First Balfour marks 50th anniversary

LOPEZ-LED First Balfour continues to look for opportunities for growth, as the engineering and construction company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

“The demands of a growing nation like the Philippines are evident in infrastructure that’s bursting at the seams and barely keeping up with our people’s needs. First Balfour is in position to help alleviate these gaps in collaboration with many of you, our partners, who are always ready to develop projects that rise to these challenges,” First Philippine Holdings (FPH) Chairman and CEO Federico R. Lopez said during his keynote speech at First Balfour’s anniversary celebration.

A subsidiary of First Philippine Holdings (FPH), First Balfour started out by relying on businesses from Lopez Group companies, but now the bulk of its revenues come from non-FPH clients.

First Balfour President Anthony L. Fernandez attributed the company’s success to its capabilities system.

“This milestone is no small feat but I believe 50 years is just the result of having a strong and established capabilities system. While strengthening our core engineering and construction capabilities, we have also developed adjunct capabilities including heavy equipment rental (T1 Rentals), geothermal drilling (ThermaPrime), and concrete and aggregates (Torreverde) to help in project delivery,” he said.

Among First Balfour’s prominent projects include the civil works and electrical network for the 150-megawatt Burgos Wind Farm; the North Extension of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 completed in 2010; and the construction of modern data centers for the Philippine Statistics Authority, ePLDT, and Globe Telecom.