ROCKVILLE, MD. — Shapiro & Duncan Inc., dedicated to providing cutting-edge mechanical solutions, including pre-construction, engineering, construction, design-build, fabrication, installation and maintenance services, announced its most recent community involvement efforts and achievements as it continues to deepen its role as a leader and mentor across the region.
As a family-owned business, Shapiro & Duncan’s strong roots in the community date back to its founding in 1976. Coupled with an intrinsic belief in the value of giving back, Shapiro & Duncan also believes strongly in career-based education, to support unrecognized talent, nurture current employees, and improve the overall state of the construction industry, in the local area and nationwide.
Among the numerous causes and organizations the Shapiro & Duncan team serves is Junior Achievement of Greater Washington (JA). Over the past two years, the Shapiro & Duncan team has worked with JA to devote an entire day to enhancing students’ financial literacy and preparing them for optimal success in their educational lives and subsequent careers. This year, 18 Shapiro & Duncan employees donated over 14 hours each in preparation and classroom time to work with students at Benjamin Banneker Middle School in Burtonsville, Md., to discuss basic budgeting and money skill issues, such as needs vs. wants, credit cards, and other key areas that are not covered in a typical school curriculum. Shapiro & Duncan also hosts an annual bowling event, set for May 22, 2014, to raise funds to support JA, which is now also in its second year.
Additionally, Shapiro & Duncan’s special projects department has participated in its annual “Christmas in April” event for the past decade. Last year, Shapiro & Duncan partnered with Clark Construction to make the necessary repairs to a local home to allow the homeowner to remain in his residence, including piping repairs to the plumbing and heating systems. The company donated all materials, supplies, and labor for this effort.
Other recent contributions include:
- More than 150 toys collected for the Angels for Children Toy Drive sponsored by the Montgomery Housing partnership;
- More than 145 cans of food donated to the Maryland Food Bank;
- More than $8,900 raised and 144 volunteer hours logged to teach financial literacy to middle school students through Junior Achievement; and
- More than $2,490 donated to the Children’s National Medical Center in honor of Shane Chazin, the son of Ron Chazin, a long-time Shapiro & Duncan employee.
Running through all of its community efforts and initiatives is Shapiro & Duncan’s continued belief in the value of career-based education. CEO Sheldon Shapiro serves on the board of the D.C. Students Construction Trades Foundation to assist with encouraging young people to pursue careers in the construction industry, and helping them to succeed with the necessary mentorship and support, in events like the National Building Museum’s annual Big Build event, of which Shapiro & Duncan has been a part since its beginnings several years ago.
“We are a family business, first and foremost, and we pride ourselves on, together with our employees, extending our ‘family’ support and resources to others in need across our community through career-based education, fundraising, and volunteer hours,” Sheldon Shapiro stated. “I commend our entire team for their support and tireless participation, as well as going above and beyond their job descriptions to improve our local area as well as the construction industry as a whole.”
Shapiro & Duncan is the “Mechanical Solutions Provider of Choice” for commercial, government and institutional customers throughout the D.C. metro area for mechanical construction, design-build and traditional projects, as well as equipment replacement and 24/7 service. A third generation family business, Shapiro & Duncan continues a 36-year track record of dependability and innovation that has consistently enabled the company to deliver high value and efficient mechanical infrastructure to its customers.
The company also provides well-documented mechanical solutions using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to ensure prompt delivery of each and every project. Shapiro & Duncan also promotes state-of-the-art quality, coordination and sustainability prefabricating mechanical and plumbing assemblies for all projects from its manufacturing plant in Landover, Md. Design, Build, and Sustain are the guidelines for the mechanical solutions that Shapiro & Duncan provides on every project. Additional information is available at www.shapiroandduncan.com.