the retirement of longtime member Ted Landsmark. Mayor Wu picked Felicia Jacques of Maloney Development to succeed Landsmark on the five-member board.
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| | 11th-Hour Senate Move Could Upend Tax Rebate Ballot Question | | |
A majority of senators are coalescing around a late-term push to repeal the law known as Chapter 62F, which would both wipe out the statutory artifact that four years ago forced Beacon Hill to return billions of dollars to taxpayers and also neuter a measure set to go before voters this fall.
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| | Collins Pitches Rival Property Tax Proposal | | |
State Sen. Nick Collins is back for another round in his fight over Boston tax policy with Mayor Wu. This comes as he faces a Wu-backed challenger on the campaign trail. The Senate unanimously adopted a Collins property tax proposal into a larger economic development bill, which would increase property tax exemptions and raise the limits on income and asset eligibility for older homeowners. It also gives cities and towns the option to tap surpluses for rebates to homeowners who received a residential exemption in the previous fiscal year.
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Weymouth Naval base redevelopment advances with key site purchase
A joint venture that’s building a giant mixed-use development at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station has bought an undeveloped piece of the property that it says will allow for the project to take “a major step forward.” The project will include roughly 2M SF of commercial development, as well as 6,500 homes.
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Wentworth starts construction on a $200 million all-electric dorm
Wentworth Institute of Technology is building a 202,000 SF, all-electric dorm in the heart of its Fenway campus. The school formally secured a bond from MassDevelopment for the $200M project on July 6. Pike Residence Hall at 380 Ruggles St. is designed to be 18 stories tall with 972 student beds, student-amenity spaces, dining and more. The all-electric and passive housing is one of the first of its kind in the state.
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Mass DOT seeks bids for $1B mixed-use development on a 20-acre waterfront development in Fall River: READ MORE
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$93M Renovation Announced for Springfield MassMutual Center: READ MORE
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NYC Officials ordered the partial construction stoppage of a 3rd office to residential conversion building in the city, highlighting the challenges of rigorous inspections and compliance in the fast-paced field. Read More.
- The Turner Building Cost Index rose 5.2% YOY in the 2nd quarter, providing further evidence that construction costs are increasing on an annual basis, even as monthly numbers point to certain price declines.
- Gilbane has announced that Robert Dillard, previously at KB Home, has been named the new CFO following Robert Murrary's retirement.
- Procore to acquire DroneDeploy for $845M, combining Procore's hundreds of millions of drawings and photos with DroneDeploy’s 20 trillion SF of visual data.
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The Federal Reserve held the main interest rate at a range between 3.5% and 3.75%. The decision came after a two-day meeting, as the central bank keeps a firm focus on its dual mandate and seeks to foster price stability amid conflict and “elevated uncertainty” in the Middle East.
- The FBI warned of ongoing Iranian-affiliated cyberattacks of water and wastewater treatment centers resulting in operational disruption and financial loss in at least 7 states, highlighting vulnerabilities across the US.
- Deal value for PE fell 37.5% quarter over quarter in Q2 to $177.3B with large financing-dependent deals stalling the most. While software dropped 65.7% YOY, energy is up 80.5% year-to-date, with the same AI thesis driving both moves.
- The Senate included authorization for speeding cameras in MA into a $575M economic development package via an amendment, which is a measure Gov. Healey has long pushed for. It now heads into House-Senate negotiations.
- Panera Bread announced it will be moving its headquarters from St. Louis to Weston, MA next year, signing a 102K SF lease with a 12-year deal term.
- Logistics properties in the Boston area are selling for significant prices as companies seek to boost their shipping capabilities. The latest is a $45M deal for a warehouse spanning only 17K SF on Route 1 in Revere.
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