About Us
The StoryÂ
How many of us would risk our entire life savings on a dream?
That's exactly what Carl and Dolly Williams did over 40 years ago with $5,000. All that money was used to purchase a 1952 Mack Dump Truck. After four decades of unrelenting hard work, A. Williams Construction has survived in the toughest construction industry in the nation to become one of the premier minority, family-owned and operated construction firms in New York City.
Reliable and Dependable
A. Williams Construction and the Williams family, who work tirelessly to keep moving forward, have maintained a reputation of being dependable and reliable over the years.
By performing quality work and affording opportunities to other minority and women-owned businesses, Williams has changed the landscape of neighborhoods and communities and has impacted the lives of the people of New York.
The History
In 1985, Williams started working as the primary excavation contractor on the Nehemiah Homes in Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn. They successfully completed the excavation for over 2500 homes before moving on to the South Bronx with Nehemiah.
As a specialty contractor, there were very few opportunities available to Williams. Not wanting to be labeled as a one-dimensional contractor, Williams decided to bid work with the New York City Parks Department as a General Contractor. As such a contractor, they worked on the upgrade and renovation of dozens of parks in the five boroughs. By taking this step and learning from the administrators at the Parks department, Williams was then able to compete in the open market with other excavation and foundation contractors for larger and larger projects.
Notable Projects
One of the earliest and most notable Foundation projects was at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, where Carl Williams inadvertently discovered an African Burial ground from the 1800s. Several years later, the General Services Administration invited Williams back to reinter the remains of these former slaves at a special memorial.
Williams continued to bid on projects as a general contractor. They have worked with Tishman, Bovis, and Turner on numerous large excavations and foundation projects all over the city. In addition to this, Williams has performed numerous projects in Harlem, including the Magic Johnson Theater, Harlem Center, and the Harlem Auto Mall.
The Accolades
Across the river in the Bronx, Williams was awarded its largest project by DASNY at the Bronx Criminal Courthouse Complex. Here, Williams excavated over 125,000 cubic yards of earth and poured over 10,000 cubic yards of reinforced concrete. In 2002, this was the largest active excavation and foundation project in the City of New York.