In Memory of Mac Cianchette

n By Tom Stone

In 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 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.

In the mid-1980’s, then President Chuck Cianchette (and Mac’s uncle) asked Mac to be the project manager for the construction of a 40MW wood-fired power plant in Stratton, Maine. Mac protested at first, insisting he didn’t know anything about building boilers and that most of his work involved building bridges or piers. Chuck said “Mac, the people trust you. I’m not asking you to build the boiler…I’m asking you to manage our people, manage the subcontractors, and manage the owner. Let those experienced ‘build the job’.” The project was successfully completed under Mac’s steady leadership in 1989.

Over the course of his career, Mac took on many demanding and delicate roles as the company continued to grow. Sometimes a scout, sometimes a field general, Mac was a wise and competent leader and always first to be called upon when fences needed mending or when Cianbro needed a trusted advocate. With the acquisition of Curran & LaVoie, Mac was asked to merge two companies’ cultures into one and, then later, to oversee Cianbro’s expansion into North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic region. No small feat. As Mac’s career advanced, the positions he held increased in responsibility to include Northern New England Regional Manager, Vice President, and Senior VP of Operations. With his breadth of experience and ability to communicate easily with others, Mac was often asked to develop insightful relationships with potential joint venture partners. It never took Mac long to determine if a meeting was going to lead to opportunity or if it “just wasn’t the right fit.” He had an uncanny ability to understand the true character and intent of those he interacted with in business. Based on his values and strong moral compass, Mac always made the best decisions for Cianbro.

Following a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, Mac passed away at his home on Great Moose Lake while in the comforting care of his family on November 21, 2019. Mac was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his partner and loving wife of 36 years, Judy Cianchette, his children Aaron, Megan, and Nicole, four grandsons and three granddaughters, as well as many nieces, nephews and other family members. Mac is survived by brothers Brian and Steven Cianchette, and their spouses, as well as sisters Janice, Carleen, and Jill, and their spouses.

Mac’s honesty, sincerity, and direct approach earned him the respect and trust of everyone who knew him. He was a rare person, deeply loved by many, and his tremendous presence will be missed.

Farewell Mac. You will forever remain in our hearts.