The Transportation minister says it’s too early to say what the sale of NL’s Pennecon will mean for the future of the company.

Fred Hutton was asked yesterday about the transaction involving one of the province’s largest and most successful construction firms.

According to the online publication allNewfoundlandLabrador, the company founded by business Hall of Famer Ches Penney has been sold to Green Infrastructure Partners, based in Markham, Ont.

Hutton says it’s too soon to speculate on the potential implications of the sale.

But he said his preference would be status quo for the company and its employees.

“We just want to make sure that the folks who are working there get to continue to work here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said. “I haven’t had any conversations with anyone related to it — it’s a big company, and they do a lot of work not just in this province, they’ve expanded well beyond our shores.”