As Sullivan County continues to grow, the need for smart community development is a high priority. From new municipal buildings to refurbishing water and wastewater systems, Delaware Engineering is becoming an ever-growing part of this development.
“Our core business is water and wastewater engineering,” Dave Ohman, a principal of the 31-year-old company, said. “We also can do any kind of municipal building project.”
When Ohman and his two partners took over the business from its founders 12 years ago, Delaware Engineering had 30 employees and was centered in Albany and Delaware counties.
Today it has grown to 50 employees in its two offices in Albany and Oneonta and expanded its reach from the Capital District through the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, Southern Tier and Catskills and well as the North County.
The company also has branch offices in Walton and Liberty.
Ohman said Delaware Engineering specializes in an honest assessment of a municipality’s project and the ability to secure funding from a myriad of state agencies willing to help fund clean water projects.
“One of the services that is kind of unique for us is our ability to find funding for a project,” Ohman said. “We normally carve out a path so they can go forward. We understand that affordability is the key.
“When you have 150-200 people using a water system, good funding is necessary to make it affordable,” he said. Another important aspect of Delaware Engineering’s work is trust.
“The bottom line is that trust is what it’s all about,” he said. “You have to trust me.
“I’m going to tell you the answer even if it is not the popular answer,” he said. “Our company’s motto is to be honest right from the get-go.”
That reputation has bode well for Delaware Engineering, which right now is “running flat out on a bunch of projects” including a handful in Sullivan County.
With 50 employees, Delaware Engineering can tackle a variety of projects at any one given time.
“We are working with the Town of Delaware on their new highway garage and salt shed,” Ohman said. “We are also helping the town on getting their wastewater treatment plant relocated and taking over the Callicoon Water Company.
“We are working with them as engineers on all those projects,” he said.
Town of Delaware Supervisor Ed Sykes said Delaware Engineering has helped the town in many areas.
“Everybody we’ve dealt with are professional and their work is very, very good,” he said. “From Dave Ohman to Bill Brown and others, they have done real well for the town.”
Ohman said he is delighted to help “his hometown,” as he was a Sullivan County native.
“Being from Sullivan County I started wondering, ‘Why aren’t we working in Sullivan County?’” Ohman said. “We’re focused our business and now we have work in the Town and Village of Liberty as well as Fallsburg.
“We will continue to service Sullivan County, they have a lot of good things to do,” he said. “It’s so nice to work in towns where you know people. I find that really nice to work where you know the people.”
Ohman said now is a good time for municipalities to get involved with both water and wastewater projects as New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo has earmarked $2 billion to upgrade these systems.
“Whenever you inject money into infrastructure it puts people to work,” Ohman said. “There is money out there to make these projects happen.”
And Delaware Engineering is not only working in Sullivan County but also becoming involved in the community.
Several years ago, Delaware Engineering became a Landmark Investor of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development. And Delaware Engineering principal John Brust also joined the Partnership’s board.
“You have to be in the area to understand what’s going on,” Ohman said. “Being involved with the Partnership has allowed us to network and see what Sullivan County needs.”
And while Delaware Engineering has its specialties, it also helps customers find the right person to get the job done.
“We will satisfy their needs even if we don’t do what they need,” Ohman said. “We have cooperative firms that we work with to get jobs finished.”
By Fred Stabbert III