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Robert Healy was faced with a tall order when he answered a help wanted ad more than 25 years ago.
LaBella Associates DPC, the firm that posted the job for a director of architecture, was seeking a person who could transform the civil engineering firm into one that would be known for its architectural services as well.
Healy went to talk to the company leaders and ended up taking the job. He, along with one other employee, set out to create an architectural division.
"We began as a very small 'A' in a big 'E' company," Healy says, referring to architecture and engineering.
Healy not only accepted the challenge, he exceeded it.
When he began in 1990, LaBella employed 35 workers in Rochester. Today, LaBella maintains its Rochester headquarters and has over 470 employees at 15 locations, including 311 local employees.
Net revenue is $46.7 million and work is nearly equally divided between architectural and engineering jobs, he says. LaBella climbed to No. 21 this year on the Rochester Chamber Top 100 list of fastest-growing private companies.
LaBella has grown in terms of revenue by some 20 percent annually over the past five years, organically and through acquisitions. In addition to its expertise in architecture and engineering, the company also offers environmental, planning, surveying and grant writing services.
LaBella Associates was founded in 1978 by professional engineer Salvatore LaBella. Today it is led by CEO Sergio Esteban.
It also has expanded its geographic footprint over the years, with six offices in New York as well as offices in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Madrid. There are also LaBella personnel in a client office in Maine.
LaBella ranked fourth on the most recent Rochester Business Journal list of architectural firms and second on the most recent list of engineering firms.
Healy, 58, has served as LaBella's president since 2010. He is proud of the firm's growth and the employees who have helped shape the business.
"I get a lot of enjoyment from seeing the growth of our business and the growth of our employees," he says. "It's a privilege to be able to represent this company."
Irondequoit native
Healy grew up in west Irondequoit and attended Bishop Kearney High School. He liked to draw, so...