In Memory of
Mac Cianchette n
By Tom Stone
I
n order to fully appreciate Mac Cianchette and all of the blessings he brought to us as a colleague, family member, or friend, and to best appreciate his contributions in life and business, one needs to understand how he lived his life and devoted himself to others. Family, Cianbro, and fun were all priorities in Mac’s life, and in whatever order the day demanded, brought balance to Mac as he lived his life to the fullest. Not many would undertake a trek from Washington state to Maine through Canada on a new and untested snow machine – but Mac did. There are also few of us who would maneuver a motorcycle westward from Maine to Sturgis, South Dakota for an annual bike rally – or down to Daytona Beach, Florida for Bike Week. Others wouldn’t purchase a motorhome in Arizona to drive back to Maine, or go salmon fishing in Alaska with their dad and brothers. Yet Mac did. He made all these adventures come true. Outside of his once-in-a lifetime trips, Mac also enjoyed recreational time with week-long snowmobile excursions around the Gaspé Peninsula, boating and camping on Moosehead Lake, and the seemingly endless renovations and improvements at his family home on Great Moose Lake – a place where family, friends and neighbors were always welcome. As dedicated, focused, and hard-working as Mac was, he liked to have (lots of) fun and always made room to enjoy life with those he held dear. Mac’s long and distinguished biography began on May 25, 1951, in Waterville, Maine when he was born into a large, close-knit and hardworking family to Carl and Maureen (Davis) Cianchette. Mac came home to older siblings Janice, Brian, and Carleen, and was later joined by two younger siblings, Jill and Steven. In 1969, Mac graduated from the former Warsaw High School located in Pittsfield, Maine where he grew up and furthered his education by attending Maine Maritime Academy. Mac graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nautical Science. Despite his education and training as a mariner, Mac gave up the high seas tradition upon graduation and made his career with Cianbro Corporation, the company started by his father Carl in post-war 1946, formerly Carl E. Cianchette, Inc. Early in his career, Mac worked on many projects up and down the East Coast. Later on, he undertook several senior management roles – all totaling 44 years of dedicated and loyal service to 44
CIANBRO CHATTER
the company. Mac also served on the Cianbro Board of Directors for 18 years until the time of his death. In addition, externally Mac volunteered his time for several other professional organizations which include the Maine Maritime Alumni Association and Board of Trustees, Associated General Contractors, the Town of Hartland Planning Board, and the Pine Tree Camp. Each of these organizations were extremely important to Mac. Mac loved working with people and the feeling was reciprocated. Mac was loyal, transparent, and always looked for the good in any situation no matter how controversial or unpleasant. To all who knew him and had the benefit of working with him, Mac was the consummate professional and was often sought out by business partners for advice, friendship, and counsel. His successful career and life are attributed to many things including a balanced and calm demeanor, always focusing on what was important, and always choosing to do what was right – not what was easy. When it came to the Cianbro family, nothing meant more to Mac than company culture. Being born into the company’s founding family, Mac learned the core values early on that became the foundation of the growing company: treat people with dignity and respect – even if delivering bad news; make the best decisions possible for the company, not yourself; and follow through and meet each commitment you make.
