About Us
OUR BEGINNING
We are construction managers, and have been since 1927, when Joseph R. Barr founded Barr & Barr as a construction company focused on delivering quality work with uncompromised service. Joseph R. Barr honed his construction skills and business acumen working first as a young engineer surveying land for the railroads in the American West and eventually mastering large-scale projects for New York Central railroad in Manhattan.
Through this experience he developed an eye for detail, a talent for working on complex projects, and a simple philosophy — treat every client like a true partner and every project as if it were your own. From foundational beginnings to creating a unique vision in the industry, Joseph R. Barr quickly established a reputation not only as a consummate builder, but a trusted advisor and a man of principle. Today, these guiding principles endure as our cornerstone philosophy for the way Barr & Barr conducts business.
The Signature Moment
For Barr & Barr it came in 1932, when Nelson Rockefeller Sr. hires Barr & Barr to build the Promenade, British and French Buildings — creating Rockefeller Center. It is Joseph R. Barr’s winning mix of quiet confidence, professional boldness and his firm’s commitment to a true partnership that impresses Nelson Rockefeller. By helping to create one of the world’s truly iconic metropolitan destinations, Barr & Barr had cast a solid reputation as a firm that meets and exceeds the highest expectations.
OVER 90 YEARS STRONG
Our unrivaled expertise, storied reputation and commitment to high quality service and excellence are the benchmarks of our company today. Barr & Barr is recognized as one of the nation’s top construction companies. Our dedication to our clients and to our work is evident in the numbers — 95% accuracy in cost estimating, 85% repeat business and a 90 year track record of successful project completion. All this adds up to the single most important number of all — a 100% commitment to delivering the highest quality services to our clients.
CORE VALUES
INTEGRITY
Integrity means the project price we give you is accurate from day one through completion of the project.
HONESTY
Honesty means we do everything by the book. What’s more, our books are always open and available for your review.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability means we document every phase of our process, detailing the reasons for every decision.
PASSION
Passion means that every Barr & Barr employee, from our leadership down to our workers, incorporates a sense of pride and ownership in everything we do….everyday.
Strengthening our Core Values is our dedication to equal and fair representation in the workplace regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disabilities and sexual orientation. We recognize the need for different voices and viewpoints and embrace the value each individual brings in terms of new ideas and experiences. Barr & Barr continually strives to create a cultural environment which is consciously inclusive for all employees, clients, contractors and suppliers.
At Barr & Barr we build more than buildings……we build relationships!
BUILDING TO THE NUMBERS
95% accuracy in cost estimating
Thanks to decades of experience building small to large, challenging projects, we have estimating down to a science — a science designed to save you money.
85% repeat business
To us, a satisfied client is a long-term client, and we’ve built a business and our reputation on it.
9 Decades of successful project completion
We have a long history of success from straightforward interior renovations to complex, ground breaking projects, which has shaped our corporate culture and philosophy.
100% commitment to minimizing owners’ risk
Whether the budget is $100,000 or $400 million, you get the results you want, built as if we were spending our own money.
No Firm is More serious
About Safety
And Our
Track Record shows it
Safety
Safety is our number one priority on a work site. We tolerate no compromises when it comes to matters of health and injury, and that’s why we go to great lengths to ensure a clean, safe construction site for our workers, adjacent property owners and the general public. Our EMR rating of .75 is well below the industry standard of 1.0.
We’ve set the industry standard.
There’s a reason why OSHA has repeatedly chosen to collaborate with us — our EMR rating of .75 is well below the construction industry average. Through collaboration we’ve developed a groundbreaking cooperative relationship between contractors and OSHA, instead of a traditionally adversarial one. With this approach, all parties review and discuss issues before they become problematic, resulting in a more productive process and relationship.
