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Tim White was twenty-nine years old when his recently launched
general contracting outfit landed its first BU job in 1991:
renovations on a Cummington Street building. Back then, he
employed one worker and was having trouble putting food on
the table for his young family. Eleven years and several major
BU contracts later, T.R. White Construction employs eighty-five
and recently donated $500,000 to the University's Student
Village project.
"BU projects make up about 15 percent of my work right
now, but there have been times when it was more like 80 percent
of my work, so the University has been a huge part of my success,"
says White, whose company donates regularly to several Boston-area
nonprofits. "I've always believed in giving back."
Partly, White says, that's because as a businessman he knows
the importance of being an active participant in one's community.
But the personal satisfaction that comes from seeing one's
philanthropy bring about positive change is immeasurable,
he says.
"In the years that I've been working at BU, there's
been a clear goal to build a cohesive campus on the Charles
River," he says. "That started at Kenmore Square
and continued up Commonwealth Avenue with the new science
buildings and the new School of Management. The Student Village
seems like the keystone piece of the puzzle, and I think it's
going to be marvelous when it's done.
"I find it very gratifying personally to look at the
campus," White continues, "both as a builder whose
organization had a part in putting together these projects,
and as a businessman who's able to financially support it."
— David Craig
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