New Haven, Connecticut (203) 467-7000 info@adeleoinc.com
Union Affiliated Think Smart, Think Safety

Who We Are

Self-performing civil and underground electrical utility contractors — operating inside active substations, energized distribution corridors, fuel terminals, and industrial energy facilities across the Northeast since 1994.

DeLeo utility construction crew
DeLeo underground utility excavation
1994
Operating
Since
Technical Identity

Underground Utility & Civil Contractors — Energy Sector Focus

A. DeLeo Construction Company was established in 1994 in New Haven, Connecticut, as a union-affiliated underground utility and civil contractor serving the energy sector. The work spans heavy civil site development and underground electrical utility installation — self-performed as a single, coordinated operation across active utility corridors, substations, fuel terminals, and industrial energy sites throughout the Northeast.

DeLeo's primary clients are investor-owned utilities, energy distribution and fuel storage operators, and industrial energy facility owners. These are regulated, high-risk environments where downtime is unacceptable, safety compliance is non-negotiable, and work must often proceed inside live systems. The company holds a 5-year underground-utility framework contract (2024–2029) with United Illuminating (Avangrid) and has performed underground electric utility construction for Eversource Energy across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In the industrial energy sector, DeLeo has performed civil and utility construction for clients including Gulf Oil and Buckeye Partners — fuel terminal and midstream energy operators whose sites require environmental compliance-driven construction: secondary containment systems, tank farm foundations, oil-water separators, and vapor recovery infrastructure.

These are performance-based client relationships. IOUs and energy facility operators track contractor reliability closely — response time, execution quality, safety record, and the ability to work in live systems without forcing shutdowns. DeLeo's multi-year IOU contract record reflects consistent performance against those metrics. The workforce is LIUNA-affiliated, trained in confined-space entry, lockout/tagout, and the energized-adjacent work protocols required inside live substations and distribution corridors. Al DeLeo III has directed the company since founding and remains directly involved in client relationships and field operations.

1994 Established
100+ LIUNA Employees
5 Northeast States
What We Execute

What DeLeo Executes

DeLeo's scope is defined by where the work is performed and what is being built inside those environments — active utility corridors, substations, fuel terminals, and industrial energy sites. Not trade category. Not project type. Environment and system.

Underground Electrical Infrastructure

Concrete-encased ductbank systems, conduit installation and routing, cable pathways for distribution networks. Work is performed within active utility corridors and adjacent to energized infrastructure. This is DeLeo's primary scope and the basis of its IOU client relationships.

Utility Structures

Precast and cast-in-place electrical vaults, manholes, and access chambers — the subsurface nodes where cable is pulled, spliced, and transitioned between distribution segments. Installed to utility specifications with conduit entry, sump, and frame/cover integration.

Substation Civil & System Integration

Conduit entry and ductbank tie-ins at substation perimeters, trenching within station yards under utility protection protocols, and coordination with protection engineers on sequencing and outage windows. Execution in active electrical environments under strict access controls.

Heavy Civil for Energy Facilities

Site preparation, structural concrete (equipment pads, transformer foundations), underground utility installation, access road construction, and facility drainage systems for substations, fuel terminals, and industrial energy sites — scoped to engineering tolerances, not general grading standards.

Storm, Sewer & Utility Infrastructure

Storm drainage, sewer, and underground utility installation integrated into site development, utility, and energy-sector projects. Trenching, pipe installation, structure placement, and tie-in to existing systems — performed across all soil conditions in CT, NY, NJ, MA, and RI.

Emergency Response

24/7 on-call capability for utility clients. Underground electrical failures, storm-related infrastructure damage, and urgent civil utility failures addressed with rapid crew mobilization — executed under the same safety protocols as planned work, without shortcuts.

Leadership

Direct Ownership. Direct Accountability.

DeLeo is family-owned and operated. On framework contracts and MSAs with investor-owned utilities, that structure matters: the principal is reachable, decisions are made quickly, and accountability runs directly to the owner — not through a management layer.

