Advertorial – Lanzo Construction Company | The CEO Magazine

Lanzo Construction Company was founded in 1968 by Quirino ‘Gary’ D’Alessandro in Detroit, Michigan. The company’s roots were humble: after working his full-time job, Gary would go door-to-door quoting driveway and sidewalk concrete repairs. Through relentless hard work, the projects grew in scale. Before long, Gary was bidding and winning large-scale road and infrastructure projects across south-east Michigan.

Expanding the family business

Driven by a shared family appetite for success, expansion was inevitable. Lanzo soon branched out into Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. While Gary’s vision was grand, the explosive growth in Michigan and Florida ultimately reshaped the company’s path, and these two states became the rock-solid foundations of the business for decades to come.

Lanzo first touched down in Florida in 1977 in Bradenton, partnering on a joint venture to manage what was a massive geographical leap for the company at the time. By 1979, Lanzo secured its first solo project on Florida’s East Coast in Deerfield Beach.

A new beginning in infrastructure

The pivotal turning point came in 1983, when Lanzo won its first contract with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD).

By this time, Gary’s sons were deeply established in the business. Joe D’Alessandro Sr took the reins of the Florida day-to-day operations, spending the next three decades building, expanding, and cementing Lanzo’s reputation as a paramount infrastructure company in South Florida. Joe personally nurtured the foundational relationship with MDWASD – a legacy that department officials still speak of with high regard today.

The foundation laid by industry titans Gary and Joe left a profound, lasting impact on how regional owners and authorities operate. Today, a third generation of family leadership runs Lanzo’s day-to-day operations. They frequently discover that many of the standard practices followed by the County and other owners exist because of how Gary and Joe built their projects. They shaped the infrastructure of Miami-Dade into the gold standard it is today, using methods that remain effective, efficient and vital to modern constructability.

The third generation looking to the future

Having worked together across three generations, Lanzo and MDWASD have developed a relationship rooted in unwavering mutual support. Over the decades, operations have seamlessly intertwined. This long history allows both organizations to reliably deliver the quality, exceptional craftsmanship, and outstanding partnership that MDWASD has counted on for generations.

This side-by-side growth is credited entirely to the exceptional teams in both of our organizations’ histories. This close collaboration has forged a rare working relationship defined by deep trust and “I’ve got your back” reliability. From standard competitive hard bids to high-stakes, precarious emergencies, Lanzo has always risen to the occasion. For decades, responding to the vital heavy civil construction needs of Miami-Dade County has been – and always will be – at the very core of who we are.