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The Gallo Story

On June 1, 1945, brothers August R. Gallo, Sr., a former insurance agent, and Louis V. Gallo, a Licensed Master Plumber, pooled $800.00 to start their new business endeavor: Gallo Plumbing Company.

After WWII, housing was a major contributor to a construction boom in the New Orleans area, and the partners engaged in plumbing work for the emerging residential housing developments.

For the first six months of operation, the brothers used Louis’s home as an office and workspace. They were successful in stocking major inventories in Louis’s large garage, enabling them to purchase “car-load” lots. Within eight months, the company found the need for more manpower, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 60 approached Gallo to join. In February of 1946, Gallo Plumbing Company signed a union contract and became a union shop.

From 1946 to 1952, Gallo Plumbing Company became prosperous and gained numerous clients—”housing developer” types that constructed track housing in numbers from 10 to 100 houses at a time. The company also moved to an old warehouse, approximately 3,000 sq. ft. in size, including a small office and an open area for storage. This new location afforded much larger inventories while large bulk purchases became a major method of saving money and profit gains.

In early 1953, a point of saturation began to occur in the housing market, and a mild recession hit New Orleans. This caused several economic challenges for the housing industry and Gallo Plumbing alike.

Around this same period, August Gallo, Jr., the only child of August Gallo, started college at Tulane University in New Orleans. Tulane was within a short distance to the Gallo Plumbing Company’s shop, enabling August Jr. to work daily on a part-time basis during his four years at Tulane.

Due to personal reasons, Louis decided to retire from the company in 1956—leaving August the sole owner of the company. Meanwhile, August Jr. graduated from Tulane in 1957 and served a contract term with the U.S. Navy from the Tulane Naval ROTC, completing his active duty in 1959. In May of 1959, August Jr. reported to his father for full-time employment at Gallo Plumbing Company.

With August Jr.’s company experience during college, the housing industry diminishing, and the Union becoming non-competitive in the residential industry, the dye was cast to enter into the commercial realm. Between 1959 and 1962, the company entered the commercial market and began to succeed once again. From 1962 to 1970, the company also introduced itself to the industrial piping market, where it found another profitable niche.

During these years, the company developed into a full mechanical contracting firm. In 1967, the Gallo Plumbing Company incorporated and changed its name to Gallo Mechanical Contractors, Inc. August Jr. became president of the corporation and began to run its operations while August Sr. ran the financial side of the business. At the time, August Jr. was also president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of New Orleans.

By the 1970’s, the New Orleans high-rise boom was in full-swing. Mechanical contractors thrived as downtown New Orleans grew ‘up.’ This flourishment of new buildings meant steady, prosperous work for the entire field of commercial contractors in the city, and Gallo concentrated its efforts on mid-sized mechanical jobs.

Gallo Mechanical Contractors also acquired new property and built a larger warehouse and office. With this additional yard space, the company was able to fabricate materials and gain expertise in industrial piping construction. The company also began to perform a great deal of civil work in the industrial plants, becoming proficient in carpentry and concrete work.

Around 1975, August Sr. became ill and required almost one full year of recuperation from a major operation. It was at this time that August Sr. began donating the company to August Jr., and now, August Jr. was in charge of running all aspects of the family business.

August Jr. had six children— all very close in age. In 1975, he began to plan the entry of some of those children into the company. Between 1977 and 1983, five of August Jr.’s six children started working in the family business. This transition was well-planned and ensured that no Gallo employee was ever replaced by any of the Gallo children. Instead, the company continued to expand, allowing the children to start at the bottom and work their way up.

The early 80’s were good years for the family business. Gallo was able to be instrumental contractor in several major projects throughout the decade. A few of the completed projects include:

In 1981, the oldest Gallo child, David, entered the company, and he was able to venture the business further into the commercial market. During his college years, David worked as an estimator. After graduating, he was able to redirect the company from a failing industrial market into a rather prosperous one.

Four additional Gallo children (Janice, Janet, Stephen and Douglas) also came to work, and David continued estimating full time. The last child, Bryan, would not join the company until after completing college in 1995.

In 1985, the World’s Fair Project in New Orleans failed, and 700 contractors and vendors filed bankruptcy due to non-payment by the World’s Fair Activity. While this was happening, a World Energy Crisis was negatively affecting Louisiana finances, and in 1986, New Orleans and Louisiana were in another depression. In an effort to keep up with market demand and diversify offerings, Gallo decided to add HVAC services in addition to their construction projects. This became a whole new division of the business.

