SPOTLIGHT TED BRENNAN / WALLKILL GROUP MEMBER

One day in February 1991 when Ted Brennan answered a phone call from his brother Tom, an HVAC contractor in New Jersey, he knew it was about something serious. How could he tell?

“Because he called me ‘Theodore,” Brennan says.

It turned out another family member was opening a clothing store and needed a carpenter. After spending a few years framing houses, Brennan was a pretty good one. So he headed to Vernon, N.J., and helped his brother with the job. When they were finished, the building’s owners asked them if they could renovate the conference rooms in the basement.

“We told them, ‘Sure, we can do that,’ when we really had no idea what they were talking about,” Brennan says. “It was a $200,000 job, but it might as well have been a $50 million job, it was so intimidating. But we just figured it out.”

Years later, Brennan has gone from “we just figured it out” to running a successful company. Today he is the director of operations and business development for Wallkill Group, a general contractor and construction management firm based in Hamburg, N.J., offering services such as additions, renovations, and new construction to commercial clients in the tri-state area

Wallkill Group will celebrate their 10th anniversary next year. But as a kid growing up in Massachusetts, Brennan was not thinking about the construction industry; he thought he wanted to be a physical education teacher. Brennan enrolled at Bridgewater State where he played football, but after a year, he realized college wasn’t for him. Instead, he went to work for a friend’s older brother framing houses on Cape Cod.

“I was never a great student, but I was good at math,” Brennan says. “When I jumped on the crew, I was just a sponge to all of it and inside a couple of years, I was running the house framing crew. I really enjoyed it. It was physical, at the end of the day you could walk away and see you had accomplished something.”

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the country went through a recession that caused Brennan’s house framing work to slow. So when his brother picked up the phone and said, “Hey, Theodore,” in 1991, Brennan was happy to head down to New Jersey.

After figuring out how to renovate those conference rooms in Vernon, Brennan and his brother decided to join forces, forming T.M. Brennan Contractors in 1991. Brennan drove back to Massa- chusetts to pack up and then moved to the Garden State. He says he didn’t have two nickels to scratch together—just four boxes of clothes and a pickup truck that he was five months behind in making payments on. Over the next few years, he and his brother built a successful business in the county featuring both general and mechanical contractors. But Brennan says they grew a bit too fast, and the next recession hit them hard from 2008 to 2012.

“We went through a lot of challenges, and it was a very stressful time,” Brennan says. “We were close to losing everything. The advice given to us was that we should declare bankruptcy. But instead, we downsized and went through a reorganization. And Wallkill Group evolved out of that.”

While Brennan’s brother Tom maintained the T.M. Brennan business name, Brennan created Wallkill Group. In his role as head of business development and operations, he oversees all estimating and approves any money going in and out of the business. Since the company launched in 2014, they’ve overseen a widerange of construction projects, including a three-story addition to Blair Academy’s Bogle Science Center, a renovation of Sussex City Tech’s science labs, and new construction of Premier Dialysis Center and several Lakeland Bank branches, among many other jobs in the tri-state area.

A recent project that stands out to Brennan is their work with Selective Insurance, a global company with a headquarters in Branchville, N.J. Wallkill Group completed a renovation project, which led to a much larger project building a boutique hotel for the company’s visiting executives. Selective Insurance was recognized in the county for the redevelopment of that property and putting an investment into a small town like Branchville, and for Brennan, it meant a lot that his business played such a significant role in Selective receiving such recognition.

Wallkill Group joined NJLICA a few

”years ago, mainly because of the organization’s Apprenticeship Program that would allow the company to continue to complete its public works projects. But while that was a major draw in the beginning, Brennan now appreciates the other benefits of being a member.

“I had never heard of LICA, but then I saw how long they had been around and how passionate they were for their members in so many different capacities,” he says. “We started participating in some of the events and seeing familiar faces or companies we could possibly partner with on some new work.”

As an avid golfer, one of the events Brennan enjoys most is NJLICA’s annual golf tournament. His team took home the firstplace trophy in 2021 and 2022.

“That first year when I heard the second-place score, I thought everyone was going to be throwing stuff at us when they heard our score, there was such a big gap,” Brennan says. “Year two, the joke was that I only brought my B team. But we won again.”

