The ICON Vision: We will revolutionize the trench shoring industry by achieving new benchmarks of quality that exceed current industry standards through creativity, teamwork, and partnerships.
History: In 1980, Brian Crandall managed a heavy highway construction company that installed water and sewer lines in New York City. They used conventional shoring methods which resulted in high costs of labor and time. Searching for alternatives, Brian visited projects in Germany and discovered a German shoring system called “Slide Rails”. The new system reduced total shoring costs by 40% over conventional sheeting for water and sewer lines, and it was obvious that there were many more applications for this equipment.
Seeing this opportunity, Brian incorporated ICON Equipment Distributors in 1982 to provide shoring services to the contracting industry. As an innovator for the industry, ICON was the first shoring distributor to receive engineering approval for the slide rail system from the City of New York, the NY/NJ Port Authority and dozens of Transportation Departments throughout the United States. From the start, ICON developed a reputation as a company that provided safe shoring solutions for both small and large construction projects. Even some of the most difficult excavations were able to be completed with ease due to the modularity of the system.
In 1984, ICON saw an opportunity with trenchless technology and decided to take on a line of microtunneling equipment developed by The Krings Company out of Germany. ICON had two systems, a 48” slurry microtunneling machine and The Krings OBV Tunnel System. ICON successfully completed 12 microtunnels in the Eastern United States including a record breaking drive at the time of 500’ of 48” inch pipe underneath the Saugus River in Massachusetts.
In 1986, ICON was approached by a contractor to design and submit plans to the City of New York for installing precast box culverts. New ground was broken when ICON used an ICON designed “Super” slide rail system for the installation of 7,000 feet of culvert at a depth of 26 feet. This was the first time the city had approved precast box culverts, and the results were impressive for the city and the contractor. Considerable savings were achieved in job completion time and the labor and equipment costs dropped dramatically.
ICON tackled their first international project in 1988, working with Harbert/Jones. The project was a $100 million dollar sewer project involving 90,000 linear feet, 32′ deep in Cairo, Egypt. The ICON team designed and supplied a trenching system, supplied site-specific engineering, and employees trained in equipment use at the project site in Egypt. The system was such a success that the project was completed well ahead of schedule.
The 1990’s brought growth to the organization with the opening of branch offices in several East Coast cities. Major projects were undertaken for the reconstruction of the Westside Highway in New York City. Systems were also designed and supplied for Washington Group International in Aswan, Egypt for the construction of water mains and sewers. Many other major projects were completed in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, Cleveland, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
As the popularity of the slide rail system increased, the company grew out of its facilities and in 1996, a fifteen acre office/factory complex was purchased for the design and manufacturing of a 100% American-made slide rail system. Based on ICON’s prior construction experience, the newly designed system was strengthened for durability and ease of use in the field. These groundbreaking design improvements were an instant success.
In 2002, ICON bought the Duralite product line of Washington Aluminum Company. This purchase gave ICON a greater range of shoring solutions including lightweight aluminum boxes that can be put together by hand. By providing factory-direct pricing and delivery, ICON is able to reduce distribution costs and pass greater savings to their customers. In 2004, ICON became the national distributor and dealer for Bohrtec, Gmbh. Bohrtec is the world’s leading manufacturer of a guided auger boring system that utilizes pilot tube technology to install sewers directly on line and grade. The addition of the Bohrtec machines will enhance the company’s ability to take on more interesting and challenging projects in the future. Currently, ICON serves over 1,600 customers across the U.S. and more than 8,000 slide rail projects have been completed to date. Built on site at ICON’s manufacturing facilities, slide rail systems are rented and sold to contractors throughout the United States. In addition to slide rail systems, ICON provides steel and aluminum trench boxes, wire slings and lifting devices, hydraulic shoring, and road plates.
The idea of a full-service shoring company that provides a wide range of equipment, on-site field technicians, and site-specific engineering has been a hallmark of the way ICON has done business since its inception. ICON continues to extend its reach by improving customer service, expanding the rental fleet, and developing new systems to solve their customers’ shoring problems.
As a Civil Engineer working in construction since the early 70’s I believe that underground construction is the most dangerous and risky work a contractor can tackle. ICON was founded in 1982 in the belief that there was a need for a company that could provide experience, engineering, manufacturing, training and the right equipment for underground work to customers who could use these services while focusing on the rest of their project.
Over the years, ICON has built a solid team that works with its customers to supply the best, safest and most cost-effective solution for their projects. Each of our employees is the best trained in our industry and is focused on customer service that is reliable. He or she provides solutions to customer problems based upon the experience of tens of thousands of projects all over the country and internationally.
I am proud of the fact that we can consult with our customers, offer a solution, engineer it, manufacture it, supply it to the project and train our customers to use the equipment safely. This support helps them to complete the project on time and within budget or better. No other company in the country has the diversity of excavation shoring solutions that ICON can offer.
Thank you for your interest in ICON. Feel free to look over our website and contact one of our Underground Construction Consultants to get the best solution for your current or future projects.
Brian W. Crandall
President
ICON offers one of the largest trench shoring equipment rental fleets on the east coast. ICON’s territory sales managers work closely with customers to ensure that they acquire the right piece of rental equipment with competitive pricing for their project. Whether it’s a trench box or slide rail system, ICON will be there with you every step of the way to make sure you receive the proper equipment, training and support. Please click here for more information on our rental products.
ICON has been designing and manufacturing their slide rail systems and ICON-O-Lite aluminum trench boxes at their 58,000 square foot headquarters located in East Brunswick, NJ since 1996. By manufacturing these products in-house, ICON is able to have hands on quality control and can quickly adapt to customer needs. This manufacturing facility also gives ICON the edge over their competition as they can build custom pieces for specific projects, repair damaged equipment and stock large quantities of new parts. With our one-of-a-kind 400-ton shoring bending press, we have the ability to straighten road plates, steel trench boxes and slide rail equipment. On our premises we also have a 1,000 sf. paint booth. These features allow ICON to extend the life of their equipment as well as their customers’ equipment.
Since our founding in 1982, ICON has grown substantially in geography, technology and expertise. We service projects of all sizes throughout the Northeast region and abroad. Our corporate facility is located in East Brunswick, New Jersey and encompasses over 58,000 square feet of offices, seminar rooms, warehousing, factory welding and custom fabrication areas, equipment training sites and the largest and most extensive inventory for temporary excavation support equipment fleet in the Northeast.
ICON offers job opportunities to hard-working, dedicated
individuals seeking positions in a friendly environment with a well established and respected company where technical training, personal and professional growth can be expected. Each employee, no matter what their responsibilities, is considered a member of the ICON team and a valued part of the corporate image. ICON prides itself on the philosophy that every customer and every job should be treated as equally important and should receive the same quality support and attention to detail.
Some Current Company Benefits include:
- Paid Vacation
- Sick/Family Leave
- Personal/Bereavement Leave
- Paid Holidays
- 401K Profit Sharing Plan
- Contributory Medical Plan with Prescription Card
- Long Term Disability
- Optional Dental
- Optional Life
Salespeople, Engineers, Accounting & Inventory Staff, Clerical Support, Truck Drivers, Field Technicians, Forklift Operators, Welders, Painters, Laborers.
Please submit your resume headed “Employment Opportunities” by e-mail to iconshor@iconjds.com. Include salary requirements and current status if applicable.
Thank you for your interest in ICON.