Director of Civil / Underground Utilities NY/NJ/PA and General Super of NYC Field Operations

Welcome back to another installment of our Get to Know Our Hylan Family blog series. This monthly series is one of our favorites to do as we are honored to highlight the people who are the true embodiment of Hylan, and are the industry leaders we are today because of their hard work, talent and dedication. During these unprecedented times, we find it especially important to highlight our dedicated employees as they continue working hard despite the global pandemic and ever changing regulations. Our essential employees have continued to work bravely and safely, and we thank them for that.

Today, we are proud to talk with John Gambino, the Director of Civil / Underground Utilities NY/NJ/PA and General Super of NYC Field Operations for our Hylan Datacom & Electrical division.

Hi John! How did you come to work for Hylan Datacom & Electrical, and when?

I was working on the 2nd Ave Subway project in NYC as the Utility relocation Super, and there was a Time Warner manager on the project. They told me HYLAN was looking for a Superintendent, and while I was grateful, I wasn’t interested at the time as I already had a job that I enjoyed. A few days later, I got a call from John DiLeo Jr., President of Hylan Datacom & Electrical, and he explained the work and his vision for the growth of Hylan’s underground division, so we set up an in person interview and nine years later, here I am!

What do you most enjoy about working for Hylan Datacom & Electrical?

I love my work in general; I honestly find working very rewarding. I really value my team that I have been building for the last nine years at Hylan and for over 20 years in the industry. It is great knowing that I am giving the people I employ a means to provide for their families, and that those men and women keep the wheels turning for others in the company to remain employed.

Where are you from? Where are you living now?

I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Staten Island. I still live on Staten Island today.

Where did you go to school and/or receive training?

I received what I feel is the best training you can get: hands-on experience. I started as a Union laborer and I worked very hard to get to where I am today.

Can you tell us a little bit about a project you’re excited about?

Every project is exciting! A project typically lasts anywhere from one to two days on the majority of projects I oversee, which makes every day a different challenge when it comes to setting up the work and finding a new home for the crews. Almost every day there’s a new project location somewhere within the five boroughs of New York City. The Pennsylvania market has similar projects to New York, but working there can be tricky because locations can be further away, where in New York all of the boroughs are closer together.

What else is ahead for Hylan Datacom & Electrical throughout 2020?

I think this year will continue to bring a lot of growth to Hylan Datacom & Electrical in the excavation and civil divisions, whether that be working with Transit/MTA, DDC or energy suppliers. We will also be continuing all of the small cell projects and growing that aspect of our work as well. It’s been a lot of fun growing the business and I’m excited to be a part of broadening our horizons and seeing where we go from here.

But this year has not been without its challenges. With COVID-19, Hylan has really put an emphasis on keeping our crews safe, but implementing all these new protocols has definitely been a bit challenging. It’s a scary time, so people are afraid to come into work but we’re marked essential so it has to be done! Our field workers and managers from other shops can’t just work from home, so we’ve been working really hard to make sure everybody feels safe and remains that way. We’re staggering work times in the shops to avoid crowding, making sure men are alone in their work vehicles, providing proper disinfectants and providing PPE.

For young professionals seeking to enter the telecom and contracting industries, any special advice you can give to them?

Don’t stare at the clock. Put your time in, and ask questions if you’re not sure of something. Remember that you’re as good as your team; if they fail you fail and vice versa.

Lastly, we have to ask – what do you enjoy doing outside of the workplace?

I enjoy sporting clays, riding UTV’s, hunting and most of all enjoying any minute I can with my wife and two children.

As you can see, at Hylan we have been going above and beyond to ensure the safety of our employees against COVID-19. We thank all of our field workers for their dedication and their supervisors for ensuring protocols are carried out effectively. We are dedicated to our customers, and that goes hand in hand with keeping our workers safe. Stay tuned for next month’s spotlight!

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