Since 1969, J.H. Maxymillian has provided thousands of construction and engineering jobs throughout the Berkshires and New England. This month, we are happy to spotlight J.H. Maxymillian President Neal Maxymillian, for his outstanding service to our community. For four decades, the Berkshire-based family business has created and reinforced critical infrastructure, protecting the natural beauty that visitors and locals enjoy every day. They have also provided support to over 220 organizations, including local and national charities under the auspices that “together, we can make a difference in our communities.”
Neal Maxymillian began working in the family business at the age of 14. Most of his family originally comes from North Adams; his grandfather was the Chairman of Sprague Electric. Neal grew up in the Berkshires, spending his formative years in Pittsfield Public Schools and Berkshire Country Day School. Every summer, he held a position at J.H. Maxymillian, learning the job at every level of the family business. He went on to study civil engineering and economics at Tufts University in Boston, graduating from college in 1987 and took his degree to Wall Street.
While working in New York City, Neal began consulting with his father about the formation of a new environmental arm of J.H. Maxymillian: Clean Berkshires, Inc. He left New York for business school at Dartmouth, where he earned his MBA in 1992. After graduation, Neal opened the Boston Maxymillian office and turned his focus to growing business in the Greater New England area. Over time, Clean Berkshires took on a new identity as Maxymillian Technologies, and in 2004, Neal became President of both companies.
As trips between Boston and the Western Massachusetts grew in frequency, Neal and his family felt it was necessary to make a permanent move back to the Berkshires. Among the many reasons for why Neal and his family made the move is the quality of life, access to nature and the outdoors, and the proximity to metropolitan areas. From skiing and golfing to the varied cultural attractions and locally sourced food movement, the Berkshires had everything Neal’s family was looking for in a place to call home.
“I feel connected to a long history of employing people in Berkshire County, and can’t imagine doing it anywhere else,” stated Neal Maxymillian, President, J.H. Maxymillian.
Neal and J.H. Maxymillian are still making history in New England. You can see them at work in Greenfield, MA with ongoing remediation of a manufactured gas plant site, modernizing the tolls at exits 1 and 2 of the Mass Pike, and dredging the canals of the former Fishville Mills in Grafton, MA. What is bringing them positive attention most recently is their commitment to providing a living wage to all of their employees.
When Neal’s father founded J.H.Maxymillian, he had a vision of how he wanted his employees to be treated. He believed in doing what he could to help his employees, whether it was helping with personal finances or hiring people that may not have been able to find a job. Neal and his team are committed to continuing the legacy that his father began by ensuring that all of their employees make a fair wage that is able to support them.
1Berkshire applauds J.H.Maxymillian and Neal Maxymillian for going above and beyond in their commitment to their employees – something that will surely draw people to work and live in the Berkshires.