Chesterfield Associates Inc.

Chesterfield Associates Inc. provides an array of services in marine contracting throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, counties and municipalities. Headquartered in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., with a second office in Westport Island, Maine, the company employs over 40 individuals, making it one of the largest non-union marine contractors on Long Island.

The company was founded in 1968 and has provided marine contracting services for many important clients, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. National Park Service, the state of New York and Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York, in addition to a large base of private clients. The reach of Chesterfield Associates’ business has stretched along the eastern seaboard from Maine to Virginia. Aiding Chesterfield Associates in its networking, continuing technical and safety education and industry representation efforts is the fact that the company maintains a membership in good standing with the Associated Builders & Contractors Inc. (ABC).

Jeff Grube, Chesterfield Associates’ general manager, who has been with the company since 1980, explains that the company plans and constructs residential and commercial docks and piers, rehabilitates existing marine structures, installs bulkheads (commercial and waterfront home sites) and provides crane, excavating and demolition services. The company has completed numerous projects, involving the planning and construction of commercial and residential docks and piers. Additionally, Chesterfield Associates can provide service for all stages of a client’s demolition project, from acquiring permits and disconnecting utilities to the final clean-up stage. The company provides a wide range of demolition, excavating and recycling equipment to meet the needs of any particular job, and operates from 16 acres of industrial space, where it handles its own maintenance and equipment staging.

Additionally, Chesterfield Associates owns a fleet of floating equipment, including push boats, mechanized landing crafts with cranes and sectional barges, allowing the company to salvage marine vessels and host fireworks shows. Chesterfield Associates has also planned and constructed residential, multi-lane highway, historic preservation and rehabilitation bridge projects, and the company specializes in timber, steel, helical and steel sheet piling.

Glen Cove Ferry Terminal Project

One of the company’s most interesting recent projects, Grube notes, is actually the largest project Chesterfield Associates has ever undertaken: the Glen Cove Ferry Terminal on Long Island, N.Y. With a price tag of close to $11 million, the federally funded project has involved the construction of a ferry terminal building, marine and waterside improvements, public access, pedestrian spaces and a parking facility. The short-term aims are to remove cars from the roadways and to establish a public presence on the waterways. Long-term goals include redevelopment and revitalization of this area of New York through increased jobs, tourism and mercantilism.

When completed, the community ferry will transport passengers from the city of Glen Cove, N.Y. to eight different sites in Manhattan. The ferry will have the capacity to carry 1,600 passengers daily, reducing up to 48,000 vehicle miles each day. The landmark Glen Cove Ferry Terminal project uses green building technologies and complies with recent LEED standards. The positive environmental impact of this project cannot be overstated – it recently won the Transportation Choices Award from Vision Long Island, a non-profit organization with a mission to create and sustain smart growth communities. This project has allowed Chesterfield Associates to exhibit its comprehensive ability to safely deliver completely accurate, on budget and on schedule projects that are environmentally correct.

Relationships Key to Staying Afloat

Grube states that, although the company has felt the impact of the recession like all organizations, Chesterfield Associates. is “doing better than most; knock on wood.” He also asserts that the recent Glen Cove Ferry Terminal Project “has really turned our year around. So this year might actually be our best year in the last several.” Grube notes that in addition to conducting efficient and high-quality work and seeing a high volume of repeat business, Chesterfield Associates has been successful because of its strong relationships with its subcontractors, its clients and especially its employees.

Grube explains, “We have a lot of long-term employees here. Employees make the company, and having 15 to 20 long-term guys says something about the company.” In the end, Grube explains that the company’s key performance indicators include profitability, service, retention of its employees and reputation in the industry. He is hopeful that the business will continue to excel in each of these domains, while maintaining moderate growth into the future. The company’s ability to experience such a profitable year in spite of the economic downturn is a very positive sign that Chesterfield Associates Inc. has amassed the resources to prosper for quite some time.