Cousins Sergio Cherenzia, left, and Sam Cherenzia run successful engineering and construction companies from their corporate office in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.

Cherenzia Companies completed construction in 2016 on a seawall at a home in Westerly, Rhode Island.

For cousins Sam and Sergio Cherenzia, operating successful engineering and construction companies is all about building lasting relationships. They focus on maintaining the quality their clients came to expect from Cherenzia Companies under the management of their late fathers.

Salvatore “Sam” Cherenzia IV is President of Cherenzia Excavation, a commercial, industrial and residential construction firm founded in 1955 by the cousins’ grandfather, Salvatore Cherenzia II.

Sergio Cherenzia is the President of Cherenzia & Associates, an engineering firm founded in 1979 by his father, Raymond Cherenzia. He worked closely with his brother, Salvatore Cherenzia III, who took over Cherenzia Excavation in 1978.

Sergio became president of Cherenzia & Associates in 2010 and Sam of Cherenzia Excavation in 2017. Each is an officer of each other’s business, and the cousins are partners in the Cherenzia Companies.

Two Teams, One Family

Though they run separate businesses, the cousins often work together and are proud of their companies’ family history. They continue to build on their fathers’ legacies within the southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut communities.

Cherenzia Companies is based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, across the river from Westerly, Rhode Island. One cousin lives in Rhode Island, and the other lives in Connecticut.

“We are two states, two towns but one community,” Sergio says. “We take pride in what we’ve built here.”

Although their roots are strong in their local community, the reach and the footprint of Cherenzia Companies is much larger.

Cherenzia Excavation has worked across Rhode Island and Connecticut down to the Connecticut shore. Cherenzia & Associates has also worked across both states. Sergio says the company is partnering with other companies to expand its work farther, including into Massachusetts.

The premise for Cherenzia Companies is simple: what Sergio’s team designs, Sam’s team can build and install. But even if the duo is not working on the same project, they look to one another for input. They believe this gives their clients more value.

“We’re a cohesive group, and we work in the same office,” Sergio says.

Communication is Key

Sam says the business is built on word-of-mouth referrals and that their success is founded on personal interaction. They try to do as little business as possible over email, preferring to talk on the phone or in person. They believe email, though effective, does not replace conducting business on a more personal basis.

The cousins want their clients to be able to talk directly to the presidents of the companies.

“When someone calls either me or Sam, it’s us on the line,” Sergio says.

When the Cherenzia Companies first opened, business was settled with a handshake.

“My uncle had a saying: ‘Write it on ice,’ ” Sergio says, alluding to making verbal agreements instead of relying on the rigors of paperwork.

Business is more formal these days, requiring more than a verbal agreement and a handshake, the cousins say. But the Cherenzia attitude remains the same: The clients come first.

“Take care of them,” Sam says. “Be honest.”

Part of that honesty means that Cherenzia Companies helps clients even when their firms can’t do the work directly.

“We’re problem-solvers. If we don’t know how to do it, we’ll find you the guy or gal who does,” Sergio says.

Committed to Community

Both business leaders are civically involved in their towns. Sergio is the board president of Opening Doors for Westerly’s Children, a nonprofit association focused on children’s literacy that donates books to low-income families. He is also the incoming chair of his local YMCA board of managers and a board member of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce.

Sam is involved in Economic Development Committee, School Modernization Building Committee and Republican Town Committee in his town of North Stonington, Connecticut.

In addition to their personal involvement with charities, the cousins make sure that Cherenzia Companies provides services to local organizations. They want their work to be about more than making money. It’s about improving their hometowns.

The companies completed the civil and environmental engineering work on the construction of a new animal shelter and adoption center for Stand Up For Animals. The shelter was built on the Town of Westerly’s old recycling drop-off area, the cousins note. This resulted in several challenges, including balancing the site grades, minimizing disturbance to underground waste materials and managing stormwater above ground.

Long Local History

Each project the business completes builds on the Cherenzia family’s decades-long work in the Westerly area.

In 1987, Raymond bought Rossi & Lewis Engineers, Inc., the oldest land surveying firm in southern Rhode Island. The acquisition gave Cherenzia the area’s most complete set of historical survey and site records.

Sergio says these records are more complete than those of some local municipalities and are invaluable to the business. Because of the historical surveys, Cherenzia’s clients often avoid paying for unnecessary new surveys.

Cherenzia & Associates recently performed survey and design work for the renovated 162,000-square-foot Twin River Casino Hotel.

The companies have also worked with the Westerly Land Trust to rehabilitate the stormwater management system located in the town’s beach district.

Cherenzia Excavation also completed all the site work for the Ocean House, which was rebuilt in 2010. The project was spearheaded by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Charles M. Royce.

In addition to working on local projects, the Cherenzias have assisted with natural disaster cleanup along Rhode Island beaches, including after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The excavation arm of the company cleaned up and restored Misquamicut State Beach in time for tourist arrivals in the summer of 2013.

The company continues to work on other coastal projects to protect Rhode Island’s shorelines as well.

Growing the Business

Cherenzia Companies is integrating more technology into its engineering and construction work, from using drones to assist in land surveys to spatial mapping. And Cherenzia Excavation has moved away from operating quarries to focus on site work.

Though the quarries are no longer a part of the business, Cherenzia Excavation remains especially good at moving earth and crushing rock. It’s an expensive aspect of construction projects that people often underestimate.

“When people start a project, they don’t realize how much earth moving can cost a project,” Sam says.

The Cherenzia family has also historically been involved in real estate, but the cousins want to strengthen the foundation of their current businesses before expanding.

Cherenzia Excavation has 30 employees, and Cherenzia & Associates has 12.

“We’re focusing on building our businesses and serving our clientele both near and far before we venture out and do our own real estate projects,” Sergio says.

Though the construction business is taking on bigger development projects, including building a large casino, Cherenzia Companies remains dedicated to its local work, from dog parks to community gardens.

“We try to stay loyal to the people who stay loyal to us,” Sergio adds.