When the U.S. Navy needed a consultant to oversee demolition of a World War II era boat house in an environmentally sensitive area of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, officials hired Toledo-based TolTest, Inc.
The job was completed without major problems.
A record like that has helped the 75-year-old company rake in millions of dollars in government contracts.
Founded in 1927 as Toledo Testing Laboratory to provide tests such as soil analysis for construction projects, the company has grown into a $42.5 million-a-year regional player with 340 employees, branch offices in seven states, and activity in businesses ranging from environmental consulting to asbestos removal.
“Opportunities present themselves and we take them,” Michael Boyle, company president, said in explaining the company's growth.
Mr. Boyle credits his father, Bill, a longtime local Democratic Party activist, with building the business. The elder Mr. Boyle retired in 1995 and no longer holds an ownership interest in the firm. Today, TolTest is owned by a six managers, led by Michael Boyle, a 49-year-old former high school gym teacher.
The firm has grown dramatically over the past three years, with sales nearly doubling from $22 million in 1998. It is one of only 20 firms nationally to be listed three consecutive years on a prominent industry ranking of the nation's 100 fastest growing firms in architecture, engineering planning, and environmental consulting.
Mr. Boyle conceded, however, that the surge has slowed in the current rocky economy. TolTest expects sales to be flat in 2002 for the first time in years.
The privately-held firm doesn't disclose its profits. “We're profitable, but not extremely profitable,” the company president offered. “That's an area where we're never satisfied.”
Fueling the growth are acquisitions and federal government contracts. Three years ago, TolTest acquired about $12 million in business in its purchase of a portion of the federal services division of R & R International, of Akron. Another addition to the company portfolio was a United Enviro-Tech, a $3 million-a-year asbestos-abatement contractor with headquarters in Brighton, Mich.
Mr. Boyle estimated that government work accounts for 50 percent of sales. TolTest is in the first year of a five-year contract to do testing, cleaning, repair, and installation work in connection with bulk fuel facilities at U.S. Air Force installations.
Among the company's private-sector customers is Houston-based Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. David Soza, a senior environmental engineer at Pennzoil, began using the Toledo firm after a sales call.
“They're the kind of local company you're glad to find,” said Mr. Soza, who uses TolTest on environmental clean-up projects. “They're very responsive to our needs and work at a cost-effective rate.”
More recently, TolTest has begun offering construction management services. Projects have been concentrated in the retail and fast-food sectors, Mr. Boyle said.
TolTest has offices in downtown Toledo at 1915 North 12th Street. Mr. Boyle has turned day-to-day management of the company over to his partners, allowing him to pursue personal interests such as coaching the freshman football team at Toledo's Central Catholic High School.
Still, he keeps his hand on the pulse of the firm. Key challenges, the president added, include retaining employees, coping with rising insurance rates, and maintaining customer service. “It's all about the quality of service,” Mr. Boyle said. “If you don't perform, you're not going to get the opportunity.”
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First Published September 23, 2002, 12:07 p.m.