In 1990, David Gallo took over as president of the firm and oversaw complete operations of Gallo Mechanical Contractors, Inc. while August Gallo Jr. began property development. At this point in time, the company employed 80-100 people.

The company experienced a significant influx of growth throughout the 90’s. David Gallo brought sales of Gallo Mechanical from $8 million dollars in 1987 to nearly $25 million in 1999. Much of this success was attributed to the shift of focus from mid-sized mechanical jobs to premier commercial HVAC projects. It was in this realm where the company began hitting their mark and being awarded several major contracts—the first being the New Orleans Sports Arena.

In 1996, plans for the New Orleans Sports Arena were finally taking shape, and it was by far the biggest high-profile project for the company, let alone the entire region. The job Gallo was awarded called for total plumbing and HVAC design, creation and installation of the new arena in addition to the retrofitting of the central energy plant used to power the arena and Superdome. This $100-million project was a great success that boosted the number of Gallo employees into the 100–150 range.

The company continued to expand steadily in the 2000’s—diversifying skillsets and service offerings and growing to 300 employees. Then, the single most significant event in the company’s history occurred in 2005. On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, damaging virtually every building in the city.

Only two days after the disaster, Gallo Mechanical was back in the city helping assess the extent of the damage, immediately realizing the company was going to be a major player in the rebuild and rehab of the city. With much of the Gallo team displaced all over the country, this posed quite a challenge. The company had to work diligently to overcome these obstacles and bring its employees back home, but it did.

Given the company’s diverse capabilities and extreme responsiveness, Gallo Mechanical was selected to be a key contractor in the rebuild and renovation of the Superdome. This major overhaul was a rushed, 12-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week job that required over 100 Gallo employees on site at any given time. The company redid all of the ductwork, suites, concessions and gladiator lighting, and Gallo was able to do this while every other customer simultaneously needed their services. The need was great and dire, and Gallo was able to deliver.

The project was completed in record time, allowing for the Saints to return to the Superdome on September 25, 2006. This Monday Night Football game is noted as one of the most historic games of all-time with a blocked punt by Steve Gleason and a Saints victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Gallo was a major contributor to making these moments happen.

With New Orleans still feeling the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina, much of the city remained damaged well into the 2010’s.

One New Orleans staple that was left untouched was the Hyatt Regency—a hotel with 1,193 guest rooms, 200,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms and 80,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. This all-but-abandoned structure required a full-scale, top-to-bottom renovation.

In 2010, Gallo was awarded the contract for the complete replacement of the building’s HVAC and plumbing systems from scratch. The project was completed with great success by October 2011, further demonstrating the company’s capabilities and dedication to getting the job done.

Realizing that post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction projects were coming to an end, Gallo saw that downsizing in New Orleans was inevitable. The company started to spread out over other offices and pursue other projects across the Gulf South. In 2012, Gallo opened offices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Loxley, Alabama (eventually moving this branch to Pensacola, Florida).

While the company continued to expand with projects out of the new offices in 2012, Gallo Mechanical also began its latest major project in New Orleans. The firm was awarded the contract for the new construction of University Medical Center, a premier BIM project that would be the company’s first greenfield endeavor. With 446 acute care beds under its roof, the medical center is the largest new construction Gallo has ever done in terms of size and price. Gallo performed the design, fabrication and installation of the building’s plumbing, medical gas and HVAC systems, and it was completed in 2015 with flying colors.

In 2016, the company decided once again to expand its offerings to meet the market demand. Going back to its roots, Gallo Mechanical Services added a plumbing division that would serve the New Orleans area. The company was now capable of servicing all HVAC and plumbing systems for commercial clients.

For over 72 years, Gallo has retained an exceptional reputation as a family-owned-and-operated company. All six of August Jr.’s children—David, Janice, Janet, Stephen, Douglas and Bryan—continue to work in the family business to this day. In 2013, the fourth generation of Gallo employees—Augie, Katie, Keith and Madison—began entering the company, starting their contribution to the Gallo legacy.

Today, Gallo Mechanical serves the Gulf South as one of the largest mechanical contractors, and Gallo Mechanical Services tends to the plumbing and HVAC needs for commercial clientele. With expert professionals, superior customer service and forward-thinking leadership, Gallo will continue to get the job done and get the job done right. Stay tuned for the next chapter of the Gallo story.