Equipment World

August 2016

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EquipmentWorld.com | August 2016 63 T he son of an Italian immi- grant who watched his father and grandfather build a life in a new country by starting a curb and sidewalk com- pany, Porchetta got his first experi- ence in construction at around 9 or 10 years old. Though his father passed away when he was young, working for his uncle kept Porchetta connected to the business. Starting in high school as a laborer, he would continue working for his uncle during any free time he had while attending college, running equipment and even manag- ing projects. But the summer before his final year of college, Porchetta had an experience that prompted him – un- derstandably – to get out of the busi- ness: he was buried up to his neck in a trench collapse. So he earned an accounting degree from Del Ray Valley College in Pennsylvania and then commuted to New York City, where he worked as a trader on the stock market. But after three years of working on Wall Street, Porchetta grew restless. "I love building things. I love working with my guys," he says. So, he re- turned to New Jersey to work for his brother. And after 14 years handling estimating, project management and the business development end of that company, Porchetta decided he was ready to start his own business. In 2010, he established GMP Con- tracting. Since then, the company has grown to 35 employees and in 2015, made an estimated $18 million in revenue performing site prep, underground utility and concrete installation. Setting out Though he had more than a decade of experience running the business end of a company that generated $60 million each year, Porchetta says he was nervous setting out on his own. He's the type of a person who loves planning ahead. By noon each day, he and his staff have the en- tirety of the next day planned. And it's hard to be that organized when you're just getting things going. But he says the experience taught him the importance of not just having a plan, but having a flexible plan. "It was grim at first," Porchetta says. "On the first job I actually had to take the last $10,000 to my name and use it as a deposit on a Cat 345 so I could dig a large commercial foundation. But it worked out, it gen- erated about $25,000 and allowed me to prove myself with Foley Cat and they began to start letting me rent equipment without the deposit." Porchetta kept at it, leaning on relationships forged during his time at his brother's company and work- ing through the winter of 2010-2011 contractor of the year | by Wayne Grayson | WayneGrayson@randallreilly.com Building something from nothing is in Joe Porchetta's blood. Joe Porchetta, GMP Contracting City, State: South Plainfield, New Jersey Year Started: 2010 Number of employees: 35 Annual revenue: $18 million (current) Markets served: Site prep, under- ground utility and concrete installation, environmental Porchetta, who started GMP in 2011, says diversi- fication lies at the core of his business strategy and urges more contractors to invest in younger and inexperienced workers.

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