May 31, 2007
H.A. Sack Company HeadquartersToday I am interviewing Steve Deal of The Sack Company, which has been in business for 62 years. The Sack Company offers a wide array of construction services including: Mechanical, Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation, Plumbing, Electrical, Rigging, Millwright, Process Piping, Process Electrical and Controls, Instrumentation, HVAC and a Plumbing Commercial and Industrial service department.
When I had first heard of the Sack Company a good many years ago I had thought it was only an small commercial electrical services company. Over the last several years and just recently I have learned that there is far more to the Sack Company than you would think at first glance.
Hi Steve and thank you for taking the time to allow me to interview you.
"Hi Allen, I am more than happy to answer your questions."
As I had mentioned above the Sack Company offers quite a few electrical and HVAC services. What would say that has been your 'success' at the Sack Company?
"Our goal and ability to be better than all of our competitors while also being able to compete, price wise. Also so our diversity. We provide the above services on all types of Commercial, Institutional, Health Care, Distribution, and Industrial Facilities."
What kind of trends have you been seeing in the commercial construction industry?
"In the construction business, even during good economic times, we see trends where a specific type of Building is dominating the market. In the 90's it was schools , if it hadn't been for them we would have starved to death. After 911, it was very little of anything , but a little of it all, our diversity to do all type projects at least kept the doors open. The past four (4) years has seen the market change to Healthcare, Distribution Centers, and Manufacturing Facilities. Currently we see these staying strong with Schools and Institutional facilities starting to come on strong again also."
What is your primary focus at the Sack Company?
"My focus is on keeping our costs in line."
From what I have been seeing over the last year or so, it appears that the Sack Company has become very successful in new bid work, what do you feel is the reason behind that?
"Being better than the rest has brought us to the point where we now have General Contractors actually courting us to bid their work and often paying us more than the low guy because they know we'll push the job, meet their tight deadlines and install a high quality installation, in turn getting them off the job quicker, reducing their cost and upping their profit margins.
From a commercial and industrial standpoint, having all trades under one roof has been attractive to our design /build customers where they only have one company to coordinate with, minimizing the chance of error and making their job less complicated, since they don't have to employ three companies and coordinate with them to get their project designed and constructed."
What would you say was the largest obstacle you have overcome in recent years regarding your business and operations?
"The ability to find qualified manpower has been our largest obstacle and remains so. We have at least overcome it to the point we can grow because we are well known throughout the U.S. as a quality subcontractor which makes people seek us out, we treat them well so we are able to retain the ones worth retaining. We have also started our own Electrical Apprenticeship Program that is taught at our facility in conjunction with IEC (Independent Electrical Contractors).
We also just recently hired the past Construction Program Instructor for Effingham County Board of Education in hopes of improving our relationship with all area high schools and colleges and adding apprentice and co-op programs for all trades. We also have some of our people on several advisory boards at Ogeechee Tech."
From our conversations I see that the Sack Company has also inspired you and several officers of the Sack Company to build subsidiaries and other businesses related to the work being performed by the Sack Company. Can you elaborate a bit on that?
"Yes I can. We have a subsidiary called SCM that Paul (President of Sack Company), myself and Phillip (Vice President of Sack Company and Paul's brother) own. Paul and Phillip also own a company called TQ Contractors which is a general contracting firm. In addition to that I and my son-in-law Jonathan Taylor own and operate a residential construction business called Quality Custom Builders."
Wow! I am impressed and finally understand why you are busy much of the time, it also reinforces why I have wanted to feature H.A. Sack Company on the magazine.
I understand you have several projects in Statesboro/Bulloch County and elsewhere could you tell me a bit more aout your current projects?
"A small percentage of our work is located in Bulloch County and Statesboro since we mainly chase large commercial and industrial Projects. In Statesboro we are performing :
HVAC ( Heating , Ventilation and Air Conditioning ) and the Electrical at Southeast Bulloch High School .
HVAC /Plumbing / Electrical at the new Statesboro High School
Electrical at GSU Fine Arts Facility Renovation and addition
Electrical at GSU Cone Hall Renovation
Misc. Industrial Maintenance type projects at local Plants
HVAC /Plumbing Commercial and Industrial Service Department work"
What recent projects have you completed in the southeast and where were they located?
"No problem at all, however the list is quite long:
Oracal - a 250,000 S.F. German owned new manufacturing facility located in Bryan County. We provided all Electrical /HVAC /Plumbing plus most of the machinery rigging and process piping and electrical process installation.
Target Distribution Center 3810 - Port Wentworth, Georgia - 2 million square foot automated distribution facility
Target Distribution Facility 3808 - Midway, Georgia - 1.6 million square foot automated distribution facility
Hunter Army Airfield - SOF Maintenance Hanger Facility
Fort Stewart Tactical Equipment Complex
Fort Stewart Command and Control Facility
Fort Stewart Chapel
YKK - Dublin - addition to existing Manufacturing facility
Sacred Heart Chapel - Macon , Georgia
Saint Josephs / Candler Cancer Center - Savannah
Savannah Orthopedic and Surgery Center - Savannah
New 155,000 SF Replacement Hospital - Jesup, Georgia
Liberty County Board of Education Central Office Facility
Fort Stewart Educational Facility
Bradwell Institute Expansion and Renovation
Kistler Office Building - Savannah
Oglethorpe County Jail
Georgia Commerce Center Building 400 - Distribution Center - Savannah
Richmond Hill Family Life Center
The above is a partial list of projects that ended in the last few months, or are currently being closed out now."
Steve, I really do appreciate you taking some time from your busy schedule to chat a bit about the Sack Company and everything you are involved in. I am in a state of awe in regards to all that you do. You should be very proud of yourself and all the employees at the Sack Company. I wish you the best of luck in your future projects and hope that we can talk more sometime about your work.
"I am really happy to have the opportunity to speak with you as well Allen and look forward to talking with you again sometime."
You can find out more about the Sack Company on their website at: www.hasack.com
The H.A. Sack Company is located on Zell Miller Parkway (Gateway Industrial Park) off of Highway 301 South.
Address
3302 Zell Miller Parkway
P.O. Box 528
Statesboro Georgia 30459
Phone: 912-871-8771
General email inquires: information@hasack.com