Craig Swain tours the target site a few times, days ahead of his crew's arrival. At 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, Swain, president of New England Sealcoating (NESCO), arrives at the huge Minuteman Park / Brickstone Sq. office park along I-93, setting out cones and caution tape that will guide his team when they arrive with their equipment at 7 a.m.
This assignment, with a short two-weekend window, was to clean and sealcoat the parking areas, a total of 85,000 sq. yards, equivalent to 14 football fields, and stripe 1,063 spaces near five first-class office buildings. And there are logistics issues: the client needs the job completed on two successive weekends, without interfering with employees' coming and going.
Danny Gallagher, landscaping supervisor for the property said, "Although Craig Swain had done work for us before, he still left nothing to chance. He visited twice and walked the property with me, noted unique features, discussed alternate parking, and gauged the workforce he'd need."
In the area with heaviest trafficSwain recommended using a Polyprime coat to improve the bonding of the sealer to the oxidized pavement. That area received both the primer and a sealer coat. The NESCO team completed 90% of the job on the first weekend and finished on the second. There was always adequate parking. "It was extremely hot (90 degrees) and humid, but all went as scheduled," Gallagher said.
Gallagher, with 30 years in grounds keeping, works for Riverside Landscaping Co. which manages landscaping and plantings for Minuteman/ Brickstone Park, owned by The Brickstone Cos. The office park comprises 200 acres, six buildings consisting of over two million square feet of office space, home to thousands of workers on high technology, biotechnology, and medical devices. He oversees 94 acres of meticulously landscaped and maintained land, with water features, nature paths, wooden footbridges and lush greenery.
Gallagher said, "New England Sealcoating doesn't take shortcuts and are sensitive to the needs of tenants and security people. They're thorough and efficient. Everything is left neat as a pin. They did what they promised. My boss liked the finished job, too. And I like the way Craig returned Monday morning for a final check on the outcome. No issues. No surprises."
Swain said, "Our success and growth are due to several factors: a trained, trustworthy and experienced professional staff; the most advanced equipment technologies, and the highest quality materials." Swain also credits much of his success to a combination of product and equipment versatility. "These allow us to tailor our maintenance programs to the specific needs of the customer's particular pavement surface."
NESCO, founded in 1945, is one of the Northeast's largest sealcoating and pavement maintenance firms. Swain estimates his company has sealcoated over 400 million square feet of parking lots, driveways, roads and walks.
Another NESCO client - with employees who work throughout the weekend - is tech giant Raytheon. Recently, NESCO sealcoated the massive lots at their Global Headquarters in Waltham without interfering with traffic, parking or security requirements. A facilities manager commended NESCO for being "customer-focused" and "getting it done."
Dedicated to giving back to the community, Swain and NESCO are donating a portion of summer sales - about $35,000 - to Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), an organization that helps to build customized homes with adaptive features so disabled veterans live more independently.