(Auburn, ME) – Morin Brick, one of the Northeast’s proudest brick making traditions and Maine’s most enduring employers, has received the brick industry’s top recognition for the use of its waterstruck product in an eye-catching new University residence hall.
Just a year and a half after a recapitalization plan and majority acquisition by New Hampshire-based R.J. Finlay & Co. allowed Morin (www.morinbrick.com) to fire its kilns back to life and save 55 local jobs, the century-old brick maker has won a gold medal from the Brick Industry Association’s Brick in Architecture Awards for its prominent placement in Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s East Hall in Worcester, MA. The modern, five-story, 232-bed facility features a 40-foot-wide ‘Arts Walk’ connecting the center of campus with the city’s arts district, as well as a host of green materials and technologies, from Energy Star roofing to a special storm water monitoring/testing station that minimize energy use and have won the building LEED Gold-certification.
“Over the years, the kind of unique product Morin produces has made it into the hands of some significant architects and, as a result, received exposure through a number of noteworthy projects,” says Morin Brick Vice President Paul Lachance. “We’re honored that discerning architects and customers continue to select our product and pleased to receive this kind of recognition.”
Long the face of some of the region’s most revered and recognizable structures, from Ivy League academic halls to Boston’s famed Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, Morin bricks have been hailed both for their distinctive shapes, hues and textures, and for putting generations of Mainers to work. As Maine’s last remaining brick manufacturer, Morin today provides distinctive fascias to countless hospitals, schools, churches, banks, libraries, municipal, and other public and private buildings throughout New England.
“We knew what a special company Morin was when we acquired it last year, and we’re extraordinarily proud of this accomplishment,” R.J. Finlay & Co. Chief Executive Officer Robert Finlay says. “This award is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and unwavering standards of Morin’s outstanding team and to the timeless, peerless quality of what they produce.”
Morin Brick is a proud member of the R.J. Finlay & Co. family of companies, a regional leader in the real estate, building materials, and construction markets. This unique partnership provides Morin and its clients with a level of access to high-quality materials and services unavailable anyplace else. To learn more about other R.J. Finlay & Co. portfolio companies, please visit the corporate website at www.rjfinlayco.com.
