Locations
Congress Companies
Vice President of Preconstruction Services
Key Contacts
Owners, Principals & Senior Executives
Charlene Nicholson 's Bio
Charlene joined The Congress Companies in 1993 as Administrative Assistant and has since worked her way through the ranks to Director of Asset Management. Her long history with the company and dedication to the business have made a significant impact over the years as she has helped Congress to evolve and grow. Her strong organizational, management and scheduling skills and ability to lead effectively make Charlene a driving force behind Congress' administrative and managerial branches.
As Director of Asset Management, Charlene is responsible for managing all of Congress' properties. Her responsibilities include maintaining the physical plant, occupancy and all purchasing for the properties.
She served as an Administrative Assistant for Congress until she went on to become the Office Manager and Executive Assistant, a position she held until 2013.
Charlene is certified by the Timberline Construction Estimating Program. She has been trained in Prolog and is also proficient with all major construction project management and property management software programs. She is a current member of the Massachusetts Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC MA), the Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association (Mass-ALFA), and the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.
Edward O. Tabor III's Bio
A financial expert with nearly 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Ed Tabor is an accomplished, results-oriented Financial Officer with expertise in financial restructuring, cost management, and mergers and acquisitions. He has a proven track record of success instituting cost saving measures as well as process improvement and is highly skilled in increasing profitability and cash flow.
For nearly 20 years, Ed held the position of Controller and Treasurer for Deck House, Inc. of Acton, Massachusetts, a builder, designer, and manufacturer of panelized homes using post and beam construction.
At Deck House, Ed led the financial due diligence and bank financing efforts that led to acquisition of Acorn Structures in 1995 and the subsequent restructuring of the merger of these two companies. Ed helped reduce the company's investment and market value risk in model homes by negotiating nine joint venture model home agreements that created off balance sheet financing for these models, reducing investment in model homes from $3.5 million to $1.3 million.
Ed's subsequent role was as Vice President of Finance and CFO for Empyrean International, LLC of Acton, the designer and manufacturer of Deck House, Acorn Home, and Dwell Home.
In his role at Empyrean, Ed was responsible for the supervision of accounting, human resources, payroll, mailroom, reception/switchboard and IT staff. He managed and strengthened financial and administrative processes as well as identified strategic and financial opportunities to support increased customer value, growth, profitability, and cash flow. One of Ed's significant achievements at Empyrean was spearheading the financial restructuring of the company to return to profitability, improving gross profit margin by 17% and reducing SG&A expenses by 24%.
Early in his career, Ed held the position of Staff Accountant and Senior Auditor at Price Waterhouse & Company in Boston, Massachusetts. He also held the position of Independent Sales Agent for AFLAC, a provider of supplemental employee benefits, in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Ed joined The Congress Companies in November 2011 in the role of Chief Financial Officer.
He earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Accounting from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Ed is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant.
Peter Doran's Bio
Peter Doran joined The Congress Companies as Chief Estimator in 2009 bringing with him 20 years of construction industry experience both in the U.S. and the U.K. He was promoted to Director of Pre-Construction Services in 2014.
In this capacity, Peter provides total pre-construction management including construction quantity surveys and analysis, projects constructability and means and methods evaluation, budget preparation and bid analysis, specifications and drawings review as well as construction scheduling, bid solicitation and evaluation, contract negotiations, cost management and reporting. Additionally, he lends his expertise to the firm's Project Managers to ensure overall cost, quality, schedule and delivery commitments are met or exceeded.
Continuing to serve as Congress' Chief Estimator, Peter plays a key role in the pre-construction process by listening to the business and building needs of clients and translating them into a strategic budgetary plan. Early in the pre-construction process, Peter provides accurate conceptual and schematic cost estimates, value engineering, and building systems alternatives. His involvement verifies that each project can be completed on budget and he is essential in assisting Congress' clients in securing proper financing. In addition, Peter is responsible for all estimating activities of the firm, including design development and final estimates of cost as designs progress. From coordination of budgeting, obtaining and evaluating subcontractor pricing, and ensuring compliance with scopes of work, Peter's responsibilities are instrumental in moving projects successfully from pre-construction to the construction phase.
Prior to joining Congress, Peter held the position of Senior Estimator for Suffolk Construction, and the Lee Kennedy Company, both of Boston, MA. In these roles, Peter was responsible for performing pre-construction service for owners and architects including budget presentation and construction feasibility as well as presenting value engineering options. Additionally, Peter prepared detailed conceptual estimates and quantity surveys, reviewed historical cost data, and created project schedules.
