Suffolk selected by Home Base to renovate and expand headquarters facility in Charlestown, MA

Charlestown, MA Suffolk was selected by Home Base to renovate and expand its headquarters facility, which provides support and clinical services to United States military veterans and their families.

Home Base currently occupies 26,000 s/f of the building’s first and second floors and has chosen to partner with Suffolk to manage the interior fit-out on the building’s third floor. This expansion will serve as a dedicated clinical space for the Comprehensive Brain Health and Trauma Program (ComBHaT) for Special Operators.

Founded in 2009, Home Base is a national nonprofit organization that has served more than 30,000 veterans and their families and trained more than 85,000 clinicians throughout the country. Home Base is dedicated to helping veterans, service members, military families and families of the fallen heal the invisible wounds of war by treating conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use disorders and related conditions. With this expansion of its National Center of Excellence, Home Base will increase its clinical capacity to serve veterans and their families in the ComBHat program at no cost to the patient. This program is in high demand and provides comprehensive neurological, psychological and physical evaluations to treat traumatic brain injuries, musculoskeletal injuries and mental health conditions in veterans and service members from the special operations community.

Led by Suffolk chairman, CEO and sole proprietor John Fish, Suffolk has donated $1.5 million of in-kind services to the project, including construction management services provided by Suffolk Construction and design services provided by Suffolk Illuminate, Suffolk’s in-house design team. Suffolk also plans to assemble a team consisting mainly of veteran Suffolk employees and subcontractors to manage and work on this project.

“I have always held deep admiration and gratitude for United States military veterans and their families who have dedicated their lives to the service of our country and defense of our freedom and way of life,” said Fish. “On this Veterans Day, I am honored and privileged to announce our close partnership with General Hammond and Home Base, an incredible nonprofit committed to helping our veterans during their greatest times of need. We look forward to working closely with all our stakeholders to deliver a spectacular new home for this worthy organization and the heroes it serves.”

“The creation of our Special Operations Force (SOF) Traumatic Brain Injury program three years ago has created an unprecedented demand for care, with more than 800 Navy SEALs, Green Berets and other members of the SOF community requesting this treatment,” said Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond, executive director, Home Base. “This staggering number has created a significant need to expand our state-of-the-art facility to increase our capacity, and the announcement of this partnership on Veterans Day – as we take time to thank Veterans of all eras who have selflessly served our Nation – could not be more perfect. On behalf of Home Base, I want to thank John Fish and the team from Suffolk for their incredible generosity, which will enhance our ability to meet this growing need and deliver this lifesaving care to the SOF community for years to come.”

Suffolk is leveraging its construction management and design expertise and resources to provide value throughout the lifecycle of this project, beyond just the typical management of the construction phase. Suffolk Illuminate has planned and developed the design of the space, performed pricing exercises and continues to collaborate closely with the Suffolk project team on the design, scope, constructability and cost management of the project to ensure it is delivered on schedule and on budget. The Home Base headquarters project is an example of Suffolk’s diversification across vertical service lines and added value earlier in the planning and design process which results in a more seamless, predictable construction experience.

As a national organization striving to be America’s Contractor by mirroring the values of integrity and hard work on which America was founded, Suffolk has demonstrated an enduring commitment to organizations that serve veterans of the United States armed forces. Suffolk has partnered with Massachusetts Fallen Heroes and is a longtime supporter of Home Base, participating in panel discussions and fireside chats with Home Base leadership to help raise awareness of its work. Suffolk, which currently employs approximately seventy veterans, is an active recruiter of veterans for leadership and project management positions through its Accelerated Military Development rotational program, which aims to create a seamless transition between military service and professional careers in construction.