Raising a Demolition Team
Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc. represents a heritage of demolition
The Dore family has demolished and abated structures for 60 years throughout the United States and around the world. “We’ve got a lot of experience,” says Arthur Dore, founder and Chairman. As a newlywed, Dore began with taking down houses to make way for an interstate. “I was in the right place at the right time,” Dore says. He also had the right idea—one that has stood the test of time. “I am 82 years old, and I’m here every day raising hell,” Dore says.
The Dore Heirs Join the Venture
Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc. (Dore & Associates), based in Bay City, Michigan, expanded and Dore’s family grew. He now has six sons and two daughters—all joining him in the demolition industry.
Dore explains with pride how each family member contributes to the Dore legacy. Art Jr. manages NASDI, LLC, a family-owned firm in Boston. He commutes between Michigan and Massachusetts every week. Eddie heads Dore & Associates. Jason does the accounting for all of the enterprises. Dennis (Dino) and Randy run the machines. Jeff owns his own demolition business in Detroit, Detroit Dismantling Corp., with the motto “Expertise in the Art of Destruction.” Dore’s daughters, Wendy and Beth, have both worked on various demolition projects for Dore & Associates.
Employees and Projects
Between Dore & Associates and NASDI, there are about 500 employees, according to Dore. Employees receive a year-end bonus depending on how the company fared and what they did. Their availability increases productivity. “These guys will go out anywhere at a moment’s notice, survey the project and bid a price,” Dore says. “We have equipment stationed around the country in order to get a crew to a project most anywhere within 24 hours.”
Projects include demolition, either explosive or conventional—plant dismantling, interior/exterior renovation, equipment sales and scrap disposal, and mine and plant closures. Dore & Associates also deals with asbestos abatement, which can involve fireproofing, thermal and mechanical insulation, transite, vinyl asbestos tiles, refractory materials, roofing/flashing and cooling towers. Other undertakings consist of lead abatement, soil remediation, tank closure and removal, and PCB cleanups.
A recent project in Des Moines, Iowa, required a unique approach. The 10-story, 115-year-old Younker Brothers Department Store building had suffered a devastating fire in 2014. The store abutted against an occupied, two-story building on the main corner of town, making this project particularly delicate. Safety, of course, is paramount in demolition. The entire area had to be barricaded. “Dino designed, developed and placed large, three- and four-story-high rubber balloons on the roof so they would prevent damage from falling debris,” Dore says. The system, something Dore had not seen done before, worked according to plan.
Specialized Equipment
Throughout their business endeavors, the Dores have creatively provided solutions to other situations as well. “We design and build negative air machines and portable showers for the abatement industry,” Dore says. At sites where contamination is a concern, the crew will line the building with polyethylene/poly sheeting. Negative air machines clean the interior air and exhaust outside so that any new air that comes in won’t cause further contamination. Workers use portable showers when entering and exiting a containment area.
“We manufacture this machinery and come up with these ideas that we take for granted. A lot of the engineers and consultants that we work with say, ‘Wow, that’s really something.’ To us it’s just another day’s work,” Dore says. “We’ve been producing negative air machines and showers for the last 20 years. I thought these inventions were going to be just a flash-in-the-pan kind of operation, but the market for them is stronger than ever,” Dore continues.
Plus, the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard on respirable crystalline requires containment of dust and dirt, which makes the use of this equipment crucial and beneficial for all kinds of construction—and deconstruction.
Toughman Contest
Dore is also known for starting the Original Toughman Contest, an amateur boxing tournament. He had been an amateur boxer for years, and then he trained kids and managed professional fighters. In 1979, Dore and his buddy, Dean Oswald, were worried that boxing was in decline, so they decided to gather local guys in the area, put them in the ring and find the toughest guy in town. They advertised around the area, and about 40 people signed up.
“The place was jam-packed for the first event we ever did. Half the people came to see these tough guys win or get their butt kicked,” Dore says. “We had two or three shows around the state, and we could see this was something that people really wanted.” They wound up doing 60 or 70 shows a year around the country for several years. The FX cable network even picked the show up for about five years.
Dore and the contest were portrayed in the film “Tough Enough,” starring Dennis Quaid and Warren Oates. “Dennis Quaid and I went drinking a few times,” Dore says. “Like Hollywood usually does, they embellished here and there, but the story was pretty much on target.”
Rewards of a Good Reputation
Unlike Hollywood, Dore doesn’t embellish on what a client needs. He is upfront with his customers and has been known to talk himself out of a job. What they need may be another type of contractor to get the task done, and Dore doesn’t mind telling them that.
“We are hungry, and we’ve been hungry for 60 years. Anytime there’s an assignment out there, we are here to take it on and try to make a buck, but we intend to make the people we work for happy and content at the same time,” Dore says.
He believes in the importance of reputation. “After 60 years, my kids will say, ‘Hey, there’s a guy on the phone, and he’ll only talk to you.’ Come to find out I did a job for him maybe 40 years ago,” Dore says. Time attests to Dore’s business acumen, and the legacy continues with his sons and daughters.