The Charlotte/Triangle/Triad Construction News – February/March 2009 – PAGE 5
Venerable Edison Foard Leans On
Strengths To Build For The Future
STAFF WRITER
– The Charlotte/Triangle/Triad Construction News
At 70, Edison Foard, Inc. appears ready
for current economic challenges while its
new leadership is poised for the future.
Edison Cassels, representing the third
generation of family ownership, has taken
over as president and chief executive. His
father, Penn Cassels, remains chairman and
continues active involvement, but leaves
daily management to Edison Cassels and
Mark Kolb, executive vice president.
“We are a general contractor and we do
all types of work,” Penn Cassels says. “The
thing we’re not really into is residential.”
With 57 employees and 2008 revenue of
more than $60 million, Edison Foard is big-
ger than ever, Penn Cassels acknowledges.
Still, it’s facing the recessionary challenge
of dealing with more job competition.
As private developers hunker down, as-
pirants for public projects multiply prodi-
scored the first two touchdowns in Kenan retary-treasurer and chief financial risk of-
giously
Stadium for the University of North Car- ficer; Thomas Brown, vice president of
. With prequalification growing
more common, Edison Foard’s overall
olina. He also played baseball for the Wash- field operations; Michael Hill, vice presi-
strength serves well in getting short-listed
ington Senators and was a scratch golfer. dent of preconstruction services; and Beth
for bidding.
A consummate Southern gentleman is Craig, director of human resources.
The company has reinvested earnings
how Penn Cassels describes his father-in- Quick to praise the new management
for decades, providing necessary working
law, who died in 2003. Penn Cassels says team is Bill Cornett, vice president of
capital to sustain operations through good
he and Foard never had a cross word. And Showalter Construction of Charlotte, which
times as well as the current difficult finan-
Edison Cassels, who joined the firm in has handled site preparation at numerous
cial environment.
1994, says he and his father don’t raise their Edison Foard projects.
A recently completed project where Edi-
voices at each other, although they occa- “The character and values of their new
son Foard was successful in prequalifica-
sionally disagree. leadership shows great promise,” Cornett
tion is the Mecklenburg County Medical
Penn Cassels wasn’t ready to relinquish says. “These folks are grounded.”
Examiner
his leadership when he turned 65, but last Agreeing is Jeffrey Huberman, partner
’s office. The firm’s lengthy med-
ical construction resume carried the day
year, as he anticipated his 70
th
birthday, he in Gantt Huberman Architects, which has
.
Bryan T
decided it was time. He made Edison Cas- worked with the company on initiatives
urner, senior project manager for
Mecklenburg County Real Estate, quickly
sels president and chief executive and he such as the Harris Conference Center for
compliments Edison Foard’s performance
named Mark Kolb, a 15-year Edison Foard Central Piedmont Community College.
on the 16,800-square-foot coroner
veteran, executive vice president and chief “Edison Foard is extremely professional
’s facil-
ity
operating officer.
.
“We purchased a lot of medical equip-
Other leaders include Judy Morgan, sec-
––––––––––––––––––––
Continued on page 6
ment independent of the Edison Foard con-
tract and they coordinated the installation
and connected hookups,” Turner says. “It was complicated by stringent access proce-
was close to $1 million of various types of dures and difficult staging. Mark Wiebke,
medical equipment. That was a huge chal- assistant aviation director for facilities and
lenge and coordination issue.” maintenance, praises the firm’s dedication.
On the brownfield site of a former fer- “They’re not looking to cut corners,”
tilizer factory, the coroner’s office also is says Wiebke. “You can trust them to give
built to gold standard for Leadership in En- you good value. If you have an issue, they
ergy and Environmental Design (LEED) don’t have a problem coming out to deter-
certification. Yet, the $7.8 million structure mine what the solution would be. And, if Congratulations Edison Foard on
was completed on time, in 14 months. it’s their fault, they’re going to fix it.”
Besides medical, Edison Foard is strong in Working on complex mechanical sys- Your 70th Anniversary
the educational, industrial, office, ware- tems, Charlotte’s Superior Mechanical Sys-
house, recreational, retail and religious sec- tems Inc. helped Edison Foard at the We Are Glad to be On Your Team
tors. Its aviation competency is a particular airport.
standout. “It was a fast-track job, but as a team, we
Through various projects at Charlotte- came out victoriously,” says Leonard
R. Dana Rucker, CIC, Vice President
Douglas International Airport, the company Burch, president of Superior. “We’ve built
First Citizens Insurance
has developed another specialty – an in- a good relationship with Edison Foard and 128 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
house concrete program. At the airport, this that means a lot in this volatile market.”
Direct: 704.338.3836 Toll Free: 888.322.4678
capability helps deal with unique chal- Penn Cassels has nurtured relationships
lenges of performing in critical and secure for more than 30 years. He started working
Fax: 866.578.4508
areas. for his father-in-law, Edison Foard, in 1972.
Edison Foard is finishing a $15 million Foard, who started the company in 1939,
dana.rucker@firstcitizens.com
expansion of commuter Concourse E that was a multi-sport athlete who, in 1927,
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8