Jack Scanlon

 I have been involved in some form of construction since 1977 when I started working for a roofing  and siding company. I quickly showed my employer that I was capable of completing an entire  house, not only to work with and supervise the crew, but to ensure quality as well.   

 After about 2-1/2 years working on houses and commercial roofs, I was offered the opportunity to  join an "up and coming" steel fabrication/erection company. It was a small company that took on  big work. Again, the employer gained confidence in my abilities and soon I was running jobs on  my own. I installed overhead cranes in buildings for companies such as Grumman, Fairchild,  Target Rock, Brookhaven Labs, and Caterpillar among others. I started working with big rigs  erecting concrete and asphalt batching plants, setting large concrete electrical vaults, and  erecting steel buildings both on Long Island and Manhattan. I have extensive experience  performing retro-fit work and steel renovations in Manhattan, both in commercial and residential  buildings. 

We began to take on larger and more challenging projects and it became apparent that, as the  company grew, so did the number of employees. I became more involved in the coordination of  the projects rather than the actual physical work. That meant meeting with the building owners,  architects and engineers, field measuring the jobs, overseeing the fabrication of the steel in our  state of the art shop, and seeing to it that the job kicked off correctly. 

After the unfortunate September 11th tragedy, I was involved in the structural repair of Verizon  building which was damaged after the towers collapsed into it. I helped the engineers with the  design of the shoring work and eventual replacement of various structural members.   

 During the last few years with the company, I became involved with more difficult steel fabrication  projects such as building bridge girders from scratch utilizing automated gantry welding  equipment and specialized steel, all of which required a high level of inspections, welding  processes and material certifications. I traveled around the country and Canada attending trade  shows and various fabrication companies taking notes and keeping up to date with the  technology available to the industry. 

As is true with most situations, to coin a phrase, "all good things come to an end" and so 25 years  of loyal service came to a close. My employer decided to steer the company in a different  direction and, coupled with my family’s desire to relocate to Florida, we put the house up for sale  and decided to start a new life down south. 

 Shortly after arriving in Florida, I secured employment as a field superintendent with a general  contractor. There, I was able to expand my experience to all phases of commercial building. I also  formed my current structural steel detailing company, which I operate part time, so that I could  stay involved in the steel business as well as generate additional income. 

After spending two years with the general contractor, I was offered an opportunity to join a family  owned architectural metals and railing manufacturer. There, I am able to apply many of the skills  that I have acquired throughout my career. While this job has been a great fit, I’ve always had the  desire to return to my roots in the steel fabrication/erection industry.