Distler Riggs, Inc.

Herbert T. Sweeney Jr. founded our company in 1947 when he returned from serving in the Army Air Corp during World War II.  He started with a single Caterpillar D-4 tractor, which he purchased as military surplus from the War Assets Board for the sum of $1,300.  It was used as an agricultural tractor pulling sprayers at Twin Brook Orchards, which was owned and operated by his father at our present location.  A short time later he purchased a blade for an additional $200.00.  The company’s first business outside of the orchard came from grading for a new housing development that was being built less than a mile from our present day facility.  The fledgling company grew and prospered during the housing boom that followed the war.

Steady growth ensued over the following decades with both of his sons following him into the business in the 1970s.  The company now owns well over one hundred pieces of late model heavy equipment.  We are constantly updating our fleet to include machines having more environmentally friendly higher Tier engines.  Many of our machines are also equipped with the latest GPS grading technology to improve accuracy and efficiency, which ultimately reduces costs for our customers.

What We Do

H.T. Sweeney & Son, Inc. typically works about 50 projects a year.  We serve a broad range of customers in the commercial, environ-mental, industrial and institutional sectors.  Projects range in size from small to over $25,000,000 and have included civil / site construction for apartment buildings, athletic fields / stadiums, hotels, industrial waste landfills, manufacturing companies, office buildings, power plants and substations, petroleum product tank farms, pipelines, pumping stations, rail yards, refineries, retail centers, schools, universities, warehouses along with environmental remediation projects.  We provide a full scope of site construction services including clearing and grubbing, demolition, earthwork, underground utilities, concrete work, retaining walls, hardscaping and paving.
Our computerized takeoff capabilities, utilizing CAD files in concert with our GPS and robotic survey equipment, allow us to easily prepare progress and final as-built plans.  We presently are certified by the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to perform civil tank construction for above ground fuel storage tanks (ACVL), as required by the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act. 
We are backed by bonds from a surety with the highest industry rating and are able to bond all project sizes.
In addition to keeping our workforce safe and secure, our commitment to safety allows us to remain competitive by controlling the insurance costs for our projects. We are also members of ISNetworld, "the global resource for connecting corporations with safe, reliable contractors/suppliers from capital-intensive industries."

Our Commitment to Our Customers

With our skilled union employees, we perform work on both open shop and union projects. Our experienced management staff, along with our excellent field supervision team, is determined to exceed our customer’s expectations by performing quality work safely, efficiently, and on schedule.  
We achieve our goals by instilling a sense of pride in our workforce, and providing our employees with the support and technology to perform safely and efficiently.  Our decades of experience enable us to present value engineering proposals for consideration by the owner's construction team, that can keep costs down while maintaining quality of the finished product.  All of these efforts allow us to build lasting relationships with our customers.  Our goal is to create a satisfied customer with whom we will continue to work for years to come.

Working primarily in Delaware, New Jersey, southern New York, Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania, we have been serving the area for over 65 years and look forward to serving your needs in the future.

Fine grading for the Philadelphia Eagles football stadium, performed by a laser controlled Cat 12H motor grader.
Limited access called for a different approach to filling this transformer oil containment pit with stone at an electrical substation.