Copyright NBC10 Boston
A homeowner in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says he paid more than $8,000 to have his shower remodeled — but instead, he's left with exposed pipes, torn-up tile, and no one to finish the job. Employees at NewPro, a Woburn-based home remodeling company backed by the BlackRock investment firm, learned this week that it had closed, suddenly leaving them without a job, and customers with unfinished projects. "They ripped everything out, as you can see," said Joe Szulewski, a Cambridge man who hired NewPro. Workers showed up about a month after he signed the contract — but left shortly after starting demolition. "I saw that they were packing up all of their tools," Szulewski said. "I said, 'What's going on?' and they said, 'Well, we got a call from the office.'" That same call went out to job sites across the region. Sean Compton, a former measure technician for NewPro, said he and his coworkers were told to return to the office immediately. "I got back to the shop, and I noticed all my coworkers had tears in their eyes," Compton said. Employees received an email on Tuesday stating they were out of a job, effective immediately. Their benefits would expire by Friday, and they'd be paid through their separation date. "I'm just devastated by this whole thing," Compton said. "My wife was supposed to have surgery on Monday, and now she can't, because we have no health insurance." NewPro had been a family-run business for decades. Former owner Nick Cogliani confirmed the company was acquired three years ago by Renovo Home Partners, which is owned by BlackRock, one of the world's largest investment firms. Cogliani said his family is deeply saddened by the closure and is doing what they can to help. Now, with the holidays approaching, many former employees are filing for unemployment — and customers like Szulewski are left with unfinished projects they already paid for. "I'm upset. I feel I've been duped," Szulewski said. "I was supposed to be doing a Thanksgiving dinner, which won't happen here now." Melinda Cashman, an Amesbury resident, said she's been using NewPro for years. She recently discovered that when the company sent subcontractors to fix water damage, they didn't pull the proper permits. "I'm left with a dumpster filled with trash in it — with urine and feces in it," Cashman said. "I have bills that I don't even have yet that I was told to send to them, because that's what they told me to do." NBC10 Boston reached out to Renovo Home Partners and BlackRock for comment. BlackRock declined to comment, and Renovo did not respond.
