The original office in Batavia, NY, 1958.
Quality and Integrity Since 1958.
In 1958 two highly skilled masons, Duane Squires & Richard Manning, started Manning Squires as a masonry and masonry restoration contractor. Richard Hennig joined the company in 1962, forming Manning Squires Hennig. Squires and Manning saw an opportunity to become general contractors with the K-12 public schools building boom that occurred in the late 50’s and early 60’s and the success of those projects led to additional general contract work with private commercial and industrial clients, predominantly in the Genesee County area. Richard Manning died in 1963, and in 1972 Duane Squires bought out Richard Hennig.
Gary Squires joined the firm in the early 70’s, rising to lead the company in the mid 80’s. Good fortune led us to masonry work with Kodak in the 70’s, and for the next 25 years Kodak was at least 50% of our sales volume. MSH learned and grew alongside local industry, leading us to develop a strong culture based on safety and quality. As large industry declined, we were faced with the challenge of replacing our largest and most loyal customers, and this transition from negotiated work with 30-year repeat customers to the hard-bid market was not without its challenges. Gary’s leadership, our great reputation, and fantastic team of tradespeople helped carry us while we learned the commercial, institutional and educational marketplace that we operate in today.
In 2015 we began a transition to new leadership by a third generation of Squires with Matt Squires as CEO, Brian Kelly as COO, and Samantha Nickerson as CFO.
Matt Squires
CEO
Matt Squires has been with Manning Squires Hennig Co. since 2004 and has held the roles of shop laborer, truck driver, assistant project manager, project manager, vice president and now Chief Executive Officer of the business his grandfather started over 60 years ago.
A new level of excitement and opportunity comes with Matt’s leadership as he positions the company for its continued long-term success. While the industry and economy have experienced significant changes, Matt’s message remains the same as his father’s before him and his father’s father before him… build with quality, act with integrity and treat people well.
Matt grew up in Chili and graduated from McQuaid before going to Wheaton College (Mass.) where he competed as a diver. In 2012, he received his Executive MBA from the U of R’s Simon School. Today, he lives in the heart of Rochester with a front-row seat of what he sees as a rejuvenated city truly coming alive. Fiercely devoted to furthering his family’s legacy, he makes time to serve as a board member of Foodlink of Rochester and Geva Theatre Center, play paddle tennis, and for family trips to Alexandria Bay.
Brian Kelly
COO
Brian is responsible for overseeing MSH’s General Construction operation—from project kick-off to close-out ensuring safety, quality control, scheduling and customer satisfaction. Since he began his career in 1995 Brian has worked hard to establish a reputation within the industry as a committed, trustworthy, capable professional who’s known for taking on tough assignments and delivering.
Before coming to MSH, Brian was an Operations Manager for a large general contractor overseeing many interesting projects of varying size and complexity. He’s also been involved in some rewarding ventures including a children’s hospital, cancer center and numerous K-12 education projects. Our clients say Brian is organized, efficient, and looks out for their best interests.
When Brian’s not working on making his teams successful or overseeing operations at Manning Squires Henning, he’s serving his community as an Assistant Chief with the West Webster Fire Department and Rescue Squad Leader with the County’s Special Operations Unit. Brian and his wife Emily are proud parents who love spending time with family and watching their two boys play baseball and basketball.
Samantha Nickerson
CFO
Samantha is responsible for all aspects of financial and administrative operations at Manning Squires Hennig. She is known for cutting to the chase and talking about finances in plain English so that non-finance people understand what is important.
Sam came to MSH focused on improving efficiency, presenting meaningful information and problem solving. Clients say she understands the big picture and can get at the heart of any issue. We couldn’t agree more.
Sam earned her bachelors in accounting from SUNY Geneseo and her CPA while working for The Bonadio Group. There, she focused on construction and non-profit clients. She also spent time at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Orlando, FL, where she audited public and private multinational companies. Sam spent 5 years as the CFO of the Genesee Country Village & Museum where she met MSH Chairman Gary Squires. In 2015, she added a hardhat to her wardrobe and joined MSH.
When she’s not crunching the numbers, you can find Sam on the sidelines of her kids’ soccer or basketball games or volunteering for Junior Achievement. In her remaining spare time, she and her husband Shane enjoy golf and working together on home improvement projects.
