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Yonkers, N.Y., is the birthplace of Bakelite plastic and home to the first golf course built in the United States. The city also is known for its strength in manufacturing. Many famous people and successful businesses have come out of Yonkers, and with a promise to take a “consistently proactive, innovative approach to project development,” there is no question that Yonkers Contracting Company (YCC) Inc. is a product of its environment. 

“We focus on saving our clients money, increasing safety, reducing inconvenience to the public, improving the product and completing the project ahead of schedule,” the company says. 

“Ours is a lean, tightly run organization that takes pride in an expert staff that stays with us for the long term. We promote a culture that puts a premium on respect, not only for our clients but also among our employees.”

Foundation of Innovation   

YCC’s proactive and innovative nature has been demonstrated since its inception in 1946, and one of the earliest examples of the company’s willingness to deliver the best quality and value to its clients came in the 1950s when it was hired to rebuild the Yonkers Racetrack. This is when the company took the opportunity to negotiate its first design/build contract – decades before most other contractors in the nation had heard of this project delivery method.

“That project was during my father’s tenure managing the company,” CEO Carl Petrillo explains. “It had an aggressive schedule, and we had to begin demolition while it was still in the design phase. We provided constructability advice and helped the owner compress the schedule. We saved time by working closely with the design team, which enabled us to provide the owner with the most efficient solution.”

Ongoing Expansion

YCC’s work is not just in the realm of design/build – the company excels in a wide range of delivery methods for a variety of market segments – but it delivers each project with the same focus on teamwork, quality, schedule, budget and the owner’s needs that it did during its work on the Yonkers Racetrack. The company’s reputation for full-service contracting, in fact, has earned it work on many New York landmarks, including the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges.

Edward J. Petrillo Sr., Carl’s father, formally established YCC in 1946, but its roots go back much farther. Edward Petrillo got much of his experience work­ing on construction projects with his father and three brothers, but he went out on his own after his father’s death. Carl Petrillo explains his father did everything from operating steam shovels to acting as projects’ field superintendent, all of which gave him the knowledge necessary to establish a strong construction business.

“My father had no formal training, but he had a great knowledge of construction and how to estimate cost,” Carl Petrillo says. “He could look at a mountain and figure out how to move it, as well as how much it would cost.”

Edward Petrillo began YCC as its lone employee, working out of an old bus garage in Yonkers. He hired a handful of employees as need arose, and primarily focused on site work, grading, underground utility work and small roads and public projects. 

The operation got a major boost in the 1950s, when it was hired to perform a large-scale earthmoving project at the McGuire Air Force Base in Fort Dix, N.J. 

“This is when the company broke into the big time,” Carl Petrillo explains. “They built the base’s runways, and that got the company into heavy and highway contracting. Yonkers Contracting traveled up and down the East Coast and over to Ohio to build roads for the interstate system.

“In the 1970s, we started to diversify away from the interstate program because it was almost finished,” he adds. “This is when I joined the company, and we began to look into different types of construction throughout the New York Tri-State region.”

Award-Winning Work

As a full-service general contractor, construction manager, design/builder and developer, YCC’s core business is in the transportation, energy and environmental, water and wastewater, and commercial markets. With a comprehensive skill set and expertise, the company is capable of performing small and large projects and simple and complex work for public and private clients. YCC estimates it has delivered more than 2,000 projects throughout its history.

One of YCC’s largest projects in re­cent years was the restoration of downtown New York’s PATH services, which were destroyed on 9/11. The Port Auth­ority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is the primary transit link between Manhattan and New Jersey’s urban communities and suburban railroads, and it serves more than 200,000 passengers daily. The World Trade Center PATH station was demolished during the 9/11 attacks, damaging the tunnel connections be­tween stations and stopping traffic on the commuter rail link.  

YCC was the lead on a tri-party joint venture to rebuild the station and re­store the services. The project involved making modifications to the existing Exchange Place station in New Jersey, including building new cross tunnels; rehabbing two flood-damaged tunnels under the Hudson River; and constructing the new temporary PATH station at the World Trade Center site. 

Petrillo explains YCC managed the overall critical path method schedule to completion, and opened the facility to the public in just 22 months, which was ahead of schedule. The company and the project received several awards, he says, including McGraw Hill’s New York Construction Project of the Year in the Transit category.

“We started this challenging project with no plans, just the Port Authority’s concept to restore this site,” he says. “Our management finished ahead of schedule with the help of thousands of union employees and many reliable subcontractors. The concept became a workable design in record time thanks to a seamless working relationship with the Port Authority’s engineers.

