Founded: 1978
Generations: Two
Employees: 110
WILMINGTON – Sean Healy, vice president of the concrete construction company Healy, Long & Jevin Inc., is proud to say that his family helped build much of Delaware’s infrastructure.
In 1891, Healy’s great, great grandfather started Johnny Healy and Sons, a general construction company that built everything from schools and hospitals to government buildings and churches.
Healy’s father worked for the family business, owned at the time by Healy’s grandfather. In 1978, Healy’s father and one of the company’s superintendents started their own concrete services business, called Healy and Long.
Healy grew up working for his father’s company now known as Healy, Long & Jevin during school breaks. After college, Healy ran jobs for his father, and in 2000 he joined the office, where he worked his way through the payroll, accounting, project management, and estimating departments.
Then, about six years ago, Healy took over the business. He said it was “a little scary” at first, but he has found his footing.
“Personally, I can say I’m built for this industry,” he said. “I know the field just as well as I know the office now.”
Running a family-owned business is unique, Healy said, because it allows him to feel more connected to his workers.
“I treat everybody like they’re family, and everybody has a say in the direction of the business,” he said. “My name might be on the door, but I have to go to work here every single day, so I want it to be a real nice environment for everybody to work in.”
When the pandemic hit in March, Healy’s company had to shut down most of its work in Philadelphia but was able to keep open its Delaware jobs that were considered essential work.
After the company “limped along” for about a month, Healy said they were able to get “back up and running full force.”
“We haven’t stopped since,” he said.
Healy foresees the coronavirus pandemic spurring more renovation and construction projects for hospitals and other healthcare facilities, which he plans for his company to be a part of.
In just the past few years, Healy, Long & Jevin finished work on the new women’s and health facility for ChristianaCare and the large Alapocas expansion for Incyte’s pharmaceutical sales. It continues to work on the pharmaceutical giant’s new laboratory facility, Healy said.
Healy said the main challenge his industry is facing now is encouraging enough young people to study trade professions.
“If we celebrated the trades just as much as we celebrated college with the younger generation, we’d be just fine,” he said.
