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Hammering Home the WPI Connection

For nearly nine decades, F.W. Madigan Company, Inc., has been an integral part of Worcester’s growth story with multiple WPI touchpoints along the way. Founded in 1937 by Francis W. Madigan Sr., the construction management and general contracting firm has completed countless projects throughout the campus, city, and region. The company remains family-owned — it is now in its fourth generation of leadership — and at the heart of its legacy is a deep and lasting connection to WPI. Francis W. Madigan III, a 1979 WPI civil engineering graduate and the company’s former president, represents the third generation to lead the firm, his sons being the fourth. His father, brother, siblings, and other family members are all WPI alumni, as well. “WPI provided a phenomenal education and background to run a business,” Madigan III says, calling the university “a gem” in the city of Worcester. “Our family has a long tie-in to WPI.” Helping build community at WPI and beyond F.W. Madigan has completed a long list of projects on WPI’s campus, including the renovation of Washburn Labs, the construction of Stoddard Dormitories, improvements at multiple Greek houses and upgrades to offices and classrooms. The company has also hired numerous WPI graduates, co-op students, and summer interns over the years, building a pipeline of engineering and construction talent rooted in Worcester. Beyond campus, F.W. Madigan has touched nearly every corner of Worcester’s built environment in its near-90-year history: academia, financial, commercial, healthcare, industrial, residential; even historic and religious buildings. Notably, the firm has worked with Holy Cross, Assumption, Clark University, Becker College, the Beechwood Hotel, and is now overseeing a $50 million renovation of the former Worcester Boys Club into affordable senior housing. The Madigan family has played a role in civic life, as well: Madigan Jr., who retired from the company in 1998, served on the WPI Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, while Madigan III was a long-time member of WPI's Civil & Environmental Engineering Department Industry Advisory Board, and helped establish the endowment for the university’s crew team, where he once rowed as a student. The family has supported many other WPI projects and fundraising efforts, as well. With around three dozen employees, most hailing from Worcester County, F.W. Madigan is committed to hiring local subcontractors and investing in the region’s workforce. “We’re from Worcester, we live in Worcester, and we like to reinvest in Worcester,” Madigan III says. “There are connections everywhere.”  
ajdealy | Fri, Oct 24, 2025

For nearly nine decades, F.W. Madigan Company, Inc., has been an integral part of Worcester’s growth story with multiple WPI touchpoints along the way.

Founded in 1937 by Francis W. Madigan Sr., the construction management and general contracting firm has completed countless projects throughout the campus, city, and region.

The company remains family-owned — it is now in its fourth generation of leadership — and at the heart of its legacy is a deep and lasting connection to WPI. Francis W. Madigan III, a 1979 WPI civil engineering graduate and the company’s former president, represents the third generation to lead the firm, his sons being the fourth.

His father, brother, siblings, and other family members are all WPI alumni, as well. “WPI provided a phenomenal education and background to run a business,” Madigan III says, calling the university “a gem” in the city of Worcester. “Our family has a long tie-in to WPI.”

Helping build community at WPI and beyond

F.W. Madigan has completed a long list of projects on WPI’s campus, including the renovation of Washburn Labs, the construction of Stoddard Dormitories, improvements at multiple Greek houses and upgrades to offices and classrooms.

The company has also hired numerous WPI graduates, co-op students, and summer interns over the years, building a pipeline of engineering and construction talent rooted in Worcester.

Beyond campus, F.W. Madigan has touched nearly every corner of Worcester’s built environment in its near-90-year history: academia, financial, commercial, healthcare, industrial, residential; even historic and religious buildings. Notably, the firm has worked with Holy Cross, Assumption, Clark University, Becker College, the Beechwood Hotel, and is now overseeing a $50 million renovation of the former Worcester Boys Club into affordable senior housing.

The Madigan family has played a role in civic life, as well: Madigan Jr., who retired from the company in 1998, served on the WPI Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, while Madigan III was a long-time member of WPI's Civil & Environmental Engineering Department Industry Advisory Board, and helped establish the endowment for the university’s crew team, where he once rowed as a student. The family has supported many other WPI projects and fundraising efforts, as well.

With around three dozen employees, most hailing from Worcester County, F.W. Madigan is committed to hiring local subcontractors and investing in the region’s workforce. “We’re from Worcester, we live in Worcester, and we like to reinvest in Worcester,” Madigan III says. “There are connections everywhere.”
 

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