A Salute to a Komatsu Customer
JPL Industries supports New Yorkers through its heavy civil, environmental and parks department projects
J John Pizzirusso, president
Joseph Pizzirusso, vice president
Chris Pizzirusso, COO
John, Joseph and Chris Pizzirusso spent their high school summers working for their father’s landscaping company in Brooklyn, N.Y. As the brothers got older and finished college, they all returned to the company to help it grow. Today, J. Pizzirusso Landscaping Corp. — otherwise known as JPL Industries — takes on a wide range of public sector projects throughout New York City’s five boroughs with John as president, Joseph as vice president and Chris as chief operating officer. “In the late ‘70s, my father started the company as a residential landscaping and lawn maintenance provider for private homeowners and commercial buildings,” explained Joseph. “When my brothers and I began to work for the company full time in the early ‘90s, we started to take on more commercial projects. We grew up cutting lawns and knew that wasn’t the future we envisioned for ourselves, but we had a vision to grow the company organically.
“We started subcontracting for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation — building ballfields and playgrounds,” continued Joseph. “From there, we ventured into being prime contractors and started
planting trees along streets for New York City’s million-tree planting program (MillionTreesNYC). Slowly we grew to the point where we could take on entire prime contracts installing the total infrastructure of a park. Over the last seven years, we’ve added more complex infrastructure work and have worked on a wide range of projects throughout the city.” Today, JPL Industries works with NYC’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), as well as utility providers throughout the five boroughs.
Joseph notes that JPL Industries separates itself from the competition by never letting go of its roots.
“We have a diverse staff capable of taking on any job that comes our way,” stated Joseph, who added that the firm employs upwards of 150 people during the busy season. “We’re involved in projects ranging from landscaping to heavy civil work. We can build a ballfield and repair water mains. We’ve held on to what made us successful and know that there are not many companies like us that exist.”
A JPL Industries operator uses a Komatsu PC240LC excavator to load a Terex Finlay 863 mobile screening plant and Terex Finlay J-1160 primary mobile jaw crusher on Hart Island. “Steve (Komatsu territory manager) and Dave (product support for Komatsu’s Terex Finlay line) walked us through the Terex machines’ capabilities and why they could be the right fit,” said Joseph Pizzirusso, vice president. “The fact that Komatsu supported Terex through its dealership made the decision easy.”
8
