FED. CORP.

Joe Federico Jr. grew up in the construction industry, surrounded by family members, including his father, who had spent decades building in eastern Massachusetts. In 1984, Joe was ready to strike out on his own. With a rented backhoe, a 10-wheel dump truck and a pickup truck full of tools, Joe launched FED. CORP. (FED), a business that has grown into two generations of quality infrastructure construction.

Today, FED employs 30 people operating from a main facility in Dedham, Mass. The close-knit crew includes Joe’s partner in business and Al Morteo, vice president, who has been with the company since 1986 and wears many hats. With a master’s degree in finance, Al leads the office end of the business, while managing office staff and overseeing projects on-site. Joe’s three sons are also involved in the family business, learning the trade and sharing their father’s commitment to quality and integrity.

Keeping Boston connected

Over the years, FED has become one of the leading underground utility firms in the Greater Boston area. The team specializes in infrastructure such as sewers, pump stations, road construction and earthwork, as well as snow removal.

FED’s target market is the public sector and the business has developed lasting relationships with municipal agencies, such as Boston Water and Sewer. As time goes on, municipalities have come to rely of the FED team’s experience and expertise to execute challenging projects to help keep communities functioning efficiently and safely.

The company has executed countless diverse and challenging projects over the last 30 years. FED’s recent work includes several large infrastructure projects in the state. In 2011, the team wrapped up a project for the town of Canton, Mass. Joe and his team furnished and installed more than 8,000 linear feet of 30-inch PVC sewer pipe through environmentally sensitive wetlands. The team’s scope of work included jacking a 48-inch steel casing underneath Interstate 95 for approximately 400 feet, as well as installing a 6-foot by 6-foot box culvert across Elm Street for the channeling of the Ponkopoag Brook. Due to the sensitive area surrounding the worksite, FED crews took extensive precautions to avoid disrupting the delicate habitat.

Other recent projects include pipeline construction in Lower Roxbury for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. The team furnished and installed more than 7,000 linear feet of piping for storm drains, sanitary sewer and water mains, working at night to keep traffic and community disruption to a minimum. The company also completed a street reconstruction project in Dedham in 2009 involving approximately 8,000 linear feet of pipe, as well as catch basins, manholes, box culvert and drainage chambers. The team successfully completed overlying road construction, performing curbing, sidewalks and paving, as well as all the excavation work for the project.

Quality control

After the housing bubble burst in 2008, individuals and businesses across the country faced major challenges. Joe says his team felt the impacts, but managed to hang on. The company’s involvement with public projects has helped keep the business steady, but Joe says the economy has a long way to go. Treading cautiously, the business is not looking ahead to any major changes or expansions.

“We will keep doing what we do best,” he explains. “We are looking at opportunities for more pipework and roadwork. We will also continue to operate our aggregate recycling facility, Dedham Recycled Gravel. It has been a great complement to our business over the years.”

While many contractors have attempted to diversify, FED recognizes a strong niche and the team is sticking to it. “We know that we can perform quality work,” Joe explains. “We are conscientious about our performance, our equipment and our employees. We have a great, hard-working staff here. We work closely with our crews on a daily basis and many of our team members have worked with us for a long time.”

The company also has longstanding partnerships with suppliers, subcontractors and clients. FED performs most work in-house, controlling quality and keeping costs manageable. When the team needs subcontractors for trades, such as HVAC, electrical work and structural work, Joe has a set network of reliable strategic partners who are dedicated to the same high level of quality and performance that FED embraces and promotes.

After 30 years in business, FED continues to uphold high standards. Furthermore, Joe was awarded Contractor of the Year in 2009 by the Utility Contractor Association of New England. With a strong leader, FED boasts a strong record for efficient, safe work that makes the company a leader in the regional infrastructure construction market. With new opportunities popping up in Boston and beyond, FED. CORP. is positioned to grow steadily into the next generation of family ownership.