115 Years Old and Still Going Strong
Third and fourth generations lead the way at family-owned Wagman, Inc.
Wagman, Inc. has been led by the same family—the Wagmans—for over 115 years. One could say that it is in the rarefied elite of multigenerational companies.
According to The Family Business Institute, a family business consulting firm, “only about 3 percent of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation or beyond.” Wagman, Inc. has obviously beaten those odds, currently operating with management from the third and fourth generations.
Wagman, Inc. is a consortium of companies that includes a full-service general contracting operation (Wagman Construction, Inc.), and a heavy civil and geotechnical operation (Wagman Heavy Civil, Inc.). Headquartered in York, Pa., Wagman, Inc. has two offices in Pennsylvania and two offices in Virginia with equipment services centers in both states.
Wagman Construction caters to clients in the senior living, health care, higher education, commercial, urban, institutional and industrial markets in central Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. Wagman Heavy Civil primarily builds transportation infrastructure throughout the mid-Atlantic region, with geotechnical operations and specialty services expanding up and down the east coast.
One family staying at the same company for many generations is an amazing feat. But Wagman, Inc. is exceptional in that there are many families who have generations of family members who work at the business. And over 40 of the company’s employees—which represents more than 20 percent of the total staff—have worked there for more than 20 years.
What exactly is the company doing that makes people love it so much? And how can families work together for that long? The secret is in its history.
A Family Legacy in Construction
The story of Wagman, Inc. begins in 1902 when George Wagman had a dream to build a legacy for his family. A hardworking man, in his early 20s he began a small manufacturing business producing concrete sidewalk slabs and ornamental products for his neighbors and the community in Pennsylvania. Upon starting the business, George faced stiff competition: larger, more established concrete manufacturing companies had begun bidding on civil projects. Knowing that civil projects were the future, he concentrated his efforts on bridge construction, learning almost everything there was to know about the market at the time. His hard work paid off—in 1908, he was awarded his first bridge project, and shortly thereafter began leading the area’s bridge-building industry.
George’s younger brother, Fred, became a partner at the company in 1909, and G.A. & F.M. Wagman was formed. Under G.A. & F.M. Wagman, the brothers branched out from bridges to build dams, reservoirs and roads throughout Pennsylvania, and in 1917 they drove pilings for the first time in the company’s history. After Fred’s death in 1947, George’s son Francis (Bud) Wagman, who had already worked for the firm for 12 years, became George’s partner. A succession of other Wagmans followed—including Rich, who in 1970 expanded the company’s services to begin constructing water and wastewater treatment plants; and Joe, who in 1990 expanded the business once again to include institutional, medical, office, and urban redevelopment projects. In other words, with each generation came a bigger picture for what the company could be. And Wagman, Inc., along with the family itself, kept moving forward.
Which brings us to this century. In 2001, Rich’s daughter, Lisa Wagman Glezer, and her husband, Mike Glezer, the current CEO, joined as fourth-generation members of the family empire. Rich is currently the Chairman of Wagman Heavy Civil, with Greg Andricos serving as its President and COO. Joe Wagman is Chairman of Wagman Construction, and Kevin Snoke is its President and COO.
“Core values, such as integrity, mutual respect, safety and community, were instilled by previous generations and are a huge part of who we are,” says Glezer. “We believe in doing the right thing and have built up a reputation in the industry and with our people based on these principles. There are many families here at Wagman, and we take a lot of pride in that. There are no better recommendations than somebody encouraging a friend or family member to join our team because they feel part of something bigger.”
And just like with their employees, Wagman, Inc. relies on building long-term connections with its clients. “It is our goal to maintain long-term partnerships with clients, not just for the current project—but beyond,” says Glezer.
Effective Project Solutions
Anticipating problems before they arise, and coming up with creative, effective ways to overcome them, is the company’s specialty. For instance, during a renovation of an occupied skilled nursing facility, safety personnel—dubbed “Building Safety Monitors”—were stationed outside the temporary Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) walls that contained the active construction space.
Although these monitors were initially hired to keep the area clean, Wagman Construction’s leadership soon realized they could serve a broader purpose. “The monitors answered questions from visitors or residents about the barrier and the project,” says Snoke. “They connected the facility’s staff with the construction superintendent if needed, monitored entry into the active construction area to keep staff and residents safe and provided other assistance.” These monitors help sensitive projects proceed smoothly and with minimal disruption to staff, residents and visitors while building a personal relationship between the Wagman Construction crew and staff and residents.
Another example is The Lodge, part of Homewood at Willow Ponds, a continuing care retirement community located in Frederick, Md. Wagman Construction was the general contractor on the $117 million, 277,000-square-foot apartment building project, which has 65 patio homes and apartments for elderly, independent residents.
On this project, each of Wagman’s specialties came together to streamline the process and maximize the benefit for the client. Wagman Construction served as general contractor on the job, while Wagman Heavy Civil performed site work and geotechnical services. It is unusual for one contractor to offer this level of coordinated self-performance.
“From early on in the design process through the development of construction documents, the team worked to develop building systems to give the greatest cost efficiency and constructability to the client,” says Snoke.
One example of this collaboration was overcoming the site’s difficult soil-bearing conditions. During preconstruction, wick drains were identified as a potential solution to address the site’s fatty clay deposits, which may have led to the building settling. But instead of using the wick drains, the team evaluated the option of surcharging the building’s footprint to compress the clay to eliminate any future settlement.
“By surcharging the building footprint instead of installing wick drains, the team saved approximately $1 million,” says Snoke. “By choosing structural concrete columns instead of the designed structural steel, our team also eliminated the need for cross-bracing, which accelerated the schedule by a month and saved the client an additional $40,000.”
Wagman Construction found additional ways to save the client time and money. During construction, a hybrid approach involving both steel and wood construction was used to accommodate the size of the facility while still controlling the budget. Using this mixture of materials allows for some large openings that can flood common spaces with natural light. Though the facility was originally designed for conventional wood construction, the Wagman team explored a variety of offsite construction schemes to accelerate the project schedule.
The final phase of the project was completed in May 2016, eight months ahead of schedule, with a total savings of nearly $2 million. Today, the campus offers residents beautiful views of the Catoctin Mountains and Willow Pond, while the interior’s lovely grained woods, rich coppery fabrics and wrought iron finishings emulate the look of a mountain lodge.
“We are exceptionally proud of our people and our relationships with clients,” says Glezer. “We have a lot of unique specialties and a great team, which gives us a competitive advantage to provide consultative and cost-effective solutions to our clients and maintain long-lasting relationships.”