Peter's expertise has been instrumental in securing notable construction projects including the $110 million Legacy Place Shopping Center project in Dedham, MA, the $19 million New England Regional Council of Carpenters Headquarters office building in Boston, MA, and the $65 million Widener Library Renovation Phase I and II at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.
Peter earned his Construction Technician Diploma from Bolton Street College of Technology, Dublin 1, Ireland and holds a Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License. He is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Building, Ascot, England.
William Nicholson's Bio
For more than 30 years, William Nicholson has been an integral member of The Congress Companies management team. Carrying on in the tradition of his father and uncle, the founding members of the firm, he is the second generation of the Nicholson family to build on the company's legacy of planning and constructing high quality buildings and lasting client relationships.
As the Chief Executive Officer of The Congress Companies, Bill leads the executive management team and oversees all facets of the business. His dedication to listening to client needs, ensuring effective planning, delivering outstanding construction outcomes, and ability to forge strong client bonds have set the tone for the company's Commitment to Quality.
Bill maintains oversight of all services provided by Congress, including Pre-Construction activities. His firm belief that the best construction jobs are planned well in advance of mobilization of work has shaped the firm's signature approach to Pre-Construction Strategy.
In his role, he remains closely involved with the firm's projects, receiving detailed reports from Project Managers who report directly to him with progress. Additionally, Bill contributes to business development activities, negotiation of new client contracts, and supervises Pre-Construction, estimating, and true value engineering activities.
Bill has served as Principal-in-Charge on more than 30 construction projects in the Senior Living/Health Care, Multi-Family, and Educational market sectors.
Since 1995, he has also served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Congress Companies' property management group, PCE Management, LLC, where he is responsible for overseeing the management of elderly housing and commercial properties.
Bill is a graduate of Babson College, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Estimating, Purchasing & Preconstruction
Christina Nicholson 's Bio
In her role as Vice President of Preconstruction Services, Christina directly manages the client and estimating at all stages of design, value engineering, and procurement for all of the company’s projects. With an emphasis on value added, Christina collaborates with the firm’s experienced construction personnel to ensure a seamless transition from precon to construction operations.
Christina began her career at The Congress Companies in 1999 and has held several positions within the company since then. Starting in the administrative department, she moved on to become a Project Administrator and has worked as an Estimator since 2012. With over 20 years of experience in various capacities at Congress, Christina has a wealth of knowledge about the senior housing and multi-residential housing construction industry. Her strong work ethic, high energy level and drive make her a key member of the Congress team.
Christina has also worked as an Interior Designer for Design East Interiors in Exeter, NH, an interior design company in the multifamily and active adult market sectors. In this role, she created proposals, did drafting and space planning, furniture cuts, and directed onsite installations. She also helped prepare designs for interior elements for the firm's projects.
Christina earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from Mount Ida College in Newton, MA, where she was a member of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. She has experience in Construction Management Software Programs including Prolog, Procore, Viewpoint and Timberline and is skilled in multiple computer design programs.
Operations
Jeffrey Bennett's Bio
With over 13 years of experience, Jeffrey was welcomed to the Congress team in 2014 as Director of Business Development. A results-oriented professional, Jeffrey's work experience spans sales, operations and brand development for several nationally renowned organizations. His ability to negotiate, lead and communicate effectively is critical to his position at Congress.
In this role, Jeffrey is responsible for Congress' business development, including prospecting new business opportunities and cultivating and maintaining client relations and growth within the firm's target markets throughout New England, New York and New Jersey.
At the start of his career, Jeffrey worked as an Investment Broker in Institutional Sales for Bear, Stearns & Company in Boston, MA and later joined Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Company, also in Boston, as an Account Executive in Investments.
Jeffrey served as Director of Business Development for Bruss Construction, Inc. of New Hampshire and played an integral role in the formation of its subsidiary, Integrated Building Energy Associates, LLC. His responsibilities included sales management, maintaining and expanding relationships with clients, developers, architects, municipalities, nonprofits and private educational institutions while strengthening the company brand and reputation as the sustainable builder of choice in New Hampshire.
Before joining Congress, Jeffrey was the Director of Sales and Marketing for PeakCM, LLC, a construction management firm with offices in Vermont and Florida, where he was responsible for expanding and maintaining relationships with clients, developers, architects, hospitality management firms, equity investors and stakeholders for projects ranging from $5M to $50M. He also initiated company-wide marketing efforts, designed and produced the company's marketing collateral, and developed negotiated commercial construction opportunities to ensure sales forecasts and profitability goals were met.
Jeffrey earned a Bachelor's degree in History from Elon University in Elon, NC. He possesses a Master's Certificate in Sustainable Design from Boston Architectural College and is a graduate of the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Hampshire and Vermont Future Leaders in Construction program. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Chapter of the United States Green Building Council.
