Our welcoming entry was decked out for the 125th anniversary celebration
The number “125” holds special meaning this year to The Thompson & Lichtner Co., Inc. (T&L), a women-owned engineering consulting and construction materials testing company located in Canton, Massachusetts as it marked its 125th anniversary.
To commemorate this milestone year, a special celebration took place in their 10,000 sq. ft. office and laboratory at 480 Neponset St 11A on Thursday, October 21st. Canton Selectman John Connolly presented the company with a Proclamation declaring that day to be the “Thompson & Lichtner, Inc. Day”. Also attending the celebration were Representative Bill Galvin and Senator Walter Timilty. Rep. Galvin presented T&L with an Official Citation from the House of Representatives, and Senator Timilty presented The Thompson & Lichtner Co. with an Official Citation from the State Senate. The company also received an Official Citation from the Governor’s office, signed by Governor Baker. In addition, the evening included a presentation about T&L’s rich history and a presentation about a selection of the services the company provides, plus live music, refreshments (including a “boat” of raw oysters from Island Creek Oysters), a 125th anniversary autograph board (“put your autograph down and be part of our future history”), and a business card drawing for $125.00, “wrapped” in a concrete cylinder with a dollar bill bow (winner: Michael Bolt, CFO, ENE Systems, Inc., one of our “neighbors”).
“At the beginning of the pandemic we were categorized as an Essential Business. That designation truly captures the importance of our services. The range of testing, quality control, advisory, and forensic services we provide to the construction industry, particularly in this time of climate change and extreme weather conditions, is essential to building health and safety”, says CEO Anne Heywood. “And that translates to human health and safety.”
The firm counts as its many clients over the years Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and has worked on numerous iconic buildings and sites such as Rowes Wharf, Logan Airport, the Ray & Maria Stata Center, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and the White House.
Founded in 1896 by Sanford E. Thompson, an MIT-trained civil engineer and Frederick W. Taylor, an industrial management engineer, T&L’s initial focus was industrial management. In 1925, a construction materials testing lab was added, eventually making Thompson & Lichtner the first engineering firm in the country performing design, operating a testing laboratory, and supervising construction. Their Construction Materials Testing Laboratory, certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Building Code Commission as Concrete Testing Laboratory Number 001, continues its operation today, along with its engineering consulting and testing division, which now focuses on building enclosure services, particularly in areas of weatherproofing.
Some fun photos and one Video (reading and presenting of Town of Canton Proclamation) of our celebration:
Ian Hudson, keyboard player, provided the live music
Selectman John Connolly adds his signature to the Autograph Board
Autograph Board
A Close up of a section of our Autograph Board
More autographs!
Visitors start arriving
Donna Carbone, Lab Data Clerk, greets visitors
125th Anniversary Cake
President Mike Vielmetti and CEO Anne Heywood cut the 125th anniversary cake
Raw Oyster Bar from Island Creek Oysters
T&L “Crew”, from left to right, Samuel Jerome, Building Enclosure Technician; Sherri Pugh, Bookkeeper; Mark Weisenmiller, Sr. Inspector and Specialist, Weatherproofing Services; Mike Vielmetti, President; Girum Retta, Lab Supervisor/Sr. Construction Inspector
T&L’s Key Personnel, left to right, CEO Anne Heywood; President Mike Vielmetti; Director of Lab and Sr. Engineer Anni Autio; Sr. Architect Richard Keleher; Director of Building Enclosure Services Reza Foyouzi; Sr. Weatherproofing Consultant Pete Dalton
At the presentation; left to right, Reza Foyouzi, Director of Building Enclosure Services; Town of Canton Selectman John Connolly; Senator Walter Timilty; Representative Bill Galvin; Sr. Weatherproofing Consultant Pete Dalton; and Allison Stelling, Administrative Assistant and granddaughter of Miles N. Clair, 3rd President/CEO of The Thompson & Lichtner Co., Inc.
Representative Bill Galvin presents a congratulatory Citation from The House of Representatives to Anne Heywood, CEO
Senator Timilty presents a Citation from the Senate to Anne Heywood, CEO, upon the occasion of The Thompson & Lichtner Co., Inc.’s 125th Anniversary
Personal Lab Tours were given
Bartender Enzo
Memorabilia from a rich past, at the Thompson & Lichtner Co.’s 125th Anniversary Celebration
An accounting ledger from 1931 to 1947
Building Enclosure Staff, from left to right, Paul Comendul, Building Enclosure Technician and Designer; Reza Foyouzi, Director of Building Enclosure Services; Samuel Jerome, Building Enclosure Technician; Brenden Chapman, Fall Intern
Pulling the $125.00 Winner!
Showing off the 125 dollars in one dollar bills for the fortunate winner from left to right, Mike Vielmetti, President; Paul Comendul, Building Enclosure Technician and Designer; Holly Wenninger, Administrative Assistant; and Reza Foyouzi, Director of Building Enclosure Services