PITTSFIELD – The Cianbro Cos. on Thursday announced a restructuring that will move Peter A. “Andi” Vigue into the position of president and chief operating officer of Cianbro Corp., a change he said “will preserve what we have and move us into the future.”

Vigue, 37, is the son of the current president, Peter G. Vigue, who now will become chairman of the board of directors of The Cianbro Cos. The leadership changes will become effective Jan. 1. The elder Vigue will remain chief executive officer of all the Cianbro divisions.

Cianbro is an employee-owned company based in Pittsfield with gross annual sales in excess of $425 million and more than 2,000 workers. It is the East Coast’s largest civil and heavy industrial construction firm and operates in about 15 states with regional offices in Baltimore; Bloomfield, Conn.; Portland and Pittsfield.

The Cianbro Cos. is the parent of several other companies, including Cianbro Corp.; Cianbro Fabrication and Coatings; Cianbro Construction LLC, which is working on the Brewer module fabrication project; Cianbro Equipment LLC, which leases equipment back to Cianbro Corp.; and Cianbro Development, a real estate division.

Cianbro also is building the new Hollywood Slots at Bangor facility on Main Street.

Peter G. Vigue, who has been with Cianbro for 37 years, said Thursday that the changes are not a move toward retirement for him. “It’s a new phase,” he said in a telephone interview.

Asked whether his new role will provide him more time to run for governor of Maine, Vigue gently sidestepped the question but did not explicitly rule out a future political bid.

“This move will obviously give me some time to focus on things I believe are very, very important, such as enhancing this state and the overall construction industry,” Vigue said.

“I am doing what is in the best interest of my family and the company,” he added. “I am 60 years old and I would like to believe I have at least 10 more years to solidly engage and make some good things happen.”

Vigue said his role would be to prepare the company for the next generation. “We have taken on significant growth in recent years,” he said. “There are multiple Cianbro companies and organizations here.”

Vigue said his new position would allow him more time to focus on development and future projects, and back away from daily involvement with the company. He also said he would like to spend time increasing the overall efficiency of the country’s construction industry.

Andi Vigue also has spent his entire career with Cianbro. He joined the company in 1990 as a laborer during college and worked through the construction ranks, managed Cianbro’s Fabrication and Coatings facilities, and most recently served as senior vice president of operations for Cianbro Corp. Vigue earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Maine.

“This restructuring will preserve what we have and move us into the future,” the younger Vigue said Thursday. He said the changes were more about succession and moving the next generation into a more successful position.

“This will allow my father to focus on what he does best: development,” he said. “A lot of our future growth is all in his head and he sees it best. Rather than have him retire and just wave goodbye at the door, this shift will allow him to focus on passing those ideas and structures down.”

Vigue said that among the projects his father will focus on are creation of an east-west highway system in Maine, oil rig contracts and wind farms.

“He will be working on the company, rather than at it,” he said.

“It is personally rewarding,” the elder Vigue said of his son’s new position. “He has really stepped up to the plate and done very well for the companies. He’s also got the confidence of the employees.”

Cianbro was founded in 1949 by Cianchette brothers Carl, Ken, Bud and Chuck.

In 1991, they decided it was time for new leadership at the company, and Peter G. Vigue was named president. Vigue became Cianbro’s chief executive officer in 2000.

On Thursday, Vigue said he first met the Cianchette brothers more than 50 years ago. “They shaped who I am today,” he said. “Cianbro still operates by the philosophy passed down by their father: Treat people with dignity and respect, your word is your bond, and give back from which you take. These remain Cianbro’s core values.”

Ival R. “Bud” Cianchette, Cianbro’s outgoing chairman of the board, now will serve as chairman emeritus. He and his brother Ken remain active members of Cianbro’s board of directors. Their older brother, Carl, died in 1997 and younger brother Chuck died in 2000.

“We feel this transition is the right thing for Cianbro’s future,” Cianchette said in a statement. “Pete’s and Andi’s commitment and dedication to the Cianbro team and its philosophy is outstanding. We are very proud of them and we are confident that the tremendous growth and successes of our companies, under their leadership, will continue.”

bdnpittsfield@verizon.net

487-3187