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Christine Meyers and Jennifer Battiglia | PHOTO C/O BATTIGLIA ASSOCIATES[/caption]
NEW CASTLE –
Battaglia Associates, a general contractor that specializes in utility work and excavation services, ranks fifth on a new ranking of the nation’s 50 fastest-growing women-owned/led companies.
Battaglia President Christine Meyer saw her 13-year-old company's gross revenue grow from $9.7 million in 2017 to $46 million in 2019.
Most of the company’s growth has come since 2015 when Battaglia installed fencing and cameras for a utility switchyard and substation, enabling guards to distinguish between a deer on the property and a person.
The 13th annual ranking comes from the
Women Presidents’ Organization in collaboration with American Express.
Eligible companies were ranked according to a sales growth formula, combining percentage and absolute growth. To qualify for the ranking, businesses were required to be privately held, woman-owned or -led, and have reached annual revenues of at least $500,000 as of 2015 and every subsequent year.
Meyer and her sister Jennifer Battaglia took over dormant Battaglia Associates in 2007 from her parents, who started Battaglia Electric in 1981. They considered getting into real estate – possibly house-flipping – but the financial crisis derailed that plan and they eventually moved into general contracting.
“It’s been a long road but a quick journey,” Meyer said, adding that they’ve used other electrical subcontractors on some projects, which has “led to some interesting dinner conversations” since the family still owns Battaglia Electric even with her father’s retirement a few years ago.
Battaglia Associates, which employs 45 people depending on the project, expanded into the excavation side of the business in 2019 by acquiring another company, enabling it to open a civil division and have more control over projects.
The team at Battaglia Associates has mostly worked from home over the past few months but has recently returned to the office.
“I’m so proud of our hard-working team,” Meyer said. “Business has remained steady and we needed to formalize some policies and procedures, which we’ve done. We’re still bidding on a lot of work because this is a field where you can’t ignore your facilities.”
Meyer said she particularly appreciates the commitment to diversity of Calvin Butler, the former Baltimore Gas & Electric CEO who now oversees
Exelon’s six local electric and natural gas companies as CEO of Exelon Utilities. She said Butler’s programs enabled her company to get traction in a historically male-dominated business.
Battaglia Associates focuses on security infrastructure and design; Betafence installation; security power distribution; UL certified panel pre-fabrication and installation; substation construction and maintenance; project management and supervisions; and excavation services. Its “Serious About Safety” program has led to zero recordable incidents since 2016. In addition to its office in New Castle, Battaglia Associates also has a Forest Hill, Md., office.
By Peter Osborne
posborne@delawarebusinesstimes.com
