Variety is the Spice of a Diverse Company’s Services
Family-owned Anglin Construction Co. succeeds through versatility
The Anglin Construction Co., based in Newark, Del., got its start in 2005. However, Stuart Anglin, the owner and President of the full-service construction company, entered the industry more than 30 years ago, working for his father. Now that he has his own business, Stuart continues the tradition of involving family in his company, which operates in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
When Stuart was young, his father ran various aviation-related businesses. Working with his grandfather, Stuart constructed the different facilities required by his father’s enterprises. “I learned construction from my grandfather,” Stuart says. “I’m a spinoff of a series of family businesses.”
A close-knit, family-owned operation, Anglin Construction has 15 to 18 full-time employees. Stuart’s wife, Debi, runs the office. Their son Kyle is involved in sales for the company, while their daughter, Kara handles special projects. Their other son, Kurt, oversees the company’s civil construction efforts. “Out in the field we’ve got a really good group of guys,” Stuart says.
Many Specialties
The firm specializes in residential, commercial and industrial construction, and cultured marble manufacturing. In fact, Anglin Construction employs its own proprietary method in the manufacture of cultured marble, cultured granite and other cast polymers.
On the residential side, Anglin Construction specializes in additions, basement refinishing, kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling. Its expertise in cultured marble manufacturing really comes into play during remodeling projects, enabling clients to choose from a wide selection of premium, affordable solutions. Anglin Construction also works closely with disabled veterans to provide adaptive housing that meets their accessibility needs. Other residential offerings include deck construction, foundation waterproofing, concrete work, stucco and stone work, and swimming pool installation or demolition.
On the commercial side, the firm’s services include tenant fit-outs, underground conduit installation, demolition, concrete flatwork, equipment pads, structural concrete, concrete breaking, concrete saw cutting, concrete removal, asphalt paving, shoring, excavation, pipework, storm and sewer, water services, erosion and sediment control, and land clearing.
Commercial Appeal
In terms of commercial developments, Anglin Construction typically focuses on projects up to 12,000 square feet in size. “That’s our market,” Stuart says.
In addition to clients such as restaurants and car rental agencies, Anglin Construction also has conducted work for the federal government, including the U.S. Postal Service. Recently, the company constructed the foundation for a new maintenance facility at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, in Delaware’s Kent County.
In one of its more unique ventures, Anglin Construction participated in a solar installation at the Terry Campus of the Delaware Technical Community College in Dover. The project entailed the construction of a carport outfitted with rooftop solar panels. For its part, Anglin Construction conducted the necessary excavations in the parking lot and installed the foundational elements needed to support the steel canopy. Following the erection of the canopy and the installation of the solar panels, Anglin Construction restored the asphalt within the affected parking surfaces.
Curb Enthusiasm
In recent years, the company has beefed up its ability to construct curbs rapidly and efficiently, having purchased two concrete curb-and-gutter slipform machines from Power Curbers Inc. By automating the slipform concrete construction process, the machines expedite project delivery. “It’s extremely efficient,” Stuart says. “It takes the labor out of setting up wooden or steel forms. The machine just moves down the line, and the concrete truck feeds it. It’s a pretty basic process.”
Although it has 40 different forms available for use in the curbing machines, the team is not limited to these options. “We can have custom forms made up from the manufacturer within weeks,” Stuart explains. His staff makes whatever the customer is asking for in terms of curbs, Jersey walls and similar barriers. “It’s a neat concept that works very well,” he adds.
Although the concrete curbing market is a specialized one, Stuart says that he expects this line of work to continue to grow over time. “We’ve been ramping up on this for the past couple of years,” he shares.
A Complete Provider
With the addition of its concrete-curbing capabilities, Anglin Construction has “closed the loop” to become a complete provider of concrete-related services, including slabs, curbs, gutters and sidewalks, Stuart says. “We offer a turnkey concrete solution,” he emphasizes.
This is particularly true for commercial projects, such as strip malls and restaurants. These types of jobs represent the company’s “real niche,” Stuart says. In such cases, Anglin Construction is often asked to self-perform the excavation for the foundation and footing. “We excavate just the area we need to get the underpinning of the building started, the foundation,” says the company owner. Anglin Construction then completes the concrete slab on which the rest of the building is constructed.
Poised for Growth
Looking ahead, Stuart has a bullish view of his company’s prospects, in part because he believes that pending changes to certain federal tax provisions will spur dramatic future growth in commercial construction. Scheduled to take effect in 2018, the changes will alter existing accounting standards. Ultimately, the revisions “change the way that companies can view their balance sheets in relationship to leases,” he says. Because of the tax implications associated with these changes, affected companies will have greater incentive to reduce the extent to which they own mortgaged properties.
Enter Anglin Construction. With the backing of various partners, the company plans to work with affected businesses to develop tax-efficient approaches to remodeling existing facilities or constructing new properties, Stuart says. “It’s not just construction anymore,” he shares. “It’s construction with debt relief. Ultimately, the new rules are going to be a game changer.”