Over the course of a century, many businesses come and go, but one Connecticut construction company was built to last. What began in 1919 as the New Britain House Wrecking Company has become one of the top construction conglomerates in the Northeast. From creating casinos to decommissioning nuclear power plants, Manafort Brothers Inc. has changed the landscape of our state and beyond. 

“As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, our family is honoring our past by forging a path for the future,” said Jim Manafort Jr., President of Manafort Brothers Incorporated. “David, Justin, Jason and I proudly carry on our great grandfather’s legacy, while evolving the firm as an integrated, dynamic construction and demolition contractor.”

In fact, the firm is in the process of expanding its Plainville headquarters to accommodate its continued growth. The building will be complete in Spring, 2019. The official ribbon cutting ceremony is one of many special centennial celebrations that Manafort has planned throughout the year.

The first event was an elegant evening gala that was recently held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville for more than 800 family, friends, business and industry peers and political leaders.

The fourth-generation, family-led business was founded by James Manafort, primarily for demolition. As the decades passed, the company established a superior reputation and achieved incredible success in the industry. In 1946 the company was renamed Manafort Brothers Incorporated and was managed by James Manafort's four sons; Anthony, Frank, John and Paul.

In the years that followed, the firm came to become the region's premier demolition company that was recognized year after year by Engineering News Record as a top Demolition Contractor nationwide.

As two more decades passed, the third and fourth generation led the firm to widen its focus into excavation and concrete foundation work, concrete, civil and utility, demolition, abatement and remediation, highway and bridge, nuclear decommissioning, rail and mass transit construction.

Manafort Brothers’ diverse background and experience has allowed it to develop creative, safe, and effective solutions for difficult, one-of-a-kind challenges:

• Its expertise was requested in 2001, shortly after 9/11, at Ground Zero in New York City to assist in the demolition and removal of the World Trade Center buildings.
• They were called upon for the decommissioning and demolition of the Connecticut and Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plants. The Maine Yankee Plant was the first nuclear power plant to be decommissioned in the U.S. Manafort is the only firm to have decommissioned a total of four nuclear power plants.
• The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations turned to Manafort to support the rapid development and construction of two of the largest casino complexes in the world, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun.
• In the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island, the Department of Transportation (DOT) did the same by selecting Manafort to lead each state’s first ever design-build projects; the rapid bridge replacement using Accelerated Bridge Construction for the Connecticut DOT RT 8 Bridges Replacement Project in Bridgeport, CT and the construction of the Wickford Junction Commuter Rail Station in North Kingston, RI.In Massachusetts, the company completed the implosion of the Madison Hotel, the first ever building demolished by this method in the city.

Today, Manafort is still led by the strong moral and business ethics of the Manafort family.

“We are grateful to the Greater New Britain and Plainville community for sustaining and supporting us for 100 years,” stated Jim Jr. “We are committed to giving back to many local organizations as we believe we have a duty to contribute and take part in events that assist specific causes and charities.”

The Manafort Family Foundation supports multiple local charities through the annual James Manafort, Sr. Memorial Charity Golf Tournament. It hosts a U.S. Marine Toys for Tots drive for underprivileged children. Additionally, the company contributes to an extensive list of municipal, children’s and health organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, Wheeler Clinic, local Police and Fire Fighters Associations, Wreaths Across America, Boys & Girls Club of New Britain, Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Make a Wish Foundation.

“As the oldest demolition company in the Northeast, we have earned a reputation for our outstanding contracting abilities, service, and ability to get the job done safely and on time,” concluded Jim Jr. “We are steadfastly dedicated to applying our distinctive engineering knowledge and dynamic approach to a new generation of challenges in the construction and demolition contracting industry.”

PHOTO: Multiple generations of the Manafort family recently celebrated the official kickoff event for the Manafort Brothers’ 100th anniversary on November 9th at the Aqua Turf Banquet Hall in Plantsville for more than 800 family, friends, business and industry peers and political leaders.