| Able Engineering Services: Raring to Go |
| Featured Spotlights | |||
| Written by Eric Slack | |||
| Wednesday, 31 March 2010 | |||
 Customers of this building engineering company are well aware of the technical expertise, industry understanding, and cost savings its services provide.
“Although certain requirements may be different as you go from one industry to another, the technology and expertise to run mechanical systems around the buildings are similar,” said Paul Saccone, president. “We apply our expertise in building engineering and our understanding of the specific industry and client when developing strategies to support them.”  Paul Saccone, president The company has major offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Chicago, Houston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Seattle, Portland, and Hawaii. It serves customers in 27 states, employs 2,700 operating engineers, and manages about 400 million square feet. Optimum value Saccone said customers come to AES because of its operating infrastructure, as well as the fact that all its managers running operations and leading teams are experienced chief engineers and directors of engineering. By combining its infrastructure, programs, and processes with its human talent, the delivery and value of the service stays at an optimum level. In the end, clients who have discovered the benefits of working with AES do so because the company provides a return through value and savings. “Our clients get access to our organizational resources, our technology to support OSHA safety programs, and other things that would have a high upfront internal cost if they were buying it for themselves,” Saccone said, who noted that the company’s procurement programs offer clients better pricing in many areas than clients could get on their own. “Because we work across a broad range of clients and we maintain those requirements, we can dilute the cost to our customers because it is shared across a multitude of operation.” AES customers take advantage of its technology around preventive maintenance, HR, payroll, and billing. The company invested in Web-based technology that allows it to accurately manage many types of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and allows clients to understand billing cycles. In addition, its Web-based safety training programs account for all the training and safety needs many companies simply couldn’t manage on their own. “Some of our biggest investments are in having a strong HR and Web-based payroll system,” Saccone said. “It is tied into our clients and allows everyone full access to information, and our Web portal allows employees access to information that helps them clearly understand all their benefit requirements.” Another area Saccone said the company puts resources into is its sustainability and energy platform. Clients get access to the company’s technology around best practices on operating a building properly. They also get access to its building LEED surveys and information on how to reduce operating costs and save energy. “We manage about $450 million in energy operations around the country. That experience allows us to come into a building and bring our knowledge and infrastructure around energy best practices,” said Saccone. “In many cases, we can drive savings of 2% to 4% on a client’s electric spend.” AES performs energy audits and helps identify low-cost and no-cost areas where clients don’t necessarily need to invest capital dollars into their buildings to drive efficiency and savings on energy. At the same time, its sustainability platform helps clients determine whether or not they want to participate in the LEED process and reduce their carbon footprint. Staying ahead As a private company, Saccone said meeting the goals of customers and employees drives AES, not quarterly analyst results. It has an employee retention rate of more than 90%, and its corporate culture emphasizes ingenuity, autonomy, and serving clients in the field. Delivering on client expectations, adjusting to change, and maintaining open communication helps AES stay on the cutting edge of what its clients want. Certainly, problems in the debt market and valuation drops in real estate have had an effect on AES and its clients. Because cash flow has changed for customers that no longer have the same resources they had before the recession, AES has offered services to help them with things like employee management programs, energy audits, LEED programs, and quality preventive maintenance programs. Those efforts help clients control costs. Saccone said it will be the company’s clients that dictate the direction AES takes in the future. By delivering the service expected of the company, AES grows along with customers. The company’s long-standing presence in California has it poised for further growth on the West Coast, but it is seeing increased marketshare on the East Coast and in the Midwest as more companies come to understand the value and results of the programs AES offers. “We bring advantages to our clients by helping them save costs on operational efficiency, energy, and procurement, as well as by letting them focus on their own business,” Saccone said. “Our clients don’t have to worry about building operation and maintenance because they can count on us to get the job done.” |
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