Changes in store
PLT sells rental business, moves equipment sales Page 10
Berkshire Business Journal 75 S. Church Str. Pittsfield, MA 01201 Change service requested
BEN GARVER
Berkshire Business Journal APRIL 2025 I VOL. 4, NO. 4
Building on a legacy
STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN
Perri Petricca is CEO of Petricca Industries and president of its subsidiaries, Unistress Corp. and Berkshire Concrete. “We have this incredible depth of knowledge about projects in the industry, and that becomes our lever with the customers,” he said.
Petricca Industries expands to meet growing need By Maryjane Williams The Berkshire Eagle PITTSFIELD — When Basilio Petricca im-
migrated from Italy to the United States in 1910, he had no money or family. The 16-year-old got a job in construction until the depression hit, and the company could no longer pay him, so he set out on his own and launched Petricca Construction Co. in 1936. What began with small contracting jobs using his pickup truck slowly became the largest construction company in Western Massachusetts, and later shifted toward concrete production with the founding of Unistress Corp. Now, with over 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space, the family-owned business is one of the largest precast and
prestressed concrete firms in the Northeast — and it is still not done growing. “We’re very strong in manufacturing. We’re very strong in construction. So we’re always looking for opportunities to grow our current operating space and add anything adjacent,” said Perri Petricca, CEO of Petricca Industries — and Basilio’s grandson. To prepare for a potential major project, the company is planning an expansion that is expected to add 50 new employees to the company’s 300-plus workforce, with an average starting salary of about $50,000. The $4 million project will expand Unistress’ manufacturing site on Cheshire Road by 15,500 square feet and include new overhead cranes. The expansion aims to boost production capacity in preparation for “one of
the largest precast projects ever,” Petricca said — a project with Micron Technology to build a microchip facility worth “hundreds of millions.” “We’re excited about the work in this market, and we think it’s a great path for growth for us, and so we’re investing millions of dollars in new equipment and expanding other areas of the operation to keep up with this as well,” he said. A LEGACY OF SUCCESS Basilio’s son, Basil, took over the company in 1962 and then founded Unistress Corp. in 1968 to focus more on concrete production. In 1973, Petricca purchased two companies, Transit Mixed Concrete and General Sand and Stone and consolidated them into Berkshire Concrete Corp., which pro-
duces ready-mix concrete for retail and the other subsidiaries. Perri Petricca, who grew up in the construction side of the business, took over as CEO of Petricca Industries in 1989 while Unistress was still “a very small operation.” Using his construction experience and engineering and law background, Petricca has expanded the business significantly and successfully guided it through some of its largest projects to date. “We have this incredible depth of knowledge about projects in the industry and that becomes our lever with the customers,” he said. “We want people that are looking for partners, that are looking for people that help solve problems, that are part of the process.” PETRICCA, Page 2