Joshua Roccapriore 's Bio
In his role as Senior Project Manager, Josh is responsible for a project’s end product and each phase of the construction process, including architectural design and blueprinting. In addition, he facilitates communication with architects, clients, vendors, and Congress’ Project Management staff to ensure quality construction completion from beginning to end.
Josh joined the Congress team in 2010 serving as Assistant Superintendent, Assistant Project Manager, Project Engineer and Project Manager. Josh has worked on numerous successful construction projects in the skilled nursing, assisted living and multifamily sectors. Josh is a highly qualified construction manager and a leader in our operations group.
Josh began his career working as a cabinetmaker for Roger’s Sash and Door Company in Newington, CT. While there, his responsibilities included the building of custom doors, cabinets and mantles, as well as training and supervising new shop employees. He went on to hold a position as a framer for East Construction in Oakdale, CT. Prior to joining The Congress Companies, Josh worked as a Technology and Engineering Education Teacher in Industrial Arts for the Consolidated School District of New Britain where he taught Wood Shop, Construction and Automotive courses.
Josh received a B.S. degree in Education from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT where he graduated with honors and was inducted to Epsilon Pi Tau, the CCSU chapter of the International Honor Society for Industrial Arts and Vocational Industrial Education. He holds an unrestricted Massachusetts Construction Supervisor’s License.
Richard Williams 's Bio
With more than 30 years’ experience in the construction industry and 20 years as a Superintendent, Richard joined The Congress Companies as a Project Superintendent in 2005. His diverse expertise in carpentry, plumbing and HVAC as well as in project supervision and management have provided him with the skills necessary to complete complex projects, making him a dynamic addition to the Congress team.
In 2015 Richard assumed the role of General Superintendent. Richard is responsible for supervising, managing and organizing onsite trade personnel and all field operations.
Richard started his career working as a Carpenter for various Connecticut-based companies and eventually worked his way up to Carpenter Foreman, where he was responsible for the supervision of renovation projects.
Richard first became a Project Superintendent in 1994 and has since been in charge of supervising multimillion dollar projects including multiple renovations for Yale University, the construction of a new $6M social center and dormitory at Trinity College in Hartford, CT and renovations to the Hartford, CT Railroad. He has been responsible for coordination and scheduling, quality control, safety enforcement, supervision of all trades, conducting daily jobsite OSHA inspections and documenting projects’ progress.
As Superintendent for Congress, Richard’s projects have included construction of The Residence at Brookside, a $16 million, 74-unit assisted living facility in Avon, CT, construction and renovation of the $15 million, 100,000 square-foot, 186-bed Bel Air Health Center, a long-term care and rehabilitation center in Milwaukee, WI, construction of the $18 million, 120-bed, 67,000 square-foot Forest Manor Health Care Center with a dedicated Alzheimer’s unit, in Hope, NJ, and construction of a $12 million, 36,000 square-foot expansion and renovation of the Golden Pond Assisted Living in Hopkinton, MA.
Richard received his Associate of Science Degree in Building Construction from Tunxis Community College in Farmington, CT. He is the recipient of the Certificate in Civil Construction. He attended E.C. Goodwin Vocational Technical School in New Britain, CT where he studied carpentry, electrical, plumbing and drafting.
Shannon Roy 's Bio
Shannon Roy joined the Congress team in 2017 as an Assistant Project Manager with over a decade of industry experience.
Prior to joining Congress, she was an Assistant Project Manager with Falcon Construction in Boston, a focused franchise builder. Before working at Falcon, she worked as an Assistant Project Manager for the Retail division of Shawmut Design & Construction. In this role she managed a variety of critical project needs, from initial SOW creation to project close-out requirements. She also operated as a Project Engineer for Wayne J .Griffin Electric, where she performed quantity take-offs, created buy-out packages, and managed a wide range of essential project elements throughout her tenure.
Shannon’s diverse project management background spans a wide range of industries and verticals. Her role in managing subcontractors and suppliers, site activities and project deadlines is vital in ensuring quality end results for Congress’ construction projects.
Shannon has worked on major Congress projects over the last year, most notably Solana Ridgefield, which is an 82,000 sqft Assisted Living Facility located in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Shannon is OSHA certified, and experienced with CMiC, AutoCAD, Millennium Database, Sketch Up, Bluebeam, and Primavera P3 Schedule Software. She holds a B.S. in Construction Management from the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Tim Corsetti 's Bio
As Vice President of Operations, Tim oversees the Project Management Department including all team managers assigned to Congress’ building projects. In addition, he works closely with Congress’ VP of Preconstruction to ensure a seamless transition from preconstruction, planning, estimating, and procurement to the active construction phase of the firm’s projects.
