LeChase Construction Services has acquired Sano-Rubin Construction as it expands its footprint across New York’s Capital Region.
The two firms announced the acquisition Thursday but did not disclose how much LeChase bought the company for Sano-Rubin has served the region as a family-run general contractor and construction management service for over a century.
Dave Hollander, Sano-Rubin’s president and fourth-generation Rubin running the company, said the decision to relinquish the firm was a “tough one.”
Initially, the idea was exploratory as he sought a succession plan, he explained, but then realized the two firms meshed well together and he respected LeChase’s CEO, William Goodrich, and president, Will Mack.
“I’m in the prime of my career (but) firms are hard to divest from and it seems like a great opportunity to merge with a great firm and really together, go after the local marketplace,” Hollander said.
“Full honesty, I have mixed emotions because it has been a family company for 112 years, but I think it’s the right thing to do for my people,” he added.
Hollander initially planned to retire but is staying on as a local branch vice president instead. Under the deal, Sano-Rubin will become a subdivision under LeChase. All employees from both companies will be retained and Mack said they’re even looking to hire about 15 more workers locally.
Over time, the two entities will merge their offices and operations, co-locating into one space. LeChase said the purchase will accelerate its long-term growth in the area. LeChase currently has 11 offices in the U.S., half of which are in upstate New York, and generates a combined $125 million in annual revenue from the Capital Region, the company said.
LeChase manages over $1 billion in construction across its offices annually and has been expanding since its inception in 1944. In 2015, it acquired C.W. Brown, Inc., the upstate operations of Lendlease Americas in 2016, and Syracuse’s Northeast Construction Services in 2010.
“The addition of Sano-Rubin will allow LeChase to pursue a wider range of projects in its core markets, which include health care, education, industrial, multi-family housing, and entertainment and hospitality,” the firm said in a news release.
The two companies pointed to major developments about to be undertaken in the area, from Global Foundries’ new plant in Malta to the Port of Albany’s expansion and the new Wadsworth laboratory, all of which they hope to be a part of.
“We intend to continue to excel and execute projects to make sure that our customers retain the 100 percent satisfaction that we’re so famous for,” Mack said.
