De Sapio Construction Inc.

Anthony Jr., Vincenzo and Salvatore De Sapio have been active in the family business for as long as they can remember. Their father, Anthony De Sapio Sr., and uncles, Salvatore and Martin De Sapio, began building in 1947 as De Sapio Brothers, a contracting business based in western central New Jersey.

De Sapio Brothers’ first commercial project was the family’s parish church, Our Lady of Victories, in Baptistown, New Jersey. During the next 36 years the company grew constructing various educational, commercial and industrial projects throughout central New Jersey. In 1983, Anthony Sr. and Martin retired and their sons ran the family business for the following decade.

In 1993 Anthony, Vincenzo and Salvatore struck out on their own establishing De Sapio Construction Inc. (DCI) as a commercial general contractor and construction management business.

“We perform commercial, public sector and industrial construction services, as our father and uncle did for many years,” Anthony explains. “We also provide design-build and turnkey projects, as well as develop real estate that we own and lease. We offer property management services, as well.”

DCI is prequalified in New Jersey as not only a general contractor, but also a historical restoration contractor. The company has completed renovations to many museums and historic buildings throughout central New Jersey.

With in-house construction management capabilities, as well as skilled labor, the business is able to offer a high level of value to clients. DCI is a true general contractor, with the ability and equipment to perform many of the trades required to construct any project.

DCI routinely preforms site work, concrete, masonry and everything else right through the finish trades. The company continues to serve central New Jersey, performing a range of diverse and challenging contracts from ground-up construction to tenant fit-out work.

A growing portfolio

DCI has a strong network of clients; over the years, the business has worked extensively in the public and private sectors. DCI’s experience includes: schools, churches, retail centers, commercial office and industrial space, as well as site services, including water and waste water treatment facilities.

While construction and real estate services make up the primary business of DCI, the company also offers building maintenance services, including site maintenance and snow removal.

Recent construction work includes a project for HealthQuest in Flemington, New Jersey, a 100,000-square-foot health and fitness center. “The project is underway and we are serving as the construction managers,” says Vincenzo. “This project is a renovation of a fitness facility. Right now we are in the middle of the final phase of the three-phase project, renovations to the building’s three locker rooms. The largest challenge has been working with the public, completing our work while people are still using the facility.”

Previous phases to the HealthQuest project have included renovations to the fitness center, administrative offices, child care, aerobics, kitchen and café.

The DCI team is used to a challenge. The crew frequently performs upgrades to properties that are still occupied. Another recent project involved performing tenant fit-outs at the Diamond Silver office building in Lambertville, New Jersey. Completed in the last year, this project required some careful logistics to allow DCI’s team to renovate 24,000 square feet of office space for six separate tenants, accommodating increases and decreases to various tenants’ footprints.

“The tenants were still working there, while the renovations to their space were accomplished, without disrupting the client’s business,” details Vincenzo. “The 35,000-square-foot class A office building also received a complete face lift of the exterior.”

Currently DCI is beginning the next phase, the design and approval stage for an 18,000-square-foot parking and office building expansion on the site.

DCI recently began a project for a shopping center in Flemington, New Jersey. “This project is an exterior renovation,” Anthony elaborates. “The entire outside of the building is getting a facelift. Our scope of work includes a new EFIS facade to brighten up the structure and help modernize the facility. There are some unique columns that are a combination of cultured stone and exterior insulating finish system [EIFS].”

Carrying on a tradition

One of the most memorable projects for Anthony has been the work DCI performed on a Catholic church – the same church his father and uncles constructed when they first started the business.

“In 2008, we renovated a portion of the building and put an addition on Our Lady of Victories in Baptistown,” Anthony recalls. “We renovated the interior and added a larger, more modern kitchen, as well as another worship space. It was exciting to be working on our parish church as our father did many years ago.”

While the company’s work for Our Lady of Victories is a unique example of longstanding relationships with customers, this is far from DCI’s only repeat client.

While competition in New Jersey has been tough in the years since the recession, clients can count on Anthony, Salvatore and Vincenzo and the DCI team for a job well done.

“We do a good job and give people a good quality product,” Anthony explains. “Our clients are willing to return to us, because they know the value is consistent. We take a lot of pride in our work and our customers like to know they are dealing with a company with integrity.”

This focus on value, performance and integrity seems to be genetic. Anthony and his brothers are already priming the next generation of De Sapios. “A great source of pride for us is the fact that this is a family business and will continue to be a family business,” Anthony says. “My son and nephew are working with us and we are proud to know they will be taking over someday.”

Although they will have some big shoes to fill, the next generation at De Sapio Construction Inc. will come into management with years of experience providing high-quality services with honesty and value.