May 24, 2016 - One afternoon this May, a group of journalists and market analysts convened in London at the Royal Society headquarters in Carleton House to hear the CEO of Salini Impregilo unveil the Italian engineering and construction conglomerate’s strategy for the next four years. Acknowledging the society’s historic past, Pietro Salini began with a droll aside, saying, “It’s a little intimidating to be here in the same room with Sir Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin.”

Actually, the Royal Society was housed elsewhere when Newton was its president and when Franklin unveiled his lightning rod. But with his understated Roman charm and sophistication, the 58-year-old construction executive made a larger point: Salini Impregilo is betting on North America, following last year’s acquisition of Lane Construction, a Cheshire, Conn.-based road contractor active in 20 states. The parent company’s U.S. involvement dates from 1982, when Impregilo bought the S.A. Healy Co., a Henderson, Nev.-based heavy-civil contractor known for tunneling expertise.

Read the article