Global Recycling & Demolition Inc.

After 30 years in the industry, Arillotta founded Global Recycling & Demolition (GRD) in 2004. Located in Swampscott, Massachusetts, GRD performs industrial dismantling, demolition and recycling.

After deciding that he did not want to enter the garbage disposal industry with his father’s company, Arillotta decided to go into construction, specializing in road building. “Road construction was not very lucrative because of how competitive it is,” says Arillotta. “After years of the ups and downs of that industry I decided to go into demolition and it’s been great.”

GRD travels all over the United States specializing in the demolition of steel mills and power plants. Arillotta has found a niche in converting rundown property into profitable ventures for multiple parties. In 2010, Arillotta purchased the Frank R. Phillips Power Station in Pennsylvania for the sole purpose of tearing down and creating an investment property. “After tearing down the plant, I cleaned the property up and now lease it to a major retail chain,” says Arillotta.

Depending on the season, GRD will employ anywhere from 50 to 100 associates and on a regular basis, the company partners with ArcelorMittal USA and US Steel. While GRD is headquartered in Massachusetts, Arillotta says that each jobsite is the primary location of the company. “We go job to job so really our headquarters is at the jobsite,” Arillotta explains. “We keep our overhead very low.”

A growing portfolio

With a crew of 80 employees, GRD was awarded the task of dismantling and salvaging a blast furnace as the result of an explosion at the Rouge River Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. The GRD team worked around the clock to complete the job in 52 days. “There aren’t too many people who will do a job like that, or know how to do something like that,” says Arillotta.

The next project on the horizon for GRD involves the demolition of a power plant in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. The $7.5 million job is for NRG Energy. As with the majority of jobs done by GRD, the company will self-perform 80 percent of the work while the remaining 20 percent is asbestos removal which the company will hire subcontractors for.

Working all over the country, Arillotta says his company has been lucky with the relationships it has established with competent subcontractors. “I’ve never had an issue with any sub that we’ve ever used,” says Arillotta. “They know what they have to do and they come in and they get it done. We often work with a company called American Abatement out of Cleveland.” GRD also frequently calls upon Precision Environmental, also based in Ohio. “They’re two of the most competent and professional companies I have ever worked with.”

A safe venture

As GRD aims to keep overhead expenses as low as possible, Arillotta measures the progress of his company by the lack of debt that GRD accrues. “Owning all my equipment and having all the bills paid is a great gauge of where the company is at,” Arillotta explains. “When you don’t owe anybody and you can pay cash for everything, that’s a measure of success.”

In an industry such as demolition, safety is a major concern for all parties involved. GRD is proud of its recordable incident rate, which is well-below the national construction average. With comprehensive planning, a skilled loyal workforce and well-maintained modern equipment, GRD functions at optimized efficiency with minimum man-hours and disruption to client operations.

“The safety record of this company is what I am the most proud of,” says Arillotta. “The work that we do is very dangerous and some of the jobs that we do are very meticulous in that we’re dealing with 10- to 12-story buildings that we’re taking down. We’ve never had an accident.”

Arillotta says that the people and the nature of the business are what motivate him to go to work every day. “I just love it,” says Arillotta. “I’m doing something different every day.” GRD will be diversifying its services as the company plans on expanding its market share into manufacturing. “We’ll be working with ArcelorMittal USA at their plant in Indiana to manufacture pig iron.”

In his spare time, Arillotta can be found on the closest golf course. “I love to play golf,” says Arillotta. “If I could, I’d play five days a week.”

As the Global Recycling & Demolition progresses into the future, the company will continue to build upon deep-rooted values including integrity, honesty and safety.