Brennan isn’t making any predictions for this year’s tournament, but facetiously says he hopes everyone else ups their game.

With four kids (three of them in college), Brennan jokes that he has to get them off the payroll before he can step back from the business to spend more time traveling and exploring with his wife, Tara. When he does, he hopes that his small, amazing team (consisting of Rob Gash, Michele Lucci, and Taylor Shortway) will be ready to take it on. In the meantime, Brennan has no plans to grow Wallkill Group, taking heed of a lesson he learned during the last recession.

“Just because you bring more people in, more projects in, doesn’t mean you’re going to be more profitable,” he says. “During that tough stretch with me and my brother, we were moving a lot of money through the business, but we weren’t making much. Running a successful business is all about finding the right people. Today, we have a niche crew, a phenomenal small team who make stuff happen every day.”

For Brennan, the best part of his job is that team. He enjoys mentoring them, empowering them to lead, and watching them grow.

“It was my brother Tom who had the vision that I could do more than just be a good carpenter. He saw something in me I did not know I had back in 1991. I am eternally grateful to him, and I try and pull that out of those close to me as much as I can.”

Over the years, Brennan has received many compliments from clients, saying both the crew on the jobs and the staff in the office are great.

“I follow up with a thank you because that’s always nice to hear,” he says. “But they’re supposed to be great. It’s like I tell my four kids: If you’re going to be a ditch digger, be the best ditch digger ever. Whatever you’re going to do, throw your ass into it 100 percent.” Kelley Freund

Photos previous page: Top photos, l-r: Selective Insurance hotel in Branchville, N.J.; Blair Academy Bogle Science Center addition and renovation; Selective Insurance hotel

Bottom photo: a high school media center renovation for Warwick Valley Central School District

Photos this page: L-r: Blair Academy Bogle Science Center addition and renovation; Selective Insurance hotel

NJLICA EXPANDS SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTRACTOR'S EMPLOYEES, ASSOCIATES, AND ASSOCIATE'S EMPLOYEES

Njlica Scholarship Criteria

Each year, NJLICA is proud to distribute scholarships to multiple applicants. This year, scholarships will be awarded to active NJLICA contractor and/or associate members who have been active in the association for at least two years. The following outlines the categories for who is eligible to be considered for a scholarship from NJLICA.

CATEGORY I - NJLICA Contractor Members

An active NJLICA contractor member may submit unlimited applications for their company for one of the following:

• NJLICA contractor member

• Spouse of contractor member

• Children of contractor member

• Stepchildren of contractor member

• Grandchildren of contractor member

• Step-grandchildren of contractor member

CATEGORY II - NJLICA Contractor Members Employees

An active NJLICA contractor member may submit one application for their company for one of the following:

• NJLICA contractor member employee

• Spouse of contractor employee

• Children of contractor employee

• Stepchildren of contractor employee

• Grandchildren of contractor employee

• Step-grandchildren of contractor employee

Njlica Scholarship Procedure

As an NJLICA member, you, a family member, and/or employee may qualify for a scholarship for continuing education. I encourage you to review the qualifications and information listed below and submit your application postmarked by April 3, 2023.

Procedure:

• Student obtains a scholarship application from the NJLICA website, njlica.org.

• Student completes the application as per instructions.

• Student completes essay on a separate sheet of paper. Essay question found on application.

• Student sends the application to the executive director postmarked no later than April 3, 2023.

• Applications postmarked after April 3, 2023 will not be considered.

Scholarship recipients will be honored at our Scholarship Awards Dinner. This year’s event will be held at J.A. Neary Excavating in Hillsborough, N.J., along with the 2nd Annual NJLICA Truck Show, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

**The NJLICA contractor member has the responsibility of submitting ONE application for their company. NJLICA will only accept ONE application per company. If multiple applications from a company for this category are submitted, they will be returned to the NJLICA contractor member and then they will have to submit their ONE recommended application to NJLICA to be reviewed.**

CATEGORY III - NJLICA Associate Members and Employees

An active NJLICA associate member may submit one application for their company for one of the following:

• NJLICA associate member

• NJLICA associate member employee

• Spouse of associate member or employee

• Children of associate member or employee

• Stepchildren of associate member or employee

• Grandchildren of associate member or employee

• Step-grandchildren of associate member or employee

**The NJLICA associate member has the responsibility of submitting ONE application for their company. NJLICA will only accept ONE application per company. If multiple applications from a company for this category are submitted, they will be returned to the NJLICA associate member and then they will have to submit their ONE recommended application to NJLICA to be reviewed.**

NJLICA is proud to recognize its 2022 Safety Award recipients. These companies have demonstrated a positive safety record and an ongoing commitment to safety in the workplace. Congratulations on this welldeserved recognition.

