High=Profile: May 2026 | Page 10

10 High-Profile: Up-Front May 2026

Kaplan Construction Celebrates 50 Years of Building

Boston – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, marking five decades of steady growth, long-term client relationships, and a diverse portfolio of construction projects in Massachusetts.
Founded in 1976 by Ken Kaplan, the company began with modest resources: a table saw, a used filing cabinet, and a first project completed for a local cheese shop, where part of the payment came in cheese. In the years that followed, the business was run as much from kitchen tables as from job sites, reflecting the hands-on, family-driven approach that representatives of Kaplan say continues to define the company today. Kaplan remains rooted in Brookline, where its founders originally chose to locate the business within walking distance of home.
Over time, the company has expanded from its early multi-family, commercial, and historic rehabilitation work into a wide-ranging portfolio that includes institutional, academic, healthcare, life science, and residential projects. The firm’ s representatives say that Kaplan’ s consistency in relationships and operations is rooted in a deliberate, measured approach to growth. During

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( l-r): Jane Kaplan Peck, COO; Nathan Peck, president; Cathy Kaplan, founder; and Ken Kaplan, founder / Photo courtesy of Frank Monkiewicz
economic
downturns,
the
company
people,” said Nathan Peck, president of
to lead it. Together, they have advanced
prioritized retaining its workforce, with
Kaplan Construction.“ That shows up in
the integration of new technologies,
employees willing to adjust schedules and
the work itself – how a detail is handled in
streamlining workflow and increasing
compensation while continuing to build
the field, how problems are solved when
efficiency and communication in project
skills and certifications. Many of those
plans meet real conditions, and how our
management. The Kaplan team now also
early hires remain with Kaplan today,
teams take ownership of what’ s being
includes six project managers, four of
with some employees having decadeslong
built. Throughout renovations and new
whom are women. Over the years, Kaplan
tenures.
construction alike, the expectation has
has received industry recognition at both
“ From the beginning, our focus has
always been the same over the last 50
the company and individual project levels.
been on doing right by our clients and our
years: Build it carefully, stand behind it,
“ As we reach this milestone, what
and make sure it holds up over time.”
stands out most is the strength of the
In 2014, Kaplan completed a longplanned
relationships that have carried us through
leadership transition when Ken
50 years,” said Jane Kaplan Peck.
and Cathy Kaplan passed the company
“ We’ ve grown significantly in scale and
to the next generation. Today, the firm is
complexity, but the core of who we are
led by President Nathan Peck and Chief
hasn’ t changed. We’ re still a company that
Operating Officer Jane Kaplan Peck, both
values long-term thinking, accountability
of whom gained substantial experience
to our clients, and responsibility to the
outside the company before returning
communities where we build.”
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( l-r): Barry Markham, then senior project manager; Ken Kaplan, founder; Cathy Kaplan, founder; and Raymond Meers, then project manager / Photo courtesy of Kaplan Construction