LoRe Sweeping was founded in 1978 by Carmen LoRe Senior and Maryann LoRe with a “Walk Behind” Billy Goat sweeper.
A few short months after launching the company, Carmen’s job list increased dramatically, requiring him to purchase a small parking lot sweeper to keep up with the ever growing workload. He continued that type of work for a year before purchasing a broom sweeper at auction for $150. Beginning with a construction site cleanup, the company has grown considerably over the past three decades to become one of the largest sweeping contractors in the tristate area.
Soon after starting the company Carmen met Pat Paolella, who had just purchased not only his first milling machine, but the first milling machine to be used for road construction in New Jersey. Paolella informed Carmen that he needed someone to sweep up after the milling machine and a business relationship was born. With the purchase of its first road sweeper, LoRe Sweeping began handling the sweeping for Paolella — a relationship that continues to this day.
With the growth of the milling industry, LoRe Sweeping found its stride and began to specialize. The growing demand for milling and sweeping services fueled the growth of LoRe Sweeping, which had by now earned a reputation for being a reliable partner who provided a quality service. With each new customer, LoRe Sweeping increased both the size of its fleet as well as its roster of operators.
A dedication to customer service and quality helped Carmen secure a job with Mt. Hope at Newark Airport in 1985. It was on this job site that Carmen met job superintendent John Biscardi, who advised Carmen on the type of services a construction company would need from a sweeper. The outcome of this conversation was Carmen’s decision to focus LoRe Sweeping’s efforts on road construction and milling and paving contractors. This would prove to be a fortuitous decision as the housing market boom saw the construction of many new housing developments and the building of new roads, many of which were assisted by a LoRe sweeper, according to the company.
As the years went on, LoRe Sweeping continued to add to its roster of clients, fleet of machines, and staff. In 1996 Carmen further grew the business when he bid for, and won, the Northern New Jersey sweeping contract which made LoRe Sweeping responsible for the sweeping of several hundred miles of New Jersey highways, shoulders, and exit and entrance ramps. As the work increased, LoRe Sweeping trucks could be spotted all over the tristate area, from the Delaware Bridge to the New York City airports and all of the roadways, bridges, tunnels, and construction sites in between.
LoRe Sweeping equipment has taken part in the marathon 15 day repaving of Newark Liberty International Airport’s runways, the construction of Xanadu and the new Met Life Stadium as well as countless miles of highway and local roadways. Equipment and personnel from LoRe Sweeping also were on site after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City assisting with the cleanup of ground zero and also played an integral role in the recovery efforts after Super Storm Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore and surrounding communities.
LoRe Sweeping has even dipped its toes in show-business, providing clean-up for a number of movies and television shows and even being seen in the closing scene of an episode of the HBO series The Sopranos. LoRe sweepers also have made several on-air appearances during the Late Show with David Letterman, participating in skits with the legendary comedian himself.
By 2012 the size of the business had increased so much that it had finally outgrown its home in Nutley, N.J., and needed to seek out larger accommodations. Luckily enough for Carmen, his long-time friend and business associate Joe Smith, owner of Smith & Sondy Asphalt Construction Company, had some extra space available at his yard in Passaic, N.J., and so LoRe Sweeping made the move. Since moving to Passaic and settling into the larger space LoRe Sweeping has added five more broom sweepers to its fleet and even more Local 825 operators to its staff.
Today, LoRe Sweeping is the largest all union construction sweeping contractor in the state of New Jersey — a fact Carmen Sr. and MaryAnn are both very proud of. Their fleet of more than 20 sweepers and the staff of 18 operators are supported by four full time mechanics, and two field supervisors. Each operator is trained by in-house field training officers for one full month before being allowed on a job site on their own. This training covers everything from proper operation of the equipment to safety standards of the state of New Jersey and how to maintain the high standard of excellence LoRe Sweeping has always provided its customers.
Carmen Sr. and LoRe Sweeping’s commitment to safety and excellence doesn’t stop at operator training either. Each vehicle in the fleet is equipped with a Navman automatic vehicle locator which allows for the real-time tracking and monitoring of where each vehicle is, how fast it is moving, and whether the brooms are deployed and spinning. This system operates 24 hours a day and all data is wirelessly transmitted back to LoRe Sweeping and is stored for analysis. Through the use of this technology, LoRe Sweeping has not only been able to guarantee superior service to its customers by providing accurate and precise vehicle information but has also been able to reduce its fuel costs significantly by more efficiently routing its vehicles and controlling vehicle speed, according to the company.
It should come as no surprise that what started as a family business with Carmen Sr. and MaryAnn continues in that tradition with the next generation of leadership at LoRe Sweeping being involved in all aspects of the operation of the business. Carmen’s daughter Marisa and her husband Chris both work at LoRe Sweeping and are integral to the continued success of the business and the continuing legacy Carmen Sr. and MaryAnn began nearly 40 years ago.
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