Ron Scimone Fires Up Quality Connections

It’s not hard to find the handiwork of Ron Scimone’s 38 years at Staten Island-based ADCO Electrical Corporation. Madison Square Garden, the FAA, Google, the United Nations, and the United States Tennis Association are just a few of the organizations that are beneficiaries of ADCO’s electrical communications and expertise, and many of the workers who were there for the company’s first job are still proud company employees today, Scimone says.

The current chief operating officer at ADCO, like most at the leadership level, began his journey at the lowest levels of the company. Scimone joined as a helper in 1982 and worked his way up through the ranks. “This company has treated me like family,” Scimone says. “Even today, the Addeo sisters who own the company treat me like a brother.” Eventually Scimone rose to oversee the manpower for the entirety of ADCO, some 6 to 700 electricians. The place Scimone calls his second home is continuing its expansion into new territories and industry, and the COO is intent on pushing ADCO’s growth until his last day.

A Family For All

Scimone says that the family aspect of ADCO just simply can’t be understated, all thanks to late founder Richard Addeo. “Richard was a very special person; he inspired us all and is the person I attribute a lot of my success to,” Scimone describes. “When I wasn’t sure of spots or positions I found myself in, his response was always ‘What are you worried about? I put you here. I have the confidence that you can do it right.’” The COO lost his own father at 28, and Scimone says Addeo acted as an almost second father to him. “I always had him to lean on or consult with and he was always a source of inspiration for me.”

Addeo’s impact on the company seems to be shared by more than just Scimone. SVP Thomas Delfino has been with ADCO for 33 years, and Scimone is able to rifle through a list of other names whose tenures are just as long. “A lot of these people grew up with Richard and have helped instill this family-oriented culture,” Scimone explains. “We all came from the same neighborhood with the same type of mentors.”

Scimone says the Addeo family has always valued fairness, communication, and a commitment to getting the job done right. And judging by their portfolio, that’s exactly what ADCO has accomplished.

New York and Beyond

Most recently, ADCO just finished one of the biggest hospital jobs they’ve ever taken on in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. The hospital is one of the oldest and largest cancer treatment hospitals in the country and the $50-million job ranks as one of ADCO’s largest projects to date.

ADCO is also responsible for the first retractable roof installed in New York City at the Louis Armstrong Stadium on behalf of the United States Tennis Association. The company has wired other sports complexes like the Brooklyn Nets practice facility, but sports are just one small component of ADCO’s portfolio.

“ADCO has always been involved in these types of special projects,” Scimone says. “We’ve done trading floors for the New York Stock Exchange as well as having just completed the Wi-Fi and DOS installation at the new Hudson Yards complex. We just installed a million square feet of conveyors for Amazon’s Staten Island location, having never worked with conveyor systems before. These big feats make us very proud.”

But even after 38 years, it’s not enough for Scimone. “I guess I’m just never satisfied,” Scimone says. “My aspirations are to find a way to take this company nationwide as opposed to just concentrating in New York City.” Maybe even more importantly, Scimone says he’s intent on passing along everything he’s learned to the future of the company, helping to instill the sense of family, belonging, and unity that has made the family company something truly special on Staten Island.