New York Construction Report special feature
Over its 50-year history as a consulting engineering firm, Joseph B. Callaghan, Inc. (JBCI) has developed and evolved its offering as a structural engineer, and along the way, developed a niche expertise in the fields of repair and restoration.
President Allen Roth says the firm’s work in restoration and repair began in the 80s and, over the past 10 years, that specialty has grown significantly. The firm’s staff has grown from three to 13.
He says the company’s motto and ongoing goal is always to achieve the lowest total project cost, start to finish, and that investing at the outset in an ongoing maintenance program can have a significant impact over time.
“Unfortunately, many clients in the past came to us initially because they found out the hard way the cost of not having maintenance programs in place,” Roth said. “Today, more people realize that ongoing maintenance goes a long way towards ensuring the life of a building.”
Working with concrete as well as other materials, the team’s projects have included dams, stadiums, bridges and high rise buildings. “We’ve worked on Carnegie Lake Dam, JFK Stadium while it was in use, Franklin Field, several large high-rises at the University of Pennsylvania campus, Resorts Casino in Atlantic City…”
The firm has also worked on hospitals and condominium projects and, through long term staff, develops and maintains strong client relationships. This has led to many long term clients, referrals, and repeat business. “The average tenure of our staff is 18 years and we have many who have been here almost that long. People come, and they stay, and that makes for relationships clients can count on.”
“Over our firm’s 50-year history, we’ve had two presidents; our founder, Joseph Callaghan, and me. Joe was active in the company for 47 years and I’ve been here 33. That’s a lot of continuity and reliability our clients can count on, throughout every aspect of the firm.”
Part of why people come and stay is a culture based on work/life balance. JCB staff seek to ensure solid client relationships by understanding each situation’s nuances and responding with flexibility.
“We did work for an all girls’ school and, because almost half of our staff is female, were able to assign a female to work on the project. Not only did the client get the work they needed done, but they were able to hold this up to students as an example of women achieving in careers, which they appreciated on another level.”
JBCI is actively involved with the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI). Roth says this allows the firm to be in tune with concrete repair materials, technology and strategy as it evolves. “We will be drone certified shortly and are branching into other tools such as thermal imaging and laser scanning in order to meet the continuing needs of our clients.”
The team also stays current on changing city ordinances to ensure it can advise clients, and respond appropriately when new clients inquire with problems.
Recognized with numerous awards for its efforts, including its work on the Carnegie Lake Dam, JBCI has been listed as a top growth firm in the nation last year.
Roth says JBCI will continue to adapt its workforce and technology as needed to stay on top of the industry and in touch with new materials. Ongoing education and training will ensure the team can respond to a diversity of project types and materials and serve clients effectively in the future.
For more information, visit www.jbciengineers.com.
