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Reprinted from the May 2001 issue of The Washington Construction News.
Rick Ostopowicz — WCN Special Feature. (May, 2001) — Since its inception in
1987, Magco Inc. of Jessup, Maryland has looked to the challenges of larger and
higher profile roofing projects in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore regions.
The company derives its spirit from founder and president Mark Gaulin, who
maintains a headstrong attitude when it comes to his work — “the tougher the
project, the better.” With a solid reputation — and the strength of a national
network of roofing contractors — behind Magco, the company looks to continue its
growth from a small independent company to an industry leader.
From the very beginning of Magco, Mark Gaulin was determined to make a
difference in the commercial roofing industry. With ten years of experience
under his belt, Gaulin’s entrepreneurial spirit and desire to succeed was
evident in the company’s very first project — a 300,000-square-foot project at a
shopping center in Roanoke, Virginia. For a startup business with a small staff
of no more than 12 employees, it was quite an industrious undertaking.
“I really wanted to go after a big project right from the beginning to set
the pace,” Gaulin said. “It had a lot of meaning, because not only did I prove
that we could handle the big jobs and handle them well, but it set the tone for
where I wanted to go with the business.” And set the tone it did, as through the
years Magco has worked to change the face of commercial roofing in the region
with innovative new products and new organization.
Gaulin built Magco from the ground up, calling on the contacts he had made in
his years in the roofing industry to bring in clients and projects. “Because I
had been in the industry for a long time, I was able to really build a following
of customers and make the transition relatively easy,” Gaulin said. Surrounding
himself with quality workers — including his brother Michael Gaulin, a partner
in the company and director of field operations for Magco — was also a reason
for Magco’s early success.
Since the beginning, Magco worked on several high-profile projects while
building a reputation in the region. Through a multitude of projects at various
shopping centers, malls, factories and airports, Magco proved its ability to
manage a wide range of roofing services, including roof recovery, tear off, new
construction, deck replacement and plaza deck renovations.
Gaulin said the company preferred renovation projects and looked toward the
larger, more difficult projects for business. “I always leaned toward the more
difficult projects — the harder the better,” Gaulin said. “There was less
competition and it gave us more satisfaction knowing that we could handle the
really tough jobs.”
That conquering spirit was evident, as Magco completed several larger
projects at such notable locations as the National Aquarium, the Baltimore
Convention Center, John Hopkins University Hospital Center, the Prince George’s
County Sports and Recreation Complex, the Dulles International Airport Midfield
Concourses and PSINet Stadium, home of the Superbowl champion Baltimore
Ravens.
Magco’s largest project is currently underway in Baltimore at the Point
Breeze Property, a former electric plant near the Port of Baltimore. The 1.7
million-square-foot renovation is expected to be completed in 2001. Gaulin is
particularly proud of Magco’s involvement in such a large project. “It is not
only the biggest we’ve ever been on, but it is being handled all in-house — no
subs are being used there,” he said. “That really says a lot for the amount of
work we can handle.”
Gaulin said the Point Breeze project is particularly satisfying because of
Magco’s performance in several areas. “Point Breeze has been well managed, well
estimated and just a tremendous accomplishment for us,” he said. “Going into a
project of that size, you tend to have a lot of fright because of how big it is.
But our whole team really pulled together and have made it really happen.”
As the company grew and prospered over the years, Gaulin continued to look
for ways to keep Magco innovative and competitive. One move Gaulin made was in
1993, when he formed MetFab, a metal manufacturing company. MetFab’s most
prominent product is a steel architectural roofing and wall system available in
a variety of styles and colors. “MetFab provided us with extensive metalworking
capability,” he said. “We could now offer more metal roofing projects and handle
everything in-house.”
Gaulin made another move to continue Magco’s steady growth in 2000, as he
joined the Tecta America Corp. Tecta America is a nationwide consolidation of 10
roofing contractors — including Magco — giving each company the benefits of a
national presence while maintaining their local ties. “Becoming a subsidiary of
Tecta America has given Magco a real advantage,” Gaulin said. “Now we have a
chain with $170 million in roofing sales nationwide.”
On the local front, Magco’s commitment to its clients remains strong. The
company touts its stand-alone service department as one reason it remains a top
choice for commercial industrial roofing. Gaulin said the fact that Magco keeps
its service people dedicated to that type of work allows the company to respond
quickly and keep customer relations at their best. “Our service people will
never be pulled away for a construction project; they stick with service work no
matter how busy we get,” he said. “That is what helps us build the fine customer
relationships we have and makes us more valuable to a business in the long
haul.”
Gaulin said his staff has grown and matured along with the company, and his
nearly 70 employees are confident on any type of project, both large and small.
“I have a real confidence in my employees,” he said. “I know that they are out
there on each project doing the work the same way I would do it, and that is the
most satisfying part of growing a business.”
And the employees have responded well to Gaulin’s confidence and trust,
staying with the company through the years. Many key employees have been with
the company for much of its existence, several since the very beginning. “We’re
a hard working, honest company and we take care of our people, both clients and
employees,” Gaulin said. “This is a tough business — not a lot of respect or
glamorous work — but we’re in it for the long haul.”
As for the future, Gaulin said since the TECTA consolidation, Magco will
continue to expand and evolve from a “mom and pop” company into a regional
industry leader. Magco continues to blaze new trails, utilizing new technology
such as real-time accounting software that keeps project managers aware of the
costs for each project day by day, including labor and material costs. The
company is also planning to expand its headquarters, moving into a new
30,000-square-foot complex in Jessup that is expected to break ground in April
or May.
“We’re definitely looking ahead and focusing on the future,” Gaulin said.
“We’ve got a national blue-print to follow (with TECTA), and we can see more
expansion on the horizon.”
Magco is located at 7450 Montevideo Road, Jessup, MD 20794. The company can
be contacted at 301-621-1844, and can be found online at www.magco.com.
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