BOSTON – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced that Chief Operating Officer Jane Kaplan Peck has been named a Women of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE) by Banking New England magazine.
The FIRE sector has emerged as a keystone of the New England economy, transforming the knowledge, wealth and dreams of the world’s most ambitious visionaries into reality. As more and more women rise to the top of businesses and institutions in this sector, there is a growing need to shine a light on their achievements to inspire others.
Following a management transition in 2014, Jane ushered the family business – one in which half of its employees had been with the company for multiple decades – into its second generation. As COO and majority owner of Kaplan Construction, Jane Kaplan Peck is responsible for the day-to-day operations and ensuring Kaplan’s financial security and viability.
“Her role goes far beyond a typical COO, however, to one of motivator, early adopter, office den mother, and community devotee,” said Melissa Bullock, marketing manager at Kaplan Construction in her nomination. “What makes Jane a Women of FIRE is her ability to balance all of these roles in harmony as she continues to lead her family business into a new generation.”
In the five years since the transition, Jane has certified the company as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and has successfully campaigned for Kaplan to be named a Best Place to Work by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ). In 2016 she was named a Constructech Magazine Women in Construction and an Outstanding Woman of Family Business by The Warren Group. Most recently, she was named Emerging Leader of the Year by the Associated General Contractors Massachusetts Chapter (AGC MA).
In addition to running Kaplan, Jane is very active in her town, serving on the Board for the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, where she also acts as co-chair of the Governing and Nominating Committee. She recently co-chaired The Brookline Center’s annual gala, helping raise $373,000 for children’s mental health needs. A respected industry leader, Jane is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Group (SIG,) and a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Boston. In her spare time, Jane serves as a coach and program coordinator for Brookline Youth Lacrosse where her son and daughter play.
“Through a very selective process, we have identified the most talented, the most ambitious, the most innovative, and the most philanthropic Women of FIRE,” said Vincent M. Valvo, publisher and editor of Banking New England.
Women of FIRE recipients will be featured in the September/October issue of Banking New England and honored at an awards luncheon taking place October 11, 2019 at The Verve Crowne Plaza in Natick, Mass.
