Founded in 2015, Seaview Equipment has grown from a small startup born out of necessity into one of Connecticut's emerging heavy equipment dealerships, serving contractors, municipalities and construction professionals throughout the region.

Based in Bridgeport, Conn., the company was founded by brothers Luis and Jose Vaz, whose roots in construction trace back to their childhood working with construction equipment on the family farm in Portugal. The family immigrated to the United States during their teen years and the boys found gainful employment working for area contractors in various capacities.

Eventually, the brothers launched their own construction company, steadily expanding their fleet and capabilities as demand grew.

Ironically, it was a frustrating search for replacement parts that led them into the equipment dealership business.

At the time, the company owned a Terex loader, but finding local support and parts proved difficult. What started as an attempt to solve their own equipment challenges quickly evolved into conversations with representatives from Terex and eventually an opportunity to become a dealer themselves.

"That's really how it all started," the owners said. "We couldn't get parts for the machine, and through that process, we ended up building relationships that opened the door to becoming a dealer."

Seaview Equipment initially focused on compact equipment through its Terex partnership, but customer demand soon drove expansion into larger machinery. Contractors repeatedly asked for bigger equipment options, leading the company to pursue a partnership with HD Hyundai Construction Equipment shortly after opening its doors.

Today, Hyundai remains a cornerstone of Seaview Equipment's lineup, allowing the dealership to offer a broad range of machines for excavation contractors, utility contractors, landscapers, hardscape professionals and municipalities across Fairfield and New Haven counties, as well as throughout New England

The company also has continued to strategically expand its product offerings. In recent years, Seaview Equipment became a dealer for XCMG, one of the world's largest equipment manufacturers and a rapidly growing player in the North American market.

In addition to Hyundai and XCMG, Seaview Equipment also is a full-line, full-service dealer for Venieri wheel loaders, KRT mini skids and Engcon attachment systems, further expanding the company's ability to support contractors with specialized equipment. Additional product lines include Husqvarna Construction and Ammann Compaction as well as an assortment of attachment manufacturers allowing Seaview Equipment to support a wide range of contractor needs across the construction & landscape sector.

While the dealership has expanded significantly since 2015, the company says its biggest differentiator remains customer service.

"We're not like the big guys where you're just a number," the owners said. "We try to treat customers like family."

That philosophy extends far beyond normal business hours. Ownership and upper management remain directly accessible to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the company. Whether it's an emergency parts request or a machine breakdown on a Sunday afternoon, Seaview's team prides itself on being available when customers need help most, the company added.

"If a customer is in a jam, somebody will come in," the owners said. "We all live local, and we understand how important uptime is."

The dealership currently operates four service trucks, with two dispatched daily, and employs five technicians along with support staff. The service department routinely assists customers even when the equipment involved is not a brand Seaview officially carries.

"We try to go the extra mile," the owners said. "If somebody doesn't have a serial number or if parts don't match up, we'll do the research and help figure it.

That hands-on approach has helped fuel the company's steady growth over the past decade.

A key member of the operation is General Manager Paulo Lage, who joined the company roughly a year after its founding and has helped shape the dealership's development from its earliest stages. Having worked through the company's lean startup years, Lage and the founding team collectively wore multiple hats while building the business.

Another key player who came onboard recently is Sales Manager Chris Reseska, who has been involved in the Connecticut construction equipment industry since 1985. He spent many years as a successful sales representative of Eastern Equipment and subsequently as stakeholder with MassConn, in Berlin, Conn. Post the collapse of MassConn due to the 2008 recession, Reseska has held positions throughout the northeast within the auction and finance Industries.

"It's truly great to be back in Connecticut doing what I love to do," he said. "Luis, Joe, Paulo and the team are fantastic to work with. Our industry requires real-time response with solutions and flexibility, as well as the capacity to perform. Our proximity to our core markets off of I-95 in Bridgeport offers our customers easy access to parts and service support. Hyundai has made significant investments in North America, and we now offer an impressive lineup with the next generation of products currently being launched. XCMG is equally impressive and we are excited to be part of their evolution. Having experienced the next generation of product offerings at ConExpo, we are very excited for the future. Thankfully, we are off to a stellar start this year."

Colin Fischer, director of parts and service, leads the service and parts team, as well as supports the daily operations of the branch. Fischer also handles all things technology and has maximized the usage of the company's manufacturers' remote diagnostic tools (Hi Mate), significantly reducing customers' downtime and repair costs.

Fischer has spent years in parts and service management roles within the car industry, as well as several years leading a parts team at a local construction dealership. His experience and desire to go the extra mile is what keeps Seaview Equipment's customers running, the company said.

Luis Jr "JR" has been involved in the business supporting Seaview's online and digital presence through various channels. He is a familiar face supporting the company's customers on Saturday mornings. Having earned his MBA, he plans to continue to be the face of the next generation and to continually improve Seaview's marketing strategy, as well as supporting Seaview's valued customers, the company said.

Outside Parts Sales Representative Gerry Leigh also brings more than two decades of industry experience to Seaview Equipment, including 12 years at Genalco where he first learned the dealership side of the business. Today, he works closely with contractors, municipalities and public works departments throughout the region to support their parts needs.

Supporting the company's growing rental and counter operations is Samantha Cruz, who helps manage the rental division and customer support operations at the front counter.

As Seaview Equipment continues to grow, the company is already exploring future expansion opportunities beyond its current footprint. While ownership is remaining selective about future plans, the team confirmed it is actively evaluating opportunities to add additional locations in the years ahead.

The dealership's growth also reflects broader changes within the equipment industry itself. Hyundai Construction Equipment has continued expanding its North American presence through new product offerings and acquisitions, while XCMG's rapid global growth is reshaping the competitive landscape worldwide.

For Seaview Equipment, however, success still comes back to the same foundation the company was built on nearly a decade ago: understanding contractors because they were contractors themselves.

That firsthand experience continues to shape how the company approaches sales, service and customer support every day — helping Seaview Equipment build long-term relationships one machine, one customer and one job site at a time.  CEG