Company Report: Broadway Mechanical
In the forefront of prefab design Since regaining its status as an independent company, Broadway Mechanical has thrived under the direction of President Fred Nurisso

The circumstances which led to Fred Nurisso becoming CEO of his family's business are a bit unusual. Most people might assume with plumbing in his family's blood for more than 102 years, Nurisso would simply inherit Broadway Mechanical from his father when the time was right. Not so. Even though the company has been in the Nurisso family since 1949, Fred Nurisso didn't become involved when he got out of college in 1988.

"When I got out of college the company was part of a larger organization, The Scott Company. I didn't want to join at the time so I went on to become a large residential landscape contractor. In 2003, The Scott Company operations were shut down and Broadway Mechanical was reopened as its own entity. I became President and became involved with the day-to-day operations."

If Nurisso jumped into the fray without a true sense of the family business, it didn't show. Within his six-year tenure, Broadway has re-established itself as the self-performing authority in plumbing, piping and HVAC installation/design. Nurisso says the company has the ability to look at a basic set of drawings and come up with a design to implement the aforementioned mechanical disciplines. This is the company's foremost strength along with its prefab and BIM/CAD plumbing/piping capabilities.

"We're one of the foremost prefab companies in the Western United States when it comes to plumbing and piping," explains Nurisso. "We're also becoming one of the foremost companies when it comes to BIM and CAD."

PROJECTS
As a mechanical design/build specialist and contractor in the Northern California area, Broadway Mechanical has worked on numerous premier projects since its restart such as the Ritz Carlton (hotel and timeshare), the St. Regis Museum Tower (260 hotel units and 102 condos), Valencia Gardens (250 units), and Millennium Towers (436 condos, 58 stories). Yet, the company's current projects may be its most exciting work to date.

"We're working on two of the largest projects going on now in Northern California," says Nurisso. "One of them is the Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, CA. It'll be a 280-bed facility. The other is the University of California-San Francisco Women's and Children's Cancer Research Facility - 289 beds located in Mission Bay."

Broadway has other projects it's working on as well, such as Monarch Village, a Senior Housing Project (208 units) in Daly City, Candlestick Cove Apartments (110 units), and Armstrong Place (122 units) located in San Francisco.

SAFETY
One of the most important aspects to Broadway's success is its detail to safety. The company has a comprehensive safety plan and has enjoyed a tremendous record over the past few years. Weekly meetings, constant overview of safety issues, continuous improvement through training and inspections from the firm's insurance carrier are all examples of this comprehensive plan.

Another safety-related policy is its procedure regarding workplace injury clinics. "We have a couple of policies in place that when someone's injured they can go to a workplace injury clinic instead of going to a hospital. For instance, if a guy gets a rash, a cut or something in the eye, he can go to the clinic rather than go to the ER. It is faster and less costly," explains Nurisso.

SUSTAINABILITY
Broadway Mechanical is also successful in sustainable building. For example, with its plumbing installations, the firm can implement re-usable wastewater systems and storm water containers which can be re-pumped into the irrigation and flush valve toilets and urinals. It can also install a system which uses recycled water for chilling and air conditioning. For HVAC, the company utilizes high-efficiency water conditioners, boilers, air conditioners and chillers.

PARTNERS
Broadway self-performs the majority of its projects but does rely on a number of dependable sub-contractors for various specialized work. Nurisso says it subs out excavation, fire safing and insulation as well as any electrical work. The company has also worked with a steady group of reliable general contractors over the years. Nurisso points to Webcor Builders, Nibbi Brothers Construction, Swinerton Builders, Turner Construction, DPR Construction Inc., Cahill Contractors Inc. and Roberts/Obayashi Corp. as prime examples.

There are various methods for keeping these types of relationships, which Nurisso describes as "a generation of work," long lasting and strong. "We'll have general contractors and vendors come to our company, we'll cater lunch in our large custom kitchen and conference room. This way we are able to show the general contractors and vendors our prefab shop and engineering/detailing department.

Nurisso says one of the firm's biggest strengths is its ability to create a strong cohesion between administrative non-union employees and union labor employees. The company hosts a number of social gatherings to mesh the workforce. "We have a summer barbeque and a large Christmas party every year," explains Nurisso.

With this kind of dedication to employees and business partners, Broadway Mechanical will likely continue to work on premier projects in Northern California. Meanwhile, with Fred at the helm, the Nurisso family can continue to stamp its name as industry leaders for years to come.

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