Trust & Education Lead to Longevity
Stamford Wrecking Company —a Different Sort of Business for Almost a Century
When asked what helped Stamford Wrecking Company grow to become a service leader in five New England states, third-generation owner Stephen Goldblum doesn’t hesitate. “It has a lot do to with employees, their caliber and the kind of character our clients value,” he says. Some of Stamford Wrecking’s employees have stayed with the company for 50 years and the “newbie” has been there almost a decade.
A key to Stamford Wrecking’s longevity is their employees’ happiness and their dedication to resolving every potential hiccup in each project. “That way,” Stephen says, “we can protect our customers and convey the most accurate picture of how the process will work.” Careful data collection and evaluation throughout the decades melds with a family environment to make all the difference.
How it All Started
Stephen Goldblum’s grandfather left Europe and immigrated to the United States with an education mindset—he learned to speak English but couldn’t find a job in the economic climate that followed World War I, so he began salvaging old wood for bakers’ ovens. The business of selling salvaged wood grew into demolishing buildings and that’s where his education emphasis came into play—understanding every facet of demolition was critical to managing the process efficiently for his customers and providing safety for his workers.
In the years to come, he would discover that an unfaltering trust from his employees evolved from his appreciation for education, and that trust became a cornerstone to his success.
“He knew that if he wanted to grow his business, he’d have to manage people and cost-effective processes,” says Stephen. “To do that, he’d have to know the right way to do everything and the right way to provide a home away from home for those who trust him with their careers.”
Nine Decades Later
Stamford Wrecking still relies on trust and education to build relationships with large corporations, contractors, governmental agencies, and even homeowners. Professionalism and preparedness are a big part of why customers trust Stamford Wrecking. And always being there to listen to employees’ concerns, whether personal or business, is the basis for their trust in Stamford Wrecking.
This approach to managing people and projects resulted in a family operation with corporate-level professionalism long before large corporations existed in their line of business. Now, emphasizing the right way to do their job—whether it’s office staff, field supervisors, or a host of professionals—and providing them with the needed education and people skills, sets Stamford Wrecking apart as the go-to service provider for on-budget, on-time projects in its region. Equally important, says Stephen, is having employees who want to provide an exceptional level of service.
Stephen still eats lunch with his team at the Stamford Wrecking kitchen table. He uses the informal setting as an opportunity to really get to know and understand his staff and be there for them. “So many of our employees have trusted us for their entire careers. I think that’s also one reason why our customers trust us to be there for them.”
Safety, Planning and Data Collection
Saturday morning safety and planning meetings are part of the education process that Stamford Wrecking customers trust. “They may not see what goes on behind the scenes,” says Stephen, “but they do see the professionalism our people bring to the table, and that we understand their needs. When our customers work with someone who is more prepared, it makes their lives easier, and data analysis helps immensely.”
Information gained through vigilant data collection and analysis helps avoid surprises, particularly in the remediation area. “Some surprises can be tough on a schedule or the pocketbook, and when factors are discovered that throw a wrench into the situation, people can become scared—for their jobs, for their finances, sometimes for their shareholders.”
Data and People: The Stamford Wrecking Heartbeat
The data Stamford Wrecking has collected on projects throughout these many decades gives them unique insight. “It’s knowing what past problems arose that helps us figure out things in advance and know where to look for those pitfalls that other companies would have no way of knowing, expecting, or planning for. And it’s our exceptional people who make the planning turn into a smooth project,” Stephen adds.
Stamford Wrecking is particularly proud of their pre-planning skills, including thoroughly walking customers through the process to achieve an aligned and smooth project kickoff, and helping them understand that, “Upfront planning ultimately aides the process design. Sometimes it’s looking at wind load, or the initial underground analysis that only a few people understand,” Stephen says. “Any initial remediation that no one has looked at carefully enough upfront can lead to swings in budget and time. We want our customers to understand all the risk factors, and our environmental data has provided an especially helpful advantage for us and our customers through the years.”
Stephen expanded his grandfather’s emphasis on knowing every facet of every job to include using unique information gained from the analysis of data they’ve collected for over nine decades. Still, it is Stephen’s quest to sustain a family environment that is at the heart of employee and company satisfaction and success. At one point it was the original founder, his sons, and one office worker who handled all the company’s projects. “That office worker brought in her niece, and they became part of our family,” Stephen explains. “And as we grew, that family feeling never changed. Just as others do for their family, we make sure we do the same things for our employees. Because employees are family.”
An exceptional management style, unique employee perks, and the ability to turn data points into valuable information protect Stamford Wrecking clients from headaches and help to bring in their projects on budget and on time. Yet, it is Stamford Wrecking’s ability to maintain a family environment that has grown this business into an industry leader and a home away from home for over 250 employees.