EMCOR acquires Scalise, a $70m. firm

NORWALK, Conn.—EMCOR Group, a Fortune 500 mechanical and electrical construction services company, expanded its national footprint with the acquisition, announced Feb. 17, of Scalise Industries of Pittsburgh.

Scalise is a $70 million full-service mechanical, electrical and fire contractor. Its fire business, which is primarily the construction, prefabrication, installation, servicing and testing of fire sprinkler systems, accounts for about 15 percent of Scalise's overall business, said Mike Bordes president of EMCOR mechanical services.

“Scalise has been in business in Pittsburgh for over 60 years. We hadn't had a local presence in Pittsburgh, so this represents a strong strategic geographic fit for us,” he said.

Scalise works in all verticals within the area's commercial industrial marketplace. “Right now it's more involved in the health care and educational institutions,” he said.

EMCOR's acquisition formula is to look for strategic acquisitions with strong local leadership, Bordes said. “We buy the best in the market and continue to let them operate as the best company in the market.” What EMCOR brings to the table are “value drivers from the corporate perspective ... providing bonding opportunities, for example.”

While acquired companies continue to operate independently, with EMCOR they become part of a national network of companies. On the fire side, Scalise will likely work with other EMCOR companies such as Shambaugh; F& G, which has a fire division called Meadowlands; and Higgins, a fire company based in Boston, Bordes said.

“It gives us an advantage because we can mix and match the capabilities of the different operating companies with the clients' needs,” said Mava Heffler, EMCOR VP marketing and communications.