Executive Suite: Nick Racanelli, Melville

The oldest of five, Nick Racanelli was named for his late grandfather, a developer whose portrait hangs in a conference room in his Melville office.

The elder Racanelli founded the family business 60 years ago. In 1992 two of his grandsons moved into general contracting and construction management with Racanelli Construction. All five siblings of the third generation now work for the company and its affiliates.

Nick Racanelli, 50, volunteers for the American Heart Association. He is married and has a daughter.

 What are your plans for growth?
A number of employees are "certified in green projects. It seems to be the future of construction -- building green, having green certification. A lot of customers and municipalities are going in that direction. We've tried to become experts in that to open up other opportunities."

He added that the company is expanding geographically, with a new operation based in North Carolina. Also, his sister Constance is obtaining certification for a woman-owned business offshoot. 

How did you learn about managing people?
"A lot of it is growing up in the business over the years. You learn what works, you learn what doesn't work. Certainly you become more mature as you become older. You become more respectful. A lot of it came from what I was taught: Treat other people like you wanted to be treated."

What qualities do you look for in hiring?
"Experience is extremely important. I also look for a lot of intangibles. What kind of positive energy did I get from the interview? It could be as simple as the way the person smiles." 

What's the workplace culture like here?
"It's a family business. We're very proud that most of our employees stay with the company for many years. Everybody has to work hard, everybody has to do their job, but in a high-pressured business, I'd like to say to some degree it's a relaxed atmosphere. We have casual-jeans Fridays. We get involved with seeing how our employees' families are doing." 

How has the recession impacted business?
"The recession has hit the industry extremely hard," he says. Referring to the credit crunch, he says, "A lot of our base customers don't have the opportunity to get the financing needed to do projects. In the long run, through our conservative approach and our cash management, we're looking just to ride out these next couple years. I think we'll be one of the guys left standing in the end."

Company Snapshot
Name: Nicholas H. Racanelli
Title: President
Company: Racanelli Construction Co. Inc.
Business: General construction, construction management, design-build firm
Location: Melville, affiliates in Hauppauge and North Carolina
Type: Private company
Revenue: $100 million annually
Employees: 74