History

Devine Brothers was founded in the Southwark District of Philadelphia in 1918 by James and Michael Devine, brothers who entered the world of mechanical contracting with little formal education of the business.  Hard nosed and eager, Jim and Mike committed themselves to two things; doing things right and doing things fairly.  Jim was the salesman and estimator, bidding jobs for the Catholic Archdiocese, private owners, and in the public works.  Mike held down the office, taking care of the books, and scheduling manpower. Together, they built Devine Brothers on a reputation of honesty that was renowned in the city of Philadelphia.  As a result they were sought out by the city’s larger general contractors, such as McCloskey and McShain; and had emerged as an industry leader, and a company that would take on and complete challenging projects with superb results, such as the Philadelphia Naval Yard Expansion. 

As the firm grew, Michael’s son Richard “Dick” Devine, Sr. was learning the trade and upon his graduation from Villanova University with a degree in Engineering, Dick took his place in the family business.  He followed his Uncle Jim in the field, and soon became Devine Brothers’ chief estimator, seeking out new business and managing customer relationships.  In 1958 the reigns were handed over when Dick bought the business from his father and uncle and took Devine Brothers into the next era, which included moving the headquarters from Philadelphia to Conshohocken, PA. With Dick at the helm, Devine Brothers continued to grow, tackling many private and public works projects over the span of nearly 40 years.  Respected for his straightforward business sense and his technical knowledge, Dick guaranteed that his company would do the job correctly and on time.  “Dick stood behind his company, he was a true man of his word. A true character and a great American” -Daniel Keating Sr., Former President, Daniel J. Keating Co.

Dick saw Devine Brothers through a large growth spurt, expanding the company’s services to include industrial construction, excavation, refinery piping, and demolition.  However, with growth came risk, especially in the late 70’s and early 80’s as the country was in a deep recession. At that point, Dick had to scale his firm back and sold its headquarters in Conshohocken and moved to Havertown, PA. During this time his eldest son, Rich Jr., graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Dick and Rich Jr. redirected Devine Brothers' focus back to mechanical construction projects, working to secure large projects and build new relationships.  Together, Dick and Rich took Devine Brothers to a new level of success.

With a sharp business sense and congenial nature, backed up by solid technical knowledge, Rich grew into a strong leader at Devine Brothers, and in 1996 purchased the company from his father becoming the 3rd and current president of Devine Brothers.  Under Rich’s presidency, Devine Brothers has grown even further; adding a service division, green energy services division, design-build services division, controls division and energy management services division.

The family business also grew to include Rich's brother Ed Devine, an attorney who was named Vice President and CFO as well as their brother-in-law Tony Prazenica, who is the company's Chief Estimator. In the late 90’s Devine Brothers was awarded the most important job in company history: the renovations at Independence Hall, one of the country's most prolific and historical buildings. These renovations came with extremely high expectations and incredibly difficult restrictions. Very few mechanical contractors could handle this type of project, and Devine Brothers was put to the test. Under the confident leadership of Rich Devine, his field and management staff; Devine Brothers completed the project on time, and on budget.

“With a project involving one of the most important landmarks in the country, we knew that every detail, every decision, every single thing we did had consequences of utmost importance. Our company’s reputation was on the line, and we completed the job flawlessly. The success we had on this project was an extremely proud moment in our company's history. ”
-Richard Devine Jr., CEO, Devine Brothers Inc.

In the 2000’s Devine Brothers had grown by 60%, becoming one of the most complete, premier mechanical construction companies in the Tri-State area. The service division had one of the industry’s lowest customer turnover rates in the area. The controls division grew to become one of the most diverse and knowledgeable on the East Coast, offering both Johnson Controls (through its sister company Dynamic Controls), & Honeywell control products. During the 2000’s Devine Brothers' reputation and level of industry knowledge had General Contractors and developers requesting assistance in designing or redesigning projects to lower costs and improve efficiency.

“You know you are a valued company when others seek your advice and expertise; it is a great feeling of accomplishment as a business owner.”
-Richard Devine Jr., CEO, Devine Brothers Inc.

Former CEO Dick Devine enjoyed retirement, yet occasionally kept his hand in the business as an available and knowledgeable resource. At the time of his passing on July 5, 2000, Dick was extremely proud of the growth of Devine Brothers in the hands of his son, and excited about the company's promising future.

And the future was indeed as promising as ever. With its continued growth, Devine Brothers moved from its headquarters in Havertown PA, to a new 35,000 square foot headquarters in King of Prussia PA. In 2009 Devine Brothers opened a Philadelphia Branch on Grays Avenue. Also in 2009 Rich Devine Jr’s son, Richard “Trey” Devine III; a Business Administration graduate from Cabrini College, as well as a 4th generation Devine; joined the company as a Project Manager, continuing the family tradition of Devine Brothers. 

From a small firm started by two brothers, to today’s full service mechanical construction business, Devine Brothers is still committed to doing things right and doing things fairly, and is proud of the reputation of honesty and integrity that makes Devine Brothers one of the tri-state’s areas premier mechanical construction leaders.