Daniel F. Marr (1849-1922) founded Daniel Marr & Son Company in 1898 in Boston, Massachusetts. A former sea captain from Nova Scotia, Daniel Marr brought with him all the spirit and entrepreneurial skills needed to lay the foundation for what is today one of Boston's oldest and most successful family-owned construction companies.

Utilizing the rigging skills he had acquired at sea, Daniel Marr found his niche on land as a rigger and steel erector during Boston's boom of the late 1890s. Success came quickly to Daniel Marr and his son, John D. Marr (1880-1941), as they were soon sought out for their expertise on many important projects including, in 1912, Boston's Commonwealth Pier, now known as the World Trade Center.

In the early 1940s, the company began to take new shape under the leadership of Daniel F. Marr (1905-1969), who became known as "The Colonel." The Second World War mechanized America and parenthetically the construction industry. As cranes increasingly replaced the use of wooden derricks on day to day operations, Colonel Dan Marr's vision for the company led to the acquisition of a truck crane fleet. Marr Equipment Corporation was founded in 1942 to provide New England contractors with the quality, large-scale equipment that they demanded.

In 1945, Marr Scaffolding Company was incorporated as a separate entity. In partnership with Safway Steel Scaffolding Company, Marr acquired the exclusive New England franchise to sell and rent steel "scaffolding", a revolutionary new construction product. This association with Safway has endured and today, scaffolding sales and rentals are among the Marr Companies largest lines of business.

Two of Dan Marr's sons provided the fourth generation's leadership of the growing Marr family of companies: Daniel F. Marr, Jr. (1931-1991) and Robert L. Marr (1936-). Throughout the 1960s, these three men shared the responsibilities for the Marr Companies. The Marr brothers led the company in the tradition of the family members who had preceded them -- with a focus on meeting the specific needs of their clients. This commitment led to the acquisition in 1969 of Isaac Blair & Co., Inc., a heavy-duty shoring and rigging business.

In 1993, Marr continued to specialize its services with the creation of a business unit for its rigging operations known as Marr Rigging Co., Inc., providing millwrighting, rigging, trucking and warehousing. A fifth generation of Marr managers, all sons of Daniel F. Marr, Jr., have followed in the family tradition and work in various positions throughout the companies. Daniel F. Marr III, Stephen P. Marr, Jeffrey T. Marr and David B. Marr constitute the fifth generation.

The business, which originally began as Daniel Marr & Son Company, has grown to include five separate and distinct corporations known as the Marr Companies. Descendants of the original Daniel F. Marr today run all of the companies.

In 1998, the Marr Companies celebrated its Centennial Anniversary and recognized this achievement with the production of a Video History of its first 100 years. Today , the Marr Companies is still located only cable lengths away from the site of its first office in South Boston. Headed by Robert L. Marr, the company has branch offices in Providence, RI and Springfield, MA.