Greater Rochester Enterprise Why ROC Conversation
Sessler Wrecking and Sessler Environmental Services have played essential roles in some of the most notable redevelopment projects in the Rochester region.
Bruce Sherman, the Director of Business Development at Sessler Wrecking and Sessler Environmental Services, discussed the growth of both companies Wednesday during our Greater Rochester Enterprise Why ROC conversation.
“Sessler is a generational family-owned specialty contractor,” Sherman said. “We’re located right in the Finger Lakes and Rochester area. We were founded in 1958 in Waterloo, New York as a small excavating contractor. We’ve grown over the last 64 years into one of the nation’s largest demolition and environmental services contractors. We’ve ranked in the Top 20 largest demolition contractors and Top 20 largest asbestos abatement companies in the nation by revenue.”
Sherman said the original flagship company, Sessler Wrecking, specializes in large-scale demolition of bridges, buildings, and industrial decommissioning services. The company also performs site preparation and marine services over water.
Founded six years ago to complement this, Sessler Environmental Services or SES, performs abatement and environmental remediation, interior and select demolition, and industrial cleaning.
“The exciting part of all of this is that we’ve been a key part of the Rochester business landscape, in fact, by reshaping the physical landscape for new development and new business opportunities,” Sherman said. “Some of these projects that you may be familiar with is the demolition and large-scale site work at the Genesee Brewery, making way for the new Brew House and Brewery expansion. We performed the large-scale demolition of the old Heidelberg facility in Gates, which is now the site of the new Amazon fulfillment center. And one that I know we drive over just about every day on the 490 is that we removed the former Troup Howell Bridge to make way for the current Frederick Douglass Susan B. Anthony Bridge.”
You can also see evidence of Sessler’s work on the Thruway. The company was involved in the recent removal of toll booths and is also playing a role in the upgrades at the Thruway rest stops.
“With the increase in development projects and business opportunities for our companies we are always seeking top talent at Sessler Wrecking and Sessler Environmental,” Sherman noted. “We’re actively recruiting for a wide range of positions right out in the field from operators and laborers, especially with summer work on the horizon, and we are also looking for truck drivers, project managers, financial accountants, and administrators for our offices.”
He added, “To be successful at our companies, employees need to be, no matter what the role, honest, hardworking, committed and team players, who are willing to go the extra mile to make sure the job gets done right, and most importantly, safely.”
Increased redevelopment opportunities facilitated a decision to expand in the Rochester region.
“We were founded just down the road from Rochester in the Finger Lakes area and over the years we saw a significant number of redevelopment projects taking place through the area, which is a great match for our demolition and remediation expertise,” Sherman said. “It has also allowed us to be in a perfect geographic footprint as we expand our suite of services and our roles in the community. When we founded our new division Sessler Environmental in 2016 we started out renting a small flex office and warehouse space in Gates and just two years ago we expanded by purchasing a new 23,000 square foot facility in Macedon. Rochester gives us great access to a workforce that is trained at our local universities and trade schools that we do often partner with. We have excellent partnerships with organizations like Greater Rochester Enterprise, Rochester Builders Exchange, and the Rochester Chamber.”
Learn more online at sesslerwrecking.com and sesslerenv.com.
Learn more about Greater Rochester Enterprise at RochesterBiz.com.
