News Releases
A West Palm Beach TV crew interviews Leo Vecellio, Jr.
for a video presentation during the induction ceremony.
Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame
Inducts Leo Vecellio, Jr.
(May 2001)
Get the best education available and be a hard worker. Thats the advice Leo A. Vecellio, Jr., Chairman and CEO of the Vecellio Group, has for youngsters seeking to make their mark on todays competitive business world.
A third-generation contractor, Leo has seen the benefits of applying these guidelines to his own life, and through the years has made it a point to give back to the communities that have helped foster the success of the Vecellio Companies.
For his numerous contributions to South Florida through philanthropic endeavors, civic involvement, and the positive example he has set as a responsible and successful businessman Leo was one of the first three laureates inducted into the new Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, presented by Northern Trust Bank in an April induction ceremony.
Also honored were Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr., and, posthumously, Marshall E. “Doc” Rinker, Sr.
An exhibit featuring the laureates will be housed at The Stiles-Nicholson Center for Free Enterprise in the Junior Achievement offices in West Palm Beach, Florida.
VanGuard Magazine Wins 3 Communicator Awards
The Vecellio Groups quarterly newsmagazine, VanGuard, has been named a
multiple award winner in The Communicator Awards 2001 Print Media Competition.
The VanGuard was selected as a
winner of the Crystal Award of Distinction in the Corporate Magazine category. The VanGuard also received awards for Design and Photography.
Vecellio Group Communications Director Carl Thiemann writes, designs and takes photographs for the magazine.
The Communicator Awards is a national awards organization that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field.
Entries are judged by a team of industry professionals who look for “companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.”
The competition drew more than 3,300 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries.
Byrd White Joins Vecellio Contracting
Byrd E. White III has joined the Vecellio Contracting team as Executive Vice President, bringing with him a wealth of financial, tax, planning, and operations experience.
A long-time professional and personal associate of the Vecellio family, Byrd was a key member of the CPA firm Mason & Bashaw, and participated in the 1979 acquisition of Rubin Construction, later renamed Ranger Construction.
He has also been associated with Bluestone Coal Company and Bluestone Industries during his career.
Above Left: (L to R) Chief Pilot Gunther Nowag and Co-Captain Michael Whitty before a flight aboard the Vecellio Groups Falcon 50 jet airplane.
Above Right: Helicopter Pilot Bill Pressley with the companys Bell 407 in West Palm Beach.
Vecellio Pilots Keep A Good Altitude Pursuing Lofty Goals
(January 2001)
Their passengers are the key personnel and customers of
one of the nations top 200 contracting firms. Their mission: get from one office or job location to another as safely and quickly as possible. Their tools: a Falcon-50 jet airplane and a Bell 407 helicopter (with a second Bell 407 joining the fleet soon).
And while their weekly work schedule may be a bit up in the air, the pilots of the Vecellio Group say thats just fine.
“Its a great job,” says Gunther Nowag, Chief Pilot of the Falcon. “By far the best organization that Ive worked for,” says Michael Whitty, his Co-Captain. Bill Pressley, who flies the Bell 407, adds, “I love it. They keep you busy.”
And small wonder. With 10 company locations in Florida alone and projects underway in more than a dozen states, the Vecellio Group management relies on its aviation unit to keep up with the geographically diverse scope of work.
For their part, the pilots are more than up to the task.
Gunther came on board in November of 1999 with 27 years of experience as a corporate pilot and another 13 years as an aviation mechanic. He has also worked as a flight instructor and is rated to fly eight different types of aircraft.
Michael joined the company last March with 10 years of flight experience, including positions as Chief Pilot. He holds a Masters degree in Aviation Science and has owned an aviation company providing advanced flight instruction.
Bill also came to the Vecellio Group last March, after 13 years piloting Palm Beach Countys emergency medical helicopter, the TraumaHawk, as well as flying a specially outfitted law enforcement helicopter. He also flew an attack helicopter during Marine Corps duty and is a licensed airplane pilot.
Last year Bill flew V&Gs 407 helicopter to Florida, where its faster flight times and greater capacity were put to good use. V&G is temporarily using a chartered helicopter service.
Vecellio Family Foundation Bestows 11 Scholarships
(October 2000)
The Vecellio Family Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 1973, provided a total of $110,000 in college scholarships in 2000 to 11 graduating high school seniors. The recipients, who are chosen by independent review boards, receive $10,000 each – $2,500 per year for four years – in care of the selected college or university.
