In Memoriam: Jim Hurley, President, Pavarini
Dear friends and colleagues,
We have some sad news to share. Our colleague and friend, Jim Hurley, President of Pavarini Northeast Construction, passed away on November 11. He left behind his wife, Joann; children, James and Jennifer; grandchildren, McKenzie, Madison, James and Sean; and the Structure Tone family.
Jim will be deeply missed, as will his legacy of mentorship, hard work and years of dedication to his staff, clients and colleagues.
His tenure at Structure Tone speaks for itself. As many of you know, Jim has been a major presence since he joined the Structure Tone family in 1977. Jim helped build Structure Tone into the successful market leader we are today. After developing the New York Estimating Department into the best of its kind, Jim – as a Director and EVP – applied the same passion and grit, mixed with a personal touch to our purchasing and account executive department through 2000. Anyone who had the privilege of meeting Jim will never forget his larger-than-life personality. His proven strength and leadership skills, most recently in managing the Pavarini Northeast business unit, have defined his legacy. Since 2000, Jim instilled the STO Way into the Pavarini business in Connecticut, creating a highly successful and sustainable business diversified in higher education, core/shell and commercial interiors.
His work ethic was exemplary. Jim was always there when he was needed, whether by client, colleague, employee or subcontractor. He mentored many generations of successful estimators, project managers and account executives. Although known for his red-headed Irish passion, all who worked with Jim knew he was fair and dedicated to excellence. Jim was loyal to his people and took a personal interest in their careers, lives and families.
His presence around the office gave everyone a strong sense of comfort that we had one of the very best on our team. No one demonstrated “firm but fair” more than Jim. He led by example. He was a true family man who lived in the present. Everyone who knew him has a story about Jim.
“A born leader who led by example. The passion and pride for the Pavarini family that he developed and loved became our DNA.” – Michael Melanophy Director of Operations, Pavarini Northeast
“One of my earliest memories of Jim was as a mentor. He was impressive to watch work, a real genius with takeoffs, budgeting and negotiating. Also, in the early days of our ‘Tuesday morning meetings,’ he could be counted on for standing his ground, ensuring a healthy debate and successful plan forward for Structure Tone. He always added value whether you agreed with him or not.” – James Donaghy, Chairman
“Jimmy developed a great ‘feel’ for how to approach the most complicated of projects. We were more than colleagues, more than friends—we were like family.” – John T. White Sr., Partner, Retired
“Jim knew what needed to be done and would stand by what he believed was right. You could always count on him to stand up for himself but also for his adopted STO family.” – Patrick Donaghy, Founding Partner, Retired
“I lost one of my brothers three months before my wedding day. The afternoon of my wedding I was really struggling. The phone rang, and it was Jimmy. He said, ‘How you doing ?’ ‘Not so good, Jim.’ Jim knocked on the door about three minutes later with a bottle of wine. I knew it was going to be OK once he was there.” – Claude Mack, controller
“Jim was always welcoming and helped teach many of us the value of the STO Way.” – Bob Mullen, CEO
“I was fortunate enough to appreciate firsthand the impact Jim had, not only on clients, but on all of us. Whether at work or with family, Jim set the bar high for everyone, not because he was tough, but because that was how he would do it himself. He expected no less from everyone else.” – Henry Mack, VP of Special Projects
Such an extraordinary person. In addition to all he did for our company, Jim was a long-time supporter of numerous charities, one being the March of Dimes. This is truly a great loss to our organization and to our community as a whole. Jim will be profoundly missed by everyone whose lives he touched.