FIRST FINISH AWARDED REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BEST OF AWARDS SPONSORED BY McGRAW-HILL

Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill – Winning Project

Columbia, MD -- November 13, 2009 – First Finish, a Columbia, MD based general contracting company, was recently awarded both the regional Mid-Atlantic Construction’s Best of 2009 award and the National McGraw-Hill Construction’s Best of the Best 2009 award. First Finish’s successful completion of renovations to the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill project earned them the recognition in the award program’s “Small Project” category. The award winning team was comprised of First Finish, Host Hotels & Resorts, Johnathon Nehmer & Associates, Salem Engineering Inc., and Looney & Associates. A 100 percent union workforce provided the manpower to complete the project in just 19 weeks with minimal to no interruption to the hotel’s normal operations. During renovations, the 834 room hotel maintained 90 percent occupancy, as well as served as the back drop to one of Senator Hillary Clinton’s speeches held during the 2008 primary elections. “Our work has transformed the hotel into one of DC’s ‘must attend’ marquee spaces on Capital Hill, raising the bar for local competition” said Bryan Higgins, Executive Vice President of First Finish, “It’s equally gratifying to be recognized by such a prestigious organization as McGraw-Hill.” Mid-Atlantic Construction’s Best of 2009 recognizes projects in the Maryland, Virginia, eastern Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia region. The award is given to teams who best achieved the established goals for the project, overcame significant challenges, adopted innovative approaches, executed exceptional design and craftsmanship; maintained safe sites; and displayed strong teamwork. Only 40 projects were honored in the region in 16 categories including Healthcare, Industrial, and Retail. In its second year, McGraw-Hill Construction’s Best of the Best national award recognizes design and construction excellence based on the winners of McGraw-Hill Construction’s 10 regional publications’ Best of 2009 Awards. Out of 273 regional winners, an independent jury of construction professionals selected 76 national finalists and 24 national winners in 23 categories. Winners will be profiled in the January 4, 2010 issue of Engineering News-Record. A ceremony honoring each of the winning 40 projects will take place Dec. 11 at the Baltimore Marriot Waterfront Hotel located at Inner Harbor East in downtown Baltimore. ABOUT FIRST FINISH Based in Columbia, MD, First Finish provides premiere construction services for a full range of market segments including: commercial, government and those specific to the hotel & lodging industry. First Finish manages every aspect of a project from planning, construction, finishing, to installing FF&E. First Finish is a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council.