Perfetto Contracting Co
Conquering the Concrete Jungle
A leader in the New York City heavy civil construction market for over 30 years, Perfetto Contracting Co. is a family organization that continues to make a positive impact in the communities it serves
There are countless challenges when working in New York City. Not only must a contracting firm negotiate relentless traffic and busy crowds, but unforeseen underground infrastructure issues are common, costs are continuously fluctuating, 
and markets are highly competitive industry-wide. It is in this demanding environment – in which so many businesses have floundered – that Perfetto Contracting Co. (PCC) has made its mark, building a reputation for professionalism and quality in completing complex projects for both public and private agencies.
“With over three decades of experience, PCC is equipped to handle New York City’s most challenging projects, including service within heavy civil construction, utility work, waste or storm water work, water main work, parks and green infrastructure, as well as streetscape and resurfacing developments,” explains Stephen Ascoli, PCC’s Vice President of Operations. “What sets us apart is our ability to deliver the highest quality product on time, while emphasizing the importance of our relationships with our clients, vendors, and partners. It is our aim to perform work that has a positive impact on people, our society and the environment.”
Founded in 1986 by Cesare Perfetto, PCC has grown substantially over the years, but the company has never lost sight of its origins. Today, the 2nd generation is well involved to make great strides to carry the company forward. Cesare’s son Chez is PCC’s Chief Operating Officer, and Matthew is co-leading the shop and equipment fleet on behalf of the company. The family nature of the organization is reflected in how it operates, both internally and externally.
“The company has always been heavily involved in giving back to our surrounding communities,” Chez reveals. “We have done several projects where we have donated our resources to help accomplish something for churches and other community organizations.”
“We’ve been involved in some major volunteering efforts over the last 20 years,” Matthew adds, “most notably during 9/11. The firm also performed numerous hours of community service in the crisis following Hurricane Sandy. We believe it makes a difference to society when you do things like that. Most recently, in March and April 2020, we made donations towards PPE and safety equipment for local hospitals in dire straits due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit New York incredibly hard earlier this year.”
Delivering quality
As Stephen suggests, Covid-19 has been an inescapable topic for businesses across the world in 2020, and the situation has been no different for PCC. Reacting quickly to the onset of the virus, the company implemented remote meeting software like Microsoft Teams prior to March 2020, which has facilitated safe and efficient communication throughout the year. As for the firm’s field operations, PCC stayed abreast of all the latest regulations and industry guidelines, as well as creating a Covid Task Team to help with the completion of daily temperature checks, sanitizing, and other additional covid prevention measures.
Though the pandemic forced PCC to entertain new ways of working, the firm has continued to deliver the same quality product for which it is renowned. In February 2020, PCC was a competitive low bidder on a unique $31 million cable suspension bridge project for NYCDOT in Brooklyn. The signature scheme involves the removal and replacement of two pedestrian bridges that span the Belt Parkway in a high visibility location by means of full demolition, new abutment with true arch ribs and bracing, suspension superstructure, concrete deck, and new landing stairs and ramps.
More recently, in June 2020, the firm was pleased to be a competitive low bidder once again, this time on a high profile, four-year project for the NYCDDC. Located between East 14th Street and East 25th Street in lower Manhattan, the development has been many years in the making following Hurricane Sandy. It will address the threat of flood risk to property, landscapes, businesses and critical infrastructure. The project scope includes full reconstruction of multiple parks, new floodwalls with floodgates and complete infrastructure improvements.
People power
Despite the uncertainty around the persistence of Covid-19, PCC continues to thrive. Chez argues that the company’s workforce deserves a large portion of the credit.
“To help the company overcome the challenges it has faced over the years, PCC has always had great employees with a strong depth of experience, the right attitude, and good understanding of accountability when working in and around unexpected changes,” he states. “Much of our success is a direct result of the people we have with us. Along with their dedication to safety, our teams strive for continuous improvement, finding ways to deliver projects early, and always leaving the owner with a quality-built product
“Every day we feel honored to be part of, and contribute towards, making a difference to all the agencies we work for. We’re proud to leave our city a better place as we build roads & bridges, upgrade vital underground water and sewer utilities, and make a difference in a variety of other heavy civil projects for NYC.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful group of employees, many of whom have seen the company grow from the bottom up,” Tadeo Bolgiani declares, PCC’s Chief Financial Officer. “Every department contributes and we feel we reward that through recognition, career advancement, encouraging personal development and providing support. We are a medium-sized, family organization and our people benefit from that. This is not a large corporate environment; there is a lot of room for opportunity.”
To support its employees, and to help keep them safe, PCC continues to invest in the industry’s latest technology, including GPS, cameras, and state-of-the-art management software. In 2018, the company installed Viewpoint, a complete construction project delivery software designed to improve cost management and help PCC extract better data from the field.
“Better data makes for better decisions, both today and tomorrow,” proclaims Tadeo. “That’s why we’ve added the technological improvements in software.”
Strong values
“Everything else is geared towards safety,” he adds. “GPS, cameras onboard our equipment, and cameras on job sites, are aimed at keeping our people extremely safe, as well as helping to enforce rules and regulations across the board. Safety is critical in every industry, but especially in construction, and technology has offered us a big improvement in health and safety over the last three or four years.”
When it comes to the future, PCC is, in many ways, already well prepared for what the coming years may hold. Alongside its commitment to technology, the firm is highly environmentally responsible and re-uses and recycles onsite material on the majority of its projects. Recent investment in material processing equipment has enabled the company to take concrete and soil removed from a site and transform it into high-quality permanent material capable of meeting client design specifications. It is a green approach to construction in line with modern trends and is not only environmentally beneficial, but also allows for quicker product delivery and as such, the faster completion of projects.
“At the moment, we are growing at a very healthy and steady pace. We’ve competitively bid new larger heavy civil projects in NYC, which have increased our overall revenue and backlog during these uncertain times. With that said, we’re always open to bidding on new scopes of work to expand into, while maintaining our core strength to grow the business and develop our people.”
Success at PCC is derived from each team member’s willingness to unite behind the company’s core values of integrity, hard work, and teamwork. The shared belief and common ethos has allowed the organization to rise to the top, and as a result, Chez and Stephen are always on the lookout for driven, willing, qualified, and talented individuals keen to join PCC and develop with the company on the next phase of its journey.
“In the business today, we have project managers that started with us as junior engineers, and an Assistant Project Manager that became General Superintendent,” Chez says. “We are an evolving business, and our people evolve with us.”
Perfetto Contracting Co
www.perfettocontracting.com
Services: Civil construction