It was 3 o’clock in the morning, and Jim McClelland sat up in bed. “I woke up,” Jim says, “and I thought, ‘I have it.’ ” His epiphany was coming up with the name for his new commercial and residential general contracting company based in Washington,…

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SAY-CORE, INC. (SAY-CORE) of Portage, Pennsylvania, calls itself “manufacturers and erectors of pre-stressed hollow-core floor and roof slabs.” Since October 2001, the company has been using a state-of-the-art extrusion process out of its 24,000-square-foot…

Pat DiCerbo’s clients are building the backbone of America—from roads, tunnels and bridges to buildings and other infrastructure. “My clients are creative thinkers and risk takers. They’re solving seemingly unsolvable problems.”

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Brian Gaudiano describes himself as resourceful and agile, with an entrepreneurial spirit. A 22-year veteran of the construction industry, he capitalized on those traits in 2019 as he ventured out on his own to launch Omega Building Company…

For Tim Pinkevich, Owner and President of Pennsylvania-based Nationwide Exteriors Inc., standing out in the construction business is all about being reliable. In his mind, you gain a client’s trust, repeat business and referrals by always working…

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It was August 2020…8:30 on a Friday night. Dave Brocious, Managing Partner of Sky Point Crane, was on vacation with his family at a lake house in New York. Sky Point Crane is an all-purpose crane and rigging company out of Indiana, Pennsylvania.…

K.A. Sodders Painting goes to great heights to make sure projects are done right—even if it means suspending themselves from a six-story building. When a project called for hand rolling paint onto five, six-story office buildings in Moon Township,…

As a 38-year-old construction company, Old Forge Builders, Inc. (OFB), is making a name for itself in the building of commercial facilities while also looking to expand operations from New Jersey and the Philadelphia area into southern New Jersey…

The twists and turns of life are often unanticipated. Three decades ago, for example, Tim Haskins was just a small-town guy from North East, Pennsylvania. He was self-taught in welding and fabrication and decided to travel across the country…

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When first-generation American Peter Caruso II embarked on his third career venture, he could not have foretold its eventual role in shaping the landscape and way of life in southwestern Pennsylvania. Following unsatisfying stints as a grocer…

Not all teachers take the summers off. Many take side jobs for extra income and, in rare occasions, those side jobs blossom into full-blown new careers and opportunities.

When he started Security Systems of America in 1972, Art Beaver says the residential security business was really non-existent.

While the company origin of Etzel Engineer & Build, Inc. dates back to 1987, President and Owner Regis (Rege) Etzel re-established the company in 2007, based on a mission and vision to deliver design-led, design-build construction that uniquely…

Don’t do it twice. Do it right. This is the tagline of the Ram Jack brand, an iconic trailblazer in the foundation industry. Ram Jack is one of the first companies capable of putting steel in the ground, creating a dual-cylinder driving method…

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In 2014, Tyler Shelly saw a couple of mergers and acquisitions happening in what he calls the “big-box” retail companies. Motivated by the prospective business opportunity, he believed that he and his family could take a shot at creating a one-stop…

The year 2009 was a big one for Gerald Jacoby, Owner and Principal of Jacoby & Associates Agency of Pittsburgh. It was the year that the captive commercial-insurance provider for which he was writing policies, American Hardware Mutual Insurance…

Coming to the rescue; that’s how eSolutions Electrical Contracting (eSolutions) earned its reputation. Routinely, the team finds solutions to complex problems that not only correct the issue but often save clients money as well. For example,…

While some may define the pre-engineered metal building industry as more or less a “cookie-cutter” approach, Solid Steel Buildings, Inc. (SSB) of Pittsburgh bursts out of any preconceived norms.

