It was just about twenty years ago that Jeff LeRoy joined Jeffords Steel and Engineering in Plattsburgh. Born and raised in Malone, New York LeRoy attended Hudson Valley Community College and earned an Associate’s degree in Engineering, then went on to the State University of New York Environmental Forestry School to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management. “I really enjoyed working in the field while pursuing my formal education,” he explained. “It allowed me to get to know exactly where I wanted to apply my focus.”
After graduation, LeRoy travelled all the way south to Florida where he studied Civil Engineering at the University of South Florida in Tampa, graduating with a specialty in Structural Engineering.
It was then that LeRoy and his wife were looking at starting a family and felt the North Country calling them home to be near their extended families. When LeRoy started looking for work he saw Jeffords Steel and Engineering was recruiting and applied. “I guess it went well because 20 years later I’m still here!” he emphasized.
LeRoy attributes his longevity in large part to company founder Larry Jeffords. “Larry is a great boss. He’s terrific to work for. It’s like a family here.”
When my discussion with LeRoy led to some of his favorite builds, it was amazing to discover just how many projects have been built with Jeffords steel. From commercial, healthcare, educational, and sports facilities to smaller residential builds and everything in between in northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Northern Massachusetts the list of completed and in progress projects is extensive. LeRoy’s job is to work in tandem with project architects to come up with a build base for the client that is within budget and adheres to present codes.
After twenty years with Jeffords the fundamentals of LeRoy’s job are much the same, but technology has helped create efficiencies. “I use CAD and RAM programs now,” he explained. “I remember when CAD was DOS based. This year they are on version 33,” he remarked. “These programs allow us to manipulate the build across platforms and in two or three dimensions. It’s a handy time saver when you need to go ‘back to the drawing board’.”