Almasi Companies LLC

Caravella Contractors, Inc.

DAG Mobile Aggregate Recycling, Inc.

Halecon, Inc.

Liberty Lines & Sealcoating LLC

Mikula Contracting, Inc.

Quick Transport Co., Inc.

Renova Environmental Company

Robert More & Sons, Inc.

Tom Buske & Son Construction LLC

Vollers Excavating & Construction, Inc.

Njlica Award Winners

Contractor Of The Year

As a child, George Vetter always cut the neighbors’ lawns. Today, he still does—just many more of them. Vetter has maintained lawns for over 40 years, establishing George Vetter Landscaping along the way.

Vetter earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Kean University and went on to get a certificate from Rutgers University in landscape design and plant identification. He also has an associate’s degree in firefighting. Vetter served as a firefighter for 15 years, running his landscaping business at the same time, before deciding to dedicate all his time and energy into building up George Vetter Landscaping.

Today, Vetter is married with two daughters. His wife, Debbie, runs the office. He still enjoys being on site for jobs with his three hardworking employees, especially those jobs that involve landscape design, excavating, and hardscaping. The fleet has many trucks, including two single-axle dump trucks and a four-wheel drive International which is used to haul the tractors, backhoe, excavator, and dozer on the many trailers to jobs.

Most of the work George Vetter Landscaping does is in Union and Somerset counties. Jobs vary anywhere from planting and mulching, to constructing walls and installing carports. Vetter is willing to try almost anything. Due to the changing of economics in the landscaping field, he is looking ahead to the future and has purchased a preserved farm in Hunterdon County along with Debbie and his parents.

Most Enthusiastic Contractor

Richard Dean of ICON Equipment Distributors, Inc. in East Brunswick, N.J., is an accomplished sales professional with over 16 years in the trench safety shoring and shielding industry. Through team building, professional development, and company collaboration, Dean opens the line of communication between his clients and customers and sees projects through to completion while remaining customer focused. In his free time, Dean likes to travel, play golf, attend sporting events, and enjoy the company of family and friends.

ICON Equipment Distributors was incorporated in 1982. ICON has been a leader in design, manufacturing, and rental of trench shoring and shielding equipment for over 40 years. Their products include slide rail shoring systems, steel trench boxes, aluminum trench boxes, steel road plates, and a line of wood and composite access matting for temporary roadway and ground protection. ICON Equipment is a proud member of the UTCA of New Jersey, NJLICA, Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, and many more associations.For more information, visit iconjds.com.

JESCO, originally named Jersey Equipment Sales Company, was founded in 1972 by Lou Robustelli and his wife, Terry. With a deep-seated knowledge of the construction industry, Robustelli was able to relate to the needs of contractors, and for the past 50 years, JESCO has been supplying the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions with quality construction equipment, parts, and service.

In 1972, JESCO forged a strategic partnership with John Deere, becoming an exclusive dealer of John Deere products. Over the years, JESCO has become the sole John Deere construction and forestry equipment dealer for New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland.

JESCO is now an award-winning John Deere dealer but remains true to its humble beginnings as a small, family-owned and operated company. In July 2005, Robustelli’s son Jon became president of JESCO and implemented an aggressive growth strategy, expanding JESCO’s territory. The business has enjoyed rapid growth during the last decade, expanding from three to 13 locations covering five states. Today, JESCO employs over 300 people representing world-class manufacturers such as John Deere, Wirtgen, Kleemann, Vogele, Hamm, Ditch Witch, and Topcon.

“The down-to-earth equipment people” highlights the commitment and dedication JESCO has made to their customers over the years. That commitment and dedication extends beyond their customers and into the surrounding communities of all their branches, as they employ residents in each area.

CraigD@NJBobcat.com

Steve.Caputo@NJBobcat.com

Sean Kunkel 973-800-7109

Sean.Kunkel@NJBobcat.com

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