To be bold is to be daring. Those with an intrepid spirit often challenge the status quo to achieve their goals, and demonstrate remarkable tenacity under pressure. Such is the case with Michael Allen, the determined and highly motivated leader…

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After almost 30 years in business, Paul Gajda finally feels like he can retire from Metal Fence Supply Co. because he found the right person to take over the company. For the past year, he’s been partnering with longtime employee Brandon Dando…

Steve Cioppa is the Owner of Phase One Development Corporation (Phase One), a company in Pittsburgh that has been performing demolition, lead and mold abatement, concrete resurfacing and asbestos removal since September 2001. We talked in…

Timbers Building Co. is a young company with unusual depth and experience. Dan Palmer Jr., Owner and President of Timbers Building, is only 28, but he represents the third generation in his family to own and operate a construction company.…

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Born of a long line of carpenters, Art Rectenwald understands the importance of cutting, shaping and adapting to produce quality results.

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In its 50 years of helping subcontractors and specialty trade contractors, the American Subcontractors Association of Western Pennsylvania (ASA WPA) has developed events and services to enhance its business operations. This year’s goal: create…

Seventy years ago, a man named Ed Mariani and his wife, Josephine, founded a masonry restoration and waterproofing company as a way to support themselves and their two young daughters, Charlotte and Andrea. At first, Ed began by bidding and…

For a business that has grown and thrived for more than a century, Fairchance Construction is refreshingly innovative, adopting technology to give its customers greater control and vision over the process, materials, design and end product.…

From the time he was 10 years old, Domenic DiMarco remembers working alongside his late grandfather, an old-school tradesman from Italy and his namesake. Today, the younger Domenic represents DiMarco Construction Co., Inc.’s third generation,…

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As the saying goes: out of sight, out of mind. That may be truer for pipes than almost anything else. They’re an essential part of the circulatory system for the society we enjoy, but most people never think about them. Until the moment they…

Pete Gum and Ericha McLaughlin work on behalf of the members of Associated Builders and Contractors of Western PA (ABC of Western PA). They also work on behalf of students who haven’t even graduated from high school yet.

When Charles E. Kennedy Sr. (Chuck) founded Tri State Electric, Inc. (Tri State) in 2008, the company name aptly described its regional reach. Tri State initially did business in its home state of Pennsylvania, plus West Virginia and Ohio.

For 40 years, A.W. McCay Contracting, Inc. has been providing quality commercial construction services, including build-to-suit and renovations, to the greater Pittsburgh region and Ohio.

Camped out on a mountain peak in Italy’s Apuan Alps in northern Tuscany, Emre Basman knew he’d found a focus for his entrepreneurial heart. At the time, the then 25-year-old was a buyer for a stone company in the U.S.

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Nathan Kenney can’t think of a single thing he’d change about his family’s business—except perhaps its location. Nathan is General Manager of Pleasant Unity Supply, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and six miles…

McCarrell Landscape Construction, LLC happened by accident. Founder and owner 
Brad McCarrell has been in the landscape industry since he was a teenager. In high school, he worked part time for a nursery wholesale retailer and grower, a job…

Today, fourth-generation mason Dominick Antonio carries on the legacy of his great grandfather who came from Italy in the early 1900s to build churches in Philadelphia. That legacy is Antonio and Son Contracting, LLC, a family-owned masonry…

Aaron Rectenwald’s timeline for success has been in a steep, steady upward trend. When he was 16, he went to buy his first car and ended up meeting his future wife, Hilary. They now have two children.

It’s no fluke that Climatech Inc. has weathered the ups and downs of the construction industry throughout its 45-year history. Founded by Mitchell Taback in 1972, his son Brad Taback took over the commercial HVAC company’s service-oriented traditions,…

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From Pittsburgh to Calcutta, entrepreneurs around the world are on the search for new ways to ensure the longevity of their businesses. Some rely on incremental changes: trying out a new marketing strategy, hiring an advisor, or cutting down…

The Mongiovi & Son companies, headquartered in Pittsburgh, generate $20 million in revenue each year and employ over 100 people. What began as a small, single-person business operating out of a garage has transformed into a large, well-established…

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