Three of the scholarships were granted under the Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. Employee Dependent Scholarship Program, which is specifically designated for children of employees of Vecellio & Grogan or its subsidiaries. These recipients are James Kelly “Jamie” Crick IV of Palm Beach Gardens, FL, son of James Kelly Crick III, Senior Vice President, Ranger Construction; James Lowe “Jimmy” Johnson of Arnoldsburg, WV, son of James C. Johnson, General Foreman, Vecellio & Grogan; and Bridgett Nicol Lovejoy of Griffithsville, WV, daughter of Darrell L. Lovejoy, Foreman, Vecellio & Grogan.
Other scholarship recipients are:
Callie Vincent of Cool Ridge, representing Shady Spring High School, has been selected to receive a Leo A. Vecellio, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of Vecellio & Grogan’s co-founder.
Liberty High School graduate Matthew Wayne Worley, of Bolt, also received a Leo A. Vecellio, Sr. Memorial Scholarship.
Representing Woodrow Wilson High School are three scholarship winners: Noopur Gangopadhyay of Mabscott, who received a Rick Vecellio Memorial Scholarship, named to honor the late brother of current Vecellio & Grogan CEO, Leo A. Vecellio, Jr.; Alia M. Hdeib of Beckley, who received a Leo A. Vecellio, Sr. Memorial Scholarship; and Shaily Patel of Daniels, who received an Al Janutolo Memorial Scholarship, which was named after a long-time Vecellio & Grogan employee.
From Independence High School, Hillary L. Nelson of Crab Orchard received a Leo A. Vecellio, Sr. Memorial Scholarship.
In McDowell County, Patrice D. Lindsey of Hemp Hill was awarded a Dr. Dante Castrodale Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of Leo A. Vecellio, Sr.’s late brother-in-law, who served as a physician in the McDowell County area for many years.
The winner of the annual Youth Conservation award was Carlos Gomez of Charleston, who received the Rick Vecellio Memorial Conservation Scholarship.
This is the 28th year the Vecellio Family Foundation has provided college scholarships, now bestowed through seven different scholarship programs. All scholarships are awarded by independent review boards.
LEO A. VECELLIO, JR. ELECTED TO ARTBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(October 2000)
Leo A. Vecellio, Jr., President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Vecellio Group, has been elected to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Board of Directors. The three-year term runs through 2003.
The Vecellio Group is a top-200 contracting firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL with operations throughout Florida, the Mid-Atlantic states, and the U.S., with activities in the Bahamas, as well. The group is comprised of Florida-based Ranger Construction Industries, Inc.; PAVEX Corporation; Ranger Golf Course Builders; White Rock Quarries, Inc.; and West Virginia-based Vecellio & Grogan, Inc.
VECELLIO GROUP POSITIONS FOR INCREASED GROWTH IN NORTHERN FLORIDA
(July 2000)
The Vecellio Group, a top-200 contracting firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL with operations throughout Florida and the U.S., has positioned for increased growth in the booming Orlando area with the installation of a $3.5 million state-of-the-art asphalt plant at its Winter Garden facility, operated by subsidiary PAVEX Corporation.
The new plant, which was completed and online by mid-2000, boosts production capacity by more than 50 percent, while significantly reducing environmental impact, company officials said.
“With the phenomenal growth of the Orlando area, we felt this was a good time to make the investment and upgrade our facilities there,” said Leo Vecellio, Jr., CEO, President, and Chairman of the privately held Vecellio Group. “This increases our competitive edge in providing a complete range of quality paving services to the area. It also reduces our impact on our neighbors and the environment. The new asphalt plant operates with less emissions is far quieter than the former plant.”
The Vecellio Group has been serving the Orlando market area since PAVEX Corporation, which is based in Pompano Beach, purchased the Winter Garden facility in 1996. Vecellio also set up a plant in DeBary, just northeast of Orlando, in 1998 through another subsidiary, West Palm Beach-based Ranger Construction Industries, Inc.
Both PAVEX and Ranger provide a complete range of site preparation, grading, drainage and paving services, with nine locations serving major market areas throughout the state.
The Vecellio Group also includes West Palm Beach-based Ranger Golf; Miami-based White Rock Quarries, Inc.; and West Virginia-based Vecellio & Grogan, Inc. The 62-year-old family of companies consistently ranks in the top half of Engineering News-Records top 400 contractors.
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