AD

Albert W. "Al" DeLeo III

President & Owner

Al DeLeo III founded A. DeLeo Construction Company in New Haven, CT in 1994 and has led it since — directing field operations, client relationships, and contract execution across the Northeast energy infrastructure market. Under his leadership, DeLeo secured a 5-year underground-utility framework contract with United Illuminating (Avangrid) running 2024–2029, and has executed underground electrical and civil construction for Eversource Energy across CT, MA, and RI. The company has also performed civil and utility construction for energy distribution and fuel storage operators — including Gulf Oil and Buckeye Partners — at fuel terminal and midstream energy sites requiring environmental compliance-driven civil scope.

On framework and MSA contracts with IOUs and energy operators, clients track contractor performance closely — response time, execution quality, and the ability to work in live systems without forcing system shutdowns. When a utility construction manager or facility owner has a question about a running job, they reach Al or someone with direct knowledge of the contract. That accountability structure is why DeLeo's client relationships persist across contract cycles.

30+ years directing civil & utility construction operations
Privately held, family-owned — no corporate intermediary layer
Headquartered in New Haven, CT · Operating CT, NY, NJ, MA, RI
Company Profile

Operational Facts

Relevant details for utility owners, construction managers, and procurement teams evaluating DeLeo for underground utility or civil scope.

Established 1994 — New Haven, CT
Company Type Privately Held, Family-Owned
President Albert W. "Al" DeLeo III
Workforce 51–200 LIUNA Union-Affiliated
Primary Market Energy Sector — Investor-Owned Utilities
Core Scope Underground Electrical Infrastructure & Heavy Civil
Service Area CT, NY, NJ, MA, RI
Active Contract UI / Avangrid Framework — 2024–2029
Safety Standard "Think Smart, Think Safety" — OSHA compliant
Emergency Response 24/7 On-Call for Contracted Utility Clients
Client Relationships

Who Contracts DeLeo

DeLeo's contracted client base reflects the company's technical focus: investor-owned utilities, energy distribution and fuel storage operators, and industrial energy facility owners. These clients operate in active, regulated environments where safety compliance is non-negotiable and contractor reliability is tracked as a performance metric across contract cycles.

United Illuminating (Avangrid) 5-Year Underground Electric Framework Contract · 2024–2029 · Connecticut
Eversource Energy Underground electric utility construction and grid infrastructure · CT, MA, RI
Gulf Oil & Fuel Terminal Operators Fuel terminal civil scope — tank farm foundations, oil-water separators, secondary containment, access infrastructure
Buckeye Partners & Midstream Energy Pipeline and midstream site civil construction — access roads, utility installation, environmental compliance infrastructure
CT Municipalities & Developers Storm, sewer & site civil infrastructure in support of development and utility projects
Safety Culture

Safety in High-Risk Utility Environments

Active substations, energized distribution corridors, and live fuel terminals carry hazards that require training beyond general civil construction — energized cable in adjacent conduit, confined spaces inside vaults and manholes, ground disturbance in corridors shared with transmission infrastructure, equipment access restrictions at substation perimeters. These are routine operating conditions for DeLeo crews.

In these environments, technical competence and safety protocol are the same requirement. Utility locates are completed and verified before any excavation. Protection engineer coordination — including lockout/tagout procedures and phased switching plans — is established before any crew enters a restricted zone. Trench shoring is installed to OSHA standards before crew entry. Confined-space procedures are applied on every vault and manhole access. The IOU clients and energy operators who contract DeLeo require this standard. It is applied because it is how the work is done correctly, not as a compliance exercise.

Utility Locates — Verified Before Every Excavation

No trench is opened without completed and verified utility locates. In active distribution corridors, this means coordination with the utility's mapping and field locating resources — not just a standard 811 call.

Energized-Environment Compliance

Work adjacent to energized infrastructure is performed under minimum-approach-distance protocols and site-specific protection plans established in coordination with the utility's protection engineers. No crew works in a restricted zone without a plan in place.

Confined-Space and Trench Safety

OSHA confined-space entry procedures are applied at every vault and manhole entry. Trench shoring is installed and inspected per OSHA standards before crew entry. These procedures are routine — not event-driven.

DeLeo underground utility safety
Think Smart,
Think Safety
Work With DeLeo

Discuss Your Underground Utility or Civil Scope

Whether you are a utility construction manager evaluating contractors for an underground electric program, or an energy facility owner planning civil and utility scope — contact DeLeo to discuss the work. We review scope directly, ask the right questions, and provide straightforward proposals based on what the project actually requires.

DeLeo crew