LMC Industrial Contractors Inc.
When recruiting employees, LMC Industrial Contractors Inc. does not hire just anybody, President Lawrence Mehlenbacher says. “We’re very selective about the people we surround ourselves with,” he states, noting that the company hires only the very best. “We’ve been able to find those people and we retain those people,” Mehlenbacher states. “I have [many] employees that have been with us 25 years and that really is the key to the success of the business – talented, dedicated people.”
The Avon, N.Y.-based industrial contractor specializes in power process piping, crane and rigging, foundation and excavation, structural steel fabrication, maintenance, and drafting and detailing services. Mehlenbacher and his two partners originally founded the company as Livingston Mechanical Contractors in 1982. The company can be found at www.lmcic.com.
Initially, the firm served the mechanical needs of food and film processing companies, as well as other firms in New York’s Western/Upstate region. In the mid-1980s, Mehlenbacher’s partners chose to retire, leaving Mehlenbacher as the sole owner.
In 1993, the company adopted the LMC name, forming the acronym from its original name.
“Everyone [already] knew us as LMC,” Mehlenbacher says. “We didn’t think the [original] name really fit what we were doing as a company.” A major expansion in 2005 added a 500,000-square-foot fabrication facility which further supports the type and size of work the company currently performs.
Today, LMC is a union contractor that provides trade services in nearly all areas, including welding, millwrighting, steel working/heavy fabrication, and plumbing/HVAC services. Throughout the years, Vice President Rich Rizzieri says, the company has maintained a nicely blended work environment that allows the company to operate as one unit in most cases, eliminating numerous issues typically encountered by union shops.
He adds that Mehlenbacher has made the employees feel he has their best interests at heart. “This has created a very secure and productive work environment, and has allowed the company [to] remain competitive with many larger companies,” Rizzieri states.
Gaining Experience
Mehlenbacher has an extensive background in the metal works industry. At the age of 12, he began working in his father’s fabrication shop, and took an apprenticeship after college, where he worked on a variety of projects.
Afterward, Mehlenbacher performed work on some of the largest nuclear plants in the United States, as well as on jobs in the food, airline and energy industries. This provided him with the essential background to start LMC, Rizzieri says. “His tenacity, foresight and demeanor have endeared him to his employees and peers and he is able to command an extremely high level of respect within the trade and community,” he says.
In the past year, Mehlenbacher has watched LMC celebrate its 30th anniversary. July 1 will mark its 31st year. “We’ve been very fortunate,” he says. “[Our] industry certainly has its peaks and valleys.”
Careful Growth
The company has never had a specific sales force other than its employees and the quality of work it produces. Mehlenbacher says LMC will continue to grow and may add new locations. “That’s a possibility,” he says. “[But] as the business grows, it would be a controlled growth. “We don’t want to increase volume [just] for the sake of higher revenues alone.
“We generally look at our growth opportunities and make a determination as to its impact on our current organizational structure and insure that we can support our plan on a long-term basis rather than making short-term decisions,” Mehlenbacher adds.
“[We want to] do the proper job for our customers,” he continues. “Sometimes, just getting bigger for the sake of getting bigger becomes more of an ego trip than a good way to do business, in my opinion.”
Rizzieri agrees. “The future is bright for LMC Industrial Contractors Inc., as long as we maintain the focus of providing a quality job every time,” he says. “If you provide someone with a fair price and excellent work, you will always have a customer.”