D.H. Griffin Companies is a group of six independently owned but integrated companies that perform contract demolition as well as environmental and site development services. It was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were the largest contractor responsible for cleaning up the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks.[1] The current president is David Griffin Jr.
| Company type | Privately held conglomerate |
|---|---|
| Industry | Demolition, construction, recycling |
| Founded | Greensboro, NC 1959 |
| Founder | D.H. Griffin |
| Headquarters | , US |
| Website | www |
History
editDavid H. Griffin, Sr.and Clifton D. Fields started demolition work in 1959 when he coordinated the demolition of an old church building. He used some of the salvaged parts to help construct his family's first house.[2]
Independent subsidiaries
editD.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., Inc.
editThe D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., Inc., is the primary business of the D.H. Griffin family of companies. It was incorporated in 1967. The company provides demolition services for commercial, governmental and industrial structures, including explosive demolition and emergency demolition.[3] By 2008, it had become the second-largest demolition firm in the country,[2] and in the top 150 Top Specialty Contractors.[4] In 2012, it ranked fifth worldwide in total revenue for demolition companies in the Demolition and Recycling International magazine's D&Ri100.[5]
D.H. Griffin of Texas, Inc.
editThis company performs industrial demolition, total and partial plant demolition and dismantling, mine closure, explosives demolition of various structures, as well as the dismantling and demolition of bridges.[6] They also handle the removal of hazardous and toxic chemicals from these structures.[7] They were featured on Discovery television program The Detonators[8]
D.H. Griffin Construction
editFormed in 1995, they build large structures such as bridges, prisons and schools.[9] They have offices in the North Carolina cities of Greensboro, and Raleigh.[10]
D.H. Griffin Contracting
editFormerly the Taft Contracting Company, one of the largest equipment installation specialists in the US, this division is responsible for moving heavy machinery, dismantling and relocating manufacturing plants, as well as hauling and warehousing of industrial equipment.[11]
Demolition & Asbestos Removal, Inc. (DARI)
editOwned by the Griffin family, this division handles the demolition of buildings that contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, as well as the final disposal of hazardous materials from these buildings.[12]
DARI Disaster Mitigation & Restoration Division
editThis division of the environmental affiliate of DH Griffin, DARI, supplements the existing asbestos & demolition services offered with providing disaster mitigation and restoration in response to residential and commercial structural damage cause by water, fire, mold, storm, and other types of damages.
Notable work
editStadiums
editD.H. Griffin Companies has developed a good reputation in demolishing full-size stadiums.[13] In the mid-1990s, the D.H. Griffin Companies were hired to demolish the old Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. They were also contracted to construct the parking lot for the new Turner Field.[14] In 2002, the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio was demolished in what Implosionworld.com, regarding liability, called "the most difficult stadium blast ever attempted."[13][15]
Disaster cleanup
editD.H. Griffin began work cleaning up after the 9/11 World Trade Center bombing on September 13, 2001, just two days after the event.[16][17] After Hurricane Katrina, D.H. Griffin was involved with a number of demolition projects, including wholesale destruction of existing casinos to make way for new casino construction.[18]
Pillowtex complex
editBeginning in 2006, while making way for the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. was hired to demolish the Pillowtex Corporation industrial complex at the former Cannon Mills site. The demolition work of the six million-square-foot site is considered "the largest commercial effort of its kind conducted on the planet."[19]
References
edit- ^ Quillin, Martha (September 7, 2011). "Greensboro man took charge at ground zero". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved June 7, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b McClary, Shamona (July 1, 2008). "Campus Watch : D.H. Griffin Jr. Family business keeps him happy full time". Salisbury Post. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ^ "History". About Us. D.H. Griffin Companies. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ "Top Specialty Contractors 2008". Engineering News-Record. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ Gale, Lindsay (May–June 2012). "D&Ri100 - Swings and roundabouts" (PDF). Demolition and Recycling International. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ Chirinos, Fanny (March 18, 2008). "Bridge span removed on time". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "About us". D.H. Griffin of Texas, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "The Detonators (video)". Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ "Official website". D.H. Griffin Construction. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Contact us". D.H. Griffin Construction. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Other Services > DH Griffin Contracting Company". D.H. Griffin Companies. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Demolition & Asbestos Removal Inc". D.H. Griffin Companies. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ a b "D.H. Griffin implodes Riverfront Stadium". ImplosionWorld.com. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ Taylor, Brian (August 13, 2001). "Following a Winning Formula". Recycling Today. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Old Riverfront is demolished". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Associated Press. December 30, 2002. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ "Timeline of events from 9/11 to one year later". Greensboro News-Record. September 11, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "D.H. Griffin Hosts Piedmont Triad First Responders at Wyndham Championship". Wyndham Championship. August 4, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ Gardner, Kelly; Lamb, Amanda (February 23, 2006). "Six Months After Katrina, Casino Industry Could Rescue Gulf Coast". WRAL.com. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ Howard, J. Lee (September 25, 2006). "Demolition of Pillowtex complex ranks as the largest tear down". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2012.