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Michael Ahearn likes to take matters into his own hands.
"I still take tools away from guys and show them how to do stuff."
When the president of Seaboard Weatherproofing & Restoration Co. shows up on scaffolding and sees workers misusing the grinder, he will buckle down and show them the proper technique.
"They look at like I have two heads." But when the workers realizes that "the suit" knows what he's talking about, it brings about a whole other level of respect.
The Port Chester-based company founded by Ahearn's grandfather, Richard Ahearn, in 1944 had revenues of $20 million last year, up from the $700,000 10 years ago.
At the outset, the company was mainly waterproofing commercial buildings.
"In the '40s we were well-established, only half a dozen contractors did what we did in the (tri-state) area," Ahearn said.
Through high school and college, Ahearn worked in the business and when he joined the company in 1977, he left his suit and tie at home.
"I spent two years in my blue jeans, getting to a point where I was running work and projects and learning what I wasn't taught as a part-time employee.
The hands-on experience is essential when giving cost estimates on potential job bids. As every contractor knows, the closer the estimate comes to the time it takes to complete a job, the more money the company makes.
Seaboard did facade work, cutting and laying bricks, replacing and installing sealants around masonry openings and 'also cleaned buildings.
Having outgrown its 400-square-foot office in Mount Vernon, Ahearn decided to move Seaboard to a bigger location in Port Chester in 1981.
The Mount Vernon office's eight desks were in an open space.
"It sounded like a bookie joint in the morning, with everyone yelling on the phones in the morning, trying to do business, Ahearn said.
In addition to the staff in the office, Seaboard had 20 to 30 workers on the payroll.
The office kept getting broken into, equipment was stolen and vandalized," Ahearn said. It was time to move on to...