Helping to Reshape America’s Cities and Infrastructure

NASDI
Written by Jessica Ferlaino

Since it began in 1976, NASDI, LLC has been a reputable contractor recognized for excellence when it comes to demolition, site redevelopment, and environmental remediation. It has become a trusted choice for many in the commercial, industrial, and heavy civil markets.
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Throughout the years, NASDI has become one of the leading demolition and environmental remediation contractors in the United States, ranking eighth-largest of all demolition contractors in 2017, as well as the largest demolition and abatement contractor in the Northeastern United States.

NASDI partners with its clients in the public, private and institutional sectors and undertakes everything from decommissioning and demolition to salvaging, program management, and site preparation. It has the resources and expertise to address the needs of its clients, regardless of how complex a project may be.

NASDI self-performs its own work according to carefully drafted schedules and timelines that are clearly communicated across a project. It is not simply about the execution of the work, but the preparation and planning that goes into being able to complete every project perfectly.

To support its clients in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles, NASDI offers recycling, identification and documentation of all recyclable waste, and the preparation of recycling reports.

What sets NASDI apart from its competition is its ability to eliminate the need for numerous specialty contractors. “One-stop shopping is much easier for clients to deal with, as opposed to multiple contractors. Clients tend to like that. Our staff is field cross-trained in demolition and in environmental with respect to asbestos abatement and remediation,” explained Sarah Marcone, business development manager.

This was reiterated by Project Executive Srdjan Milicevic who said: “We handle everything in-house, and everyone on our team including, project managers, managers, and engineers, has an understanding of every single aspect of the job.” This simplifies the process and improves project outcomes.

The people at NASDI are not only experienced; they are cross-trained, making its services more cost-effective than its competitors that must subcontract work out. As a result, projects are delivered on time, within budget, and business is conducted in a fair, transparent manner.

Cross-trained foremen and laborers afford NASDI the opportunity to provide a total service for both hazardous materials removal and demolition. Its tenured operators, foremen, drivers, mechanics, and laborers work together to outperform the competition.

From its single location in Massachusetts, which serves its primary markets of New England and New York, NASDI has developed the expertise and resources required to take on the biggest, most multifaceted jobs. None are more impressive than Emerson College’s Little Building project located in Boston’s downtown. The company is currently in the final phases of the project, which is the biggest and most difficult demolition and abatement project of this nature in the history of the city. NASDI self-performed all of the work, completing the abatement and partial removal of the 250,000-square-foot, twelve-story building in the highly populated urban setting.

NASDI was responsible for removing the roof penthouses and fourteen-foot-tall parapet walls, as well as the removal of the façade from the third floor up and demolishing the structure of certain parts of the building while preserving the first and second-floor historical elements for Suffolk Construction Co., the construction manager on the project.

Due to the constricted space of the project, conventional methods to remove construction debris were rendered impossible, and crews were limited to operating with a loading area with a capacity of one truck at a time and no additional space to package and store materials.

The project also entailed the renovation of the residence hall to satisfy the city-backed initiative to reduce the number of students who live off campus. This will improve the identity of the institution in the city’s core thanks to new dorm rooms, common rooms and student social space, which will be included in a newly-constructed thirteenth story.

The intricate nature of the job was overcome by the firm’s ability to visualize the project, draw on past experience with like-projects, plan and communicate timelines to the client and ensure that resources were available and coordinated. “One of the things that we really pride ourselves on is communication – internal communication between office staff, communication with field staff, and also communication with the clients where everything is spelled out clearly so everyone can really understand what’s going on with the job,” said Milicevic. This enables NASDI to synchronize operations to maximize efficiency and meet timelines.

“One thing we typically do with our jobs is time studies to see how long it takes to accomplish tasks. So, for example, the big challenge on this job was the limitation of trucks we can have on the jobsite at one time,” explained Milicevic. The time study for this project identified how long it would take to bring material from the building and load the truck before it could make way for the next.

“We knew when the truck was coming, it would take forty-five minutes to move the truck. That truck leaves, and the next one comes again, which required a lot of communicating between the field office. The department did a great job. The whole process was complex, but with everyone’s engagement, we managed to find a formula that worked like clockwork.”

When required, NASDI can even travel nationwide. To date, it has undertaken projects in Louisiana, California, and Ohio, proving the breadth of its labor and equipment resources. “We own all of our own equipment. We have all of our own truck drivers. We know how to transport our equipment. We have our own mechanics who know how to set that equipment up, so we don’t have to deal with heavy rental fees on projects, and that helps us when we’re out of the New England and New York area,” explained Marcone.

Behind the machinery are employees who are acknowledged for their ongoing role in the company’s success. “Our workforce in the field, most of them have been with us for twenty-plus years, so they understand ‘The NASDI Way’. They understand demolition. Our clients know them and are comfortable with them,” Marcone said. “They (clients) know NASDI can do the job.”

Throughout the years, NASDI has established a reputation as a leader in the field and a desirable employer. Company leadership maintains an open-door policy and every member of the team at every level of operations is respected for the value he or she brings to this team-oriented culture.

Safety is a condition of employment at this union contractor, and every effort is taken to protect employees, property, clients, and the public. “Every time we succeed, it’s a success that results from teamwork. No one person delivered; it’s the team. The same thing goes with failures. When we fail, we all fail,” said Milicevic.

NASDI is looking toward the future and working to maintain the unique culture it has developed as it grows. One of its short-term goals is to build on the exceptional talent pool from which it draws, attracting employees by remaining focused on their health, safety and wellbeing. This tactic is one that further differentiates the company.

“Anyone with an excavator now thinks they can do complex things, and it’s just not the case. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. Keep our heads up, do good work, and the clients will realize that. One time, they might go with another contractor due to cost, but in the end, it’s not worth it. You need to go with someone reputable who understands this business,” Marcone noted.

By maintaining the qualities that has helped it grow and develop its reputation, NASDI will continue to secure and complete the most involved demolition and environmental remediation projects there are. “Our competition tends to overwork themselves. They’ll take so much work that they can’t handle it. They can’t service these clients properly, and we don’t do that. Basically, we grow step by step,” said Milicevic.

NASDI intends to grow strategically. The goal is to “serve every client like they are our only client we have. That’s how we get our repeat business and what helps us grow,” Milicevic said.

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