Three Generations in Maryland
Iacoboni Site Specialists long history in construction
In 1913, a 16-year-old boy named Camillo Iacoboni left his hometown of Teramo, Italy, and immigrated to Maryland, USA. He managed to find work as a laborer in the construction industry and, determined to integrate himself into his new home, he quickly set about learning to speak English. Before long, his hard work and skills had paid off. He was promoted to foreman, and soon became a key liaison between site managers and the other Italian laborers. Most couldn’t yet speak English and, as a result, often faced discrimination on jobsites.
By 1923, Camillo was ready to take his next big leap. He launched his own business installing water and sewer systems for developers of residential properties in the Baltimore area. The work was grueling. Without the aid of today’s modern machinery to carry out the digging, Camillo used picks and shovels. But he was not alone. He hired Italian laborers that were happy to work alongside him, and the company grew over the years.
Camillo married his wife, Anna, and had two sons. By 1956, Camillo incorporated Camillo Iacoboni and Sons, Inc., a family business, with Anna managing the paperwork, payroll and contracts, and the men working in the field with their crews. Camillo worked actively in the business until he passed away in 1976, leaving his sons, Anthony and Thomas, to take full control of the company.
The Second Generation
Like their father, Anthony and Thomas both have entrepreneurial and independent spirits. They decided to close the business, each wanting to start their own venture, while still working in the utilities industry. By 1983, Thomas had launched a new company, Thomas C. Iacoboni and Sons, Inc. with his son, Tom Iacoboni, and his son-in-law, William “Bill” Francik.
Less than 10 years later, with a recession underway, Thomas decided to retire and Thomas C. Iacoboni and Sons. was closed. In October 1991, his son Tom launched a new business, and Iacoboni Site Specialists, Inc. was born.
Today, the firm is led by Tom as President and his brother-in-law Bill as Vice President, with Bill’s brother, Bob Francik, as Secretary and Treasurer. Specializing in demolition, sediment control, grading, paving and utilities, Iacoboni Site Specialists is made up of a dedicated team committed to the family legacy of great customer service.
“We put ourselves in the clients’ shoes; we are very conscious about what they want and how they want the jobs to be performed,” Tom says. “Number one is schedule, number two is that they want to be treated fairly, and number three—they want the job done safely. We operate from their perspectives, and clients like that.”
In its first year, with a crew of 12 men, the company had about $600,000 in sales. The next year, after hiring more crews, sales leapt to $4.5 million. Now, 27 years later, the company employs over 100 workers, retaining many of the same employees that it first started with, and has reached over $20 million in annual sales. But the success has not always been easy. During the last recession, the company, which at its peak had 165 employees, had to let go of a number of workers.
“One of the toughest things we did was to lay people off during a recession in order to survive,” Tom says.
Working primarily in Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., Tom would like to see Iacoboni Site Specialists continue to grow. Like many other companies in the construction business, the current major challenge his team faces is finding experienced tradespeople, as so many moved into other professions during and after the recession.
Comprehensive Service
Tom looks back fondly on the company’s first job: the installation of utilities for a medical building in Baltimore for Turner Construction. It was a complex project that required extensive site preparation. The new building was connected underground to an existing building, which needed to be stabilized while installations for the new structures were underway. In addition to installing the utilities, the job included sediment control, sheeting, underpinning, excavating and hauling dirt. It was from this project that the company became skilled in providing a complete suite of site services.
“We offer personalized, full-site packages. We start by clearing the work area, grading the lot, then putting in the utilities,” Tom says. “We install water lines, the sewer system and storm drains, then we put the curbs in and then we pave the site. We do everything outside the building. Somebody can just give us a job and we’ll handle it 100 percent.”
The company’s client list includes many large commercial contractors, such as Whiting-Turner, Barton Malow, Lendlease and a long list of others. Clients appreciate the personalized service offered by Iacoboni Site Specialists, Tom says. His project estimators also act as project managers, so clients have a key point person working for them from start to finish.
New Traditions
The team is tight-knit when working hard together and while taking in Maryland’s regional food delicacies.
“Maryland is famous for blue crabs and bull and oyster roasts, so we often go to those roasts for our staff parties and other work functions,” Tom says.
Members of the team also attend Associated Italian American Charities of Maryland (AIAC) events, an organization that Tom is an actively involved in.
“The AIAC does a very good job; it puts on a very good dance and a very good golf outing,” Tom says. “And the proceeds help the community.”
Through these events, Tom raises approximately $60,000 each year for the charity, and those funds help to support a local hospital, a community school and scholarships for Italian Americans attending colleges and universities.
The AIAC is also the same charity that Tom’s grandfather, Camillo, was involved in when he first came to the United States. This philanthropic opportunity is yet another way that Tom is celebrating and carrying on his family’s legacy.