Tim joined the Congress team in 2017 as a Project Manager working on successful projects, most notably the $40 million 160-bed White Plains Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, an 110,000 sq. ft. 160-bed Skilled Nursing Facility located in White Plains, New York.
He previously served as a Site Superintendent & Project Manager for Monitor Builders of Boston, which specializes in renovations and new construction of hospitals throughout New England. Tim also served as Project Manager for construction projects in Skilled Nursing and Cannabis sectors, using Design/Build and CM delivery methods. Prior to this role, he operated as a Foreman with Empire Design & Construction, which focuses on state and public sector site work packages.
Tim’s varied background in project management, estimating, and architecture contributes strongly to the successful implementation of Congress’ projects. He plays an important role in ensuring continuous momentum and quality control during all phases of preconstruction and site construction activities.
Tim studied Architecture at the Boston Architectural College. In addition to being OSHA- Certified, Tim has deep experience in Construction Management Software including Procore, Viewpoint, Timberline, Primavera, AutoCAD, Microsoft Project, GCS, Earthworks, Glue360 DocuSign, and Bluebeam.
Victor Guller 's Bio
With over 30 years of industry experience, Victor Guller returned to the Congress family in 2018 as Senior Project Manager. His extensive experience in project management, budgeting, design-build and GMP projects help Congress to deliver quality results.
Victor previously worked with Congress from 1995-2002 as a Senior Project Manager on several major projects throughout New England including the $10 million Summer Avenue School in Springfield, MA, $10 million Bennett-Hemingway School in Natick, MA, $14 million Paul Nettle School in Haverhill, MA and the $14 million Sprague School in Wellesley, MA all of which were start to finish builds. In addition, he led the team on the $15 million Whitney Place project, a 135,000 square foot, full serviced integrated health care facility including 53 beds of skilled nursing and 88 units of assisted living.
Most recently, Victor served as Senior Project Manager on high volume condominium and apartment projects in the New England area as well as the $12 million renovation of the Ferncroft Sheraton Hotel in Danvers, MA. Prior to this role, he was a Project Manager for the $30 million Canton High School, $21 million Holliston High School and $16 million East Boston High School projects.
Victor is currently working on the 82,000 square foot Solana Ridgefield project, an assisted living facility in Ridgefield, CT.
Victor studied at the Institute of Technology at Dushanbe in the former USSR. He is a Licensed Construction Supervisor in the state of Massachusetts and is LEED certified.
Business Development, Marketing & Sales
Edward Dann's Bio
Ed Dann recently joined Congress as Vice President of Business Development. With over 30 years of experience in sales, operations and brand development for several nationally renowned organizations, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the Congress team. In this role, Dann is responsible for Congress’ business development goals including prospecting new business opportunities and cultivating and maintaining client relations and growth within the firm’s target markets throughout New England.
Most recently Dann served as Vice President of NE Business Development with EMJ Construction in Waltham, MA where he fostered substantial growth nationally and created $2B worth of qualified pipeline. Prior to that he served as Vice President of Business Development with Dellbrook/JKS where he and his peers facilitated growth from $23M to $350M in annual volume over 7.5 years.
Earlier in his career, Ed held positions as Director of Business Development at G & R Construction in Quincy, MA and TLT Construction Corp. in Wakefield, MA where he managed 500+ projects valued in excess of $1B. Dann’s substantial network will go a long way in helping our clients reach their development goals.
Other
Kim Jackson 's Bio
Kim Jackson joined The Congress Companies in 2013 as Executive Assistant and Office Manager, with extensive experience in both positions. With strong organizational, interpersonal and management skills and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment, Kim's talents are an asset to the Congress team. Kim's responsibilities include maintaining the executive calendar, travel and administrative support for the CEO, coordinating daily functions and operations with Project Managers, Accounting and Estimating Departments, supervising and training the Administrative Staff, and overseeing the production of subcontractor contracts, purchase orders, insurance, bonds and correspondence. She also coordinates marketing and website activities and manages the IT performance for both the corporate office and remote locations.
Prior to joining Congress, Kim worked for 13 years as an Executive Assistant and Office Manager for iMarc, a full-service digital agency located in Newburyport, MA where she was responsible for developing and maintaining the customer database and implementing all activities for outbound marketing campaigns. She assisted all departments with facility management, banking, coordinating internal and external events, and overseeing the calendars and schedules of company officers.
Kim began her career working as a Project Administrator for Exodus Communications, an Internet hosting service and Internet service provider to dot-com businesses located in the Boston area. Her duties included identifying new business opportunities, generating lead information reports used by the company sales force and providing administrative support to the Vice President of Corporate Sales.
Kim received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, MA.