“We are currently constructing the 90-foot-deep foundations for the Ve­hicle Security Center at the World Trade Center site,” he continues. “Much like the PATH reconstruction, this project has a very compressed schedule, demand­ing three shifts, working seven days each week.”

Building a City on a Mountaintop

The World Trade Center developers are just one example of YCC’s many repeat clients. Others are New York’s West­chester County Department of Public Works, for which YCC is engaged in $235 million in projects, and New York City’s Department of Environmental Protec­tion, where YCC is completing $90 million in facility improvements. Petrillo says the company is able to deliver high-quality technology and process upgrades on numerous projects for the county because of its in-house civil, mechanical and plumbing expertise. 

Another project in Westchester County is Ridge Hill, on which YCC is serving as the site civil general contractor for developer Forest City Ratner. Located in Yonkers between the New York State Thruway and the Sprain Brook Parkway, the mixed-use project will feature 1.3 million square feet of retail space – shopping, restaurants and entertainment – as well as 160,000 square feet of office space.

YCC’s scope of work involves earthwork, rock blasting, grading, drainage, foundations, concrete, retaining walls, demolition, utilities, major access im­provements at the New York State Thruway and the construction of a connector road. Petrillo notes that YCC crews are recycling much of the excavated rock for use in the project’s road base and select fill.  To date, YCC’s work has involved:

• Completing 469,000 cubic yards of earth excavation;
• Executing 411,000 cubic yards of rock excavation;
• Pouring 454,000 cubic yards of structural concrete;
• Providing 466,000 tons of asphalt;
• Installing 478,000 linear feet of drainage and utility piping; and
• Constructing 131,000 square feet of precast retaining walls. 

“It is a 1-million-square-foot retail center on a mountaintop, so we had to cut off the top of the mountain, complete all of the underground utilities, do all of the foundations and provide the curbs and hardscaping,” Petrillo explains. “We also are creating two access points – one on the interstate thruway and one up the mountain. We basically built a city from scratch up there.”

Projects such as Ridge Hill are complex and challenging, but not out of the norm for YCC and definitely not outside of its capabilities. The company’s highly specialized staff and extensive fleet of equipment are structured to ensure its level of service and attention to detail remain at a high level. YCC employs its self-contained equipment and procurement departments to ensure it always has the latest equipment and materials necessary to complete its projects successfully. It also strives to have the “optimal subcontracting relationships in place” to perform at the highest level. 

A Welcome Partner

YCC’s corporate culture – with its dedication to integrity and fairness – is an important factor behind the company’s success, Petrillo stresses. This culture, he says, encourages a sense of connection and belonging among employees, which results in a low level of turnover, especially among the management team. The strength of its culture also improves YCC’s ability to attract quality workers, drive organic growth and ensure the company’s ongoing stability, he notes. 

“Our company really speaks for itself with our successful track record,” he says. “We have created a good working environment and positive morale, which is key to our ability to maintain a steady core of employees. 

“Our culture is one that employees can attach to,” he continues. “They in­vest in the culture of the company, and in turn, we invest in them. As a result, this job becomes more than just a paycheck. This culture is a big part of our reputation, and that reputation precedes us throughout the market. Often, there is an attitude of welcoming from owners when we come onto a project site.”

The company’s ongoing quality performance plays a part in owners’ attitudes toward the operation, as well. Petrillo notes that YCC owns one of the  largest and most modern equipment fleets in the Tri-State area, with a value in excess of $50 million. Additionally, YCC puts forth a good faith corporate citizenship effort in performing its work, and routinely uses Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Minority Business Enterprises and Women-Owned Business Enterprises on its projects. With any supplier or subcontractor it considers partnering with, YCC evaluates the firm’s price, experience and capabilities, ensuring that all three areas are in line with YCC’s own practices and corporate values.

Petrillo believes YCC’s reputation will remain strong as long as “we do business as we always have.” The company ex­pects to continue growing with projects in the Tri-State area, because there is much activity in public projects and private programs. 

Additionally, YCC plans to increase the level of design/build work it performs as public-private partnerships are occurring more often because of ongoing funding constraints. 

“As long as we maintain our culture, we will continue to attract young, vi­brant, energetic and ambitious people who will drive our growth,” Petrillo stresses. “The quality of our estimates, control systems and performance in the field will continue to enhance our reputation, as well. 

“This is an exciting and very challenging business – it really has been an adventure – and I’m very proud of our company’s performance.”