Union Maintenance Corp.

Founded in the 1950s by Francis J. Kelly in Brooklyn NY, Kelmar Contracting was built on the principles of service and being dedicated to our customers. Through the 60’s and 70’s, Kelmar’s primary focus was larger shipping lines and the shipyards that serviced those clients. With the passing of Francis J. Kelly in 1979, Frank “Bosco” Kelly took over the operation of Kelmar.

During the late 70’s and early 80’s there was a major shift in the industry. Shipping lines and larger shipyards left the Port of New York. With the majority of this work moving internationally for lower repair cost, Kelmar had to shift its client base. Kemlar acquired Union Maintenance Corp. in the early 80’s focusing now on local tug and barge operators.

In the early 80’s, along with this shift, Frank’s brothers Peter Kelly and Paul Kelly joined the Union Maintenance team. They moved their operation from Brooklyn to Staten Island to be closer to the Tug and Barge operators. They have been the primary operators since, and have added a third generation to the business with the addition of Matt Kelly in 2009. Matt has a NACE Level 2 certification in coatings inspection and brings new insights into the business.

All three generations of the Kelly family were brought into the business from the “ground-up” experiencing everything they could in the shipyard environment. Giving us the experience we need to deal with customers, employees, and vendors. Over the years our focus has changed, but our mission has remained the same: provide quality service to our customers in the safest and most efficient matter possible.

Feel free to contact us with your marine and industrial surface preparation and coating needs!