The Sordoni story began in 1910, when Andrew J. Sordoni started a business with a team of borrowed horses, a second-hand harness, and two wagons. He hauled coal, removed ashes, and dug cellars by hand. Through hard work and meticulous attention to quality, Sordoni quickly became known as an honest, capable contractor. The company specialized in residential work, but word quickly spread, staff was hired, and capabilities expanded. By the end of the decade, Sordoni had developed an expertise in power line construction, providing the infrastructure for electricity throughout the region.

The 1920’s was a decade of rapid growth. From modest beginnings just ten years earlier, the company was now well-established and grew in expertise, equipment and employees. The company added to its Line Division by establishing a Building Division to handle larger, commercial structures. Sordoni added a registered architect and engineers to strengthen its Building Division. Kingston High School was the company’s first major commercial project to be constructed. In 1926, Andrew J. Sordoni was elected the Pennsylvania State Senate, further expanding the company’s presence through the Common- wealth. Mr. Sordoni became known as “The Senator”, a reference that lasted throughout his lifetime.

During the difficult era of the Great Depression, the company continued to be entrepreneurial and resumed some of the labor intensive tasks of its earlier years. Building projects were few and far between, so trucks were modified to haul coal and manure from the mines. Sordoni managed to keep most of its employees on the payroll and forged permanent commitments between the company and its personnel.

In the second half of the decade, an upswing in college and hospital construction enabled Sordoni to refine its expertise in the institutional sector. Significant projects were completed for the Wilkes-Barre YMCA, Moses Taylor Hospital, Bucknell University, College Misericordia, and Mansfield and Bloomsburg Teachers Colleges.

With the advent of the Second World War, manpower and equipment were required to support the war effort. Sordoni was busy with major construction projects in Middletown, Pennsylvania and Aberdeen, Maryland.

In 1946, the Senator’s son, Andrew J. “Jack” Sordoni, Jr., returned home from war and joined the company. With a business acumen and drive similar to his father’s, Jack was instrumental in setting the future direction of management and growth.

Sordoni grew its expertise, scope and client list to include companies of national reputation, including DuPont, Bethlehem Steel, BFGoodrich, F. W. Woolworth Co., and Pittsburgh Corning.

The post-war boom fueled significant corporate growth in America. Sordoni’s reputation and visibility continued to grow, and most of the company’s work focused on large industrial projects.

Sordoni became known for strict adherence to schedules and budgets. The company utilized an automated punch card system for accounting and cost reports on jobs in progress.

Seven projects totaling nearly a million square feet were completed for IBM in New York State. Other significant clients of the decade included Metropolitan Edison, Vanadium Corp., Foster Wheeler, and Eberhard Faber.

In 1960, Sordoni celebrated its 50th anniversary with an optimistic outlook for the years ahead. Unfortunately, the Senator passed away in 1963, and just four years later Jack Sordoni died unexpectedly at the age of 50. Despite the loss of the company’s first two generations of leadership, the foundation for a modern organization had been built by the Senator and Jack.

A young Andrew J. Sordoni III took over for his father, and the company’s solid, experienced management team continued to run the company in terms of day to day operations. Despite two devastating blows to the company, Sordoni had the leadership to continue on and to innovate and deliver quality projects across all sectors.

Out of the tragedy of Hurricane Agnes that thoroughly flooded the Wyoming Valley, Sordoni emerged as a new company guided by the third generation of the Sordoni family. The company’s intensive involvement in flood cleanup, renovation of structures, and reconstruction of downtown Wilkes-Barre provided a tremendous challenge and unique opportunity for the new management team.

Sordoni sharpened its skills in Construction Management and leveraged this expertise into hospital construction. Projects in the latter part of the decade included major expansions of Geisinger Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Community Medical Center, and Nesbitt Hospital.

By the early 1980’s, Sordoni’s qualifications and expertise allowed the company to expand into the rapidly developing New York Metro area. In a short time a client base was established, and Sordoni constructed world headquarters and research facilities for several global companies, including Schering-Plough, Warner-Lambert, Mobil Chemical, and PepsiCo.

Under the leadership of William B. Sordoni, the company implemented sophisticated technology to facilitate cost estimating and operations. Services now included conceptual estimating, and extensive historical cost library, value engineering, in-house mechanical and electrical expertise, and computerized scheduling and cost control capabilities.

As the New York regional market matured, Sordoni capitalized on an opportunity to strategically sell New Jersey operations to Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction companies. The deal represented the first U.S. acquisition for Skanska and allowed Sordoni to leverage other business interests.

With the benefit of the experience gained in a larger market, Sordoni returned to its roots in Forty Fort with enhanced capabilities. The company built structures at all the major colleges and universities in the region, and also constructed much of the new corporate development in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

The twenty-first century brought with it an interest in rejuvenating urban communities and rebuilding downtowns. Public/private partnerships were created, with developers, public agencies, and Sordoni working together to revitalize our cities.

The company’s commitment to community was formalized through the creation of the Sordoni Volunteer Program, which enables employees to share their time, talent, and resources to build, grow, and give back to the community.

As the decade progressed, an evolving executive team hired new talent and key management. In New Jersey, a sister company was reestablished to build upon the reputation that had been firmly established in that market more than twenty years earlier.

In 2010, Sordoni celebrates A Century of Service: Clients, Employees, Community. This milestone coincides with a renewed sense of energy and a commitment to the core values upon which the company was founded: Integrity, Client Focus, Safety, Professionalism, Teamwork, and Community.

Following the retirement of his father, William B. Sordoni, William E. Sordoni became president of Sordoni Construction Services in January 2010, representing the fourth generation of active family management.

With a combination of seasoned construction professionals and a fresh outlook, the company is poised to broaden horizons while always delivering quality, value, and superior service to each of our clients.