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The Metuchen utility contracting firm handles all types of underground utility installations - storm, sanitary and water- and can deliver turnkey packages that include site preparation, utilities and curbs, sidewalks and asphalt. Middlesex Trenching crews work in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. "We're about service," stated Gulya. "We have the reputation of getting the job done on time and with the least amount of problems." Admitting that all construction jobs have inherent problems, he added, "There's very little lag time between the problem and the solution when we're working on a project, and our customers recognize that." For example, many of the Middlesex Trenching's 60 employees are level B HAZMAT-certified. "The reason for that is we can provide our clients a turnkey situation should an environmental condition arise," explained Gulya. "When we dig and find some kind of containment, our people are trained to recognize it. Once it's recognized, we're geared to immediately turn around after the hazard is completely understood to have or people dressed properly and go in with the proper equipment to continue the work." ressed properly and William Gulya, Jr., is a member of the third generation of his family to work in the construction industry. His grandfather was a builder who constructed area homes out of old army crates after World War II. "That's what they used because there was no wood in the area," said Gulya. Gulya's father, William Sr., founded Middlesex Trenching Company in 1952 with a rubber-tired backhoe, recalled Gulya. "As a matter of fact, he bought one of the first hydraulically operated rubber-tired backhouse that was a available," he said. When Gulya graduated college in 1972, he joined the business. " At that time, Dad had a dump truck, two backhoes and maybe five employees," he said. "They picked up whatever jobs they could and met in a deli that had a pay phone on the wall."
Gulya "built" the company's first office building when he salvaged a metal building that Middlesex Trenching was hired to demolish. "I said, 'Gee, would you mind if I just took it down?" smiled Gulya. "So I took it down piece by piece and put it back up over here and used it like a shed. There was no office, so I had to go with a folding table and a chair, and I convinced the phone company to bring in a phone line. And I had a calculator. That's basically how it went form there to where we are today." Outgrowing new building Today, Middlesex Trenching Company has an n annual volume of $10 million to $15 million and has almost outgrown the new building that was put up in 1998 in Metuchen. Gulya credits the company's growth to its move into turnkey projects five years ago, an aggressive marketing campaign over the past two years and great employees. "We have excellent crews working for us," he said. "We have excellent project superintendents. It's just a whole different focus for us and most of our clients."
Ron Garcia, brings to Middlesex Trenching
his training as a senior project manager for a
large construction projects.
Ron Garcia is guiding the work of
Key employees assisting Gulya and Garcia include Superintendents Keith Sutton, Tom Calvo and Cedrick Sweat. Estimators Ron Decker and Office manager Jennifer Gasper. Emphasis on private sector Most of Middlesex Trenching's customers are pharmaceutical companies. "The private sector is our primary market," Gulya said. "The public market is actually a secondary market for us. I'd say our mix is about 80/20 private/public." "We also do a significant amount of large jobs for non-pharmaceutical companies," added Gulya. Pointing to industrial and commercial building projects. "During my one year here, we've done several site development packages." 50-acre virgin site Middlesex crews are currently working on a $1.78 million site development project, an assisted living facility for the United Methodist Homes in Newton, New Jersey. The facility will be located on a 50-acre site on virgin ground. "We started the project at the end of July, when we were able to break ground," said Gulya. "It's a very large operation. We're moving about 35,000 to 40,000 yards of material from one place to another." "We just finished the last of the blasting," he continued. "We've probably moved 1,000 to 1,500 yards of rock that we blasted out of there." Because of the only road to the site passed Newton's high school, the project required cutting in a road of Highway 206 in eight weeks. "We did that in seven weeks," Gulya noted, "plus all of the other cut and fill operations. We have a 66-inch storm line that's installed form one small detention basin that covers probably seven acres in size and shape." Equipment Investment Until Middlesex Trenching began its move into turnkey projects, they used to be purely a "price-based company" for equipment, according to Gulya. Even though his first company purchased the first Komatsu excavator sold in New Jersey - a PC200- in the early 1970s from Binder Machinery Company, until recently Middlesex Trenching bought other brands form other dealers. "However with our expansion plans and the growth that we're experiencing, we felt that the need to go with a company that we could depend on for service, parts, repairs when necessary or even replacement machines," Gulya explained. "So we went with Binder on a package of three machines."
Middlesex Trenching purchased a Komatsu PC300LC-6 hydraulic excavator, a Komatsu WA320-3 wheel loader and an Ingersoll-Rand SD115D soil compactor. The Company also utilizes a Komatsu D65EX-12 Dozer. Binder Account Manager Gary Repke services the Middlesex account. Gulya is pleased with the equipment's performance on the United Methodist Homes Project. Continued growth, diversification Gulya and sees continued growth in Middlesex Trenching's future, along with diversification into other construction fields. "If the economy and our primary marketplace stay relatively stable, it's my projection over the next ten years that we'll probably be in the neighborhood of a $20- to $30- million company," said Gulya "I've run the company for years and have worn a lot of hats doing that," he stated. I'm now concentrating on working with our consultant, in marketing and working with the banks and bonding companies." "I think we're going to see ourselves moving into different areas of the construction industry," Gulya commented. "We're already looking at road work, we're looking at asphalt work, and we're looking at flat work and concrete. I, personally, have been looking at wastewater treatment work. So we're definitely going to diversify."  ISERVICESIPER DIEM RATESICREDENTIALSICONTACT USREFERENCES IWHAT'S NEW IBID
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At Middlesex Trenching Company, providing customers
with turnkey service is the goal of President William Gulya, Jr.,
and Vice President Ron Garcia.
go in with the proper equipment
to continue the
A Middlesex operator
uses a Komatsu PC300LC-6 excavator t dig a trench before placing
a section of 66-inch storm sewer pipe as part of the company's
site development project for United Methodist Homes in Newton.
