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Steinbacher Enterprises is a small family-owned business that does demolition and excavation work for both commercial and residential customers.
The husband-wife team of Matt and Joslyn Dougherty head up the company which also includes a two-story store, Historic House Salvage, on Arch Street in Williamsport filled with reclaimed items from the demolition sites.
Joslyn was in the demolition business for 20 years and Matt 18 years before they decided to purchase the business formerly owned by Joslyn's family in 2016.
The business was started in 1971 by Joslyn's grandfather, James, and later taken over by his son, Dave, and Donald.
Matt and Joslyn said the business keeps them extremely busy these days.
"There is a lot of demolition going on," Matt said.
The two oversee about a dozen employees and split managerial responsibilities.
"I do all the financials, oversee employees, advertising and marketing," Joslyn said.
Matt said, "I run the demolition part of it. My role is to do all estimating and scheduling."
"We do work well together," Joslyn added.
Some of the demolition jobs over the years have included such clients as area hospitals, Little League Baseball, and Lycoming College and Bucknell and Susquehanna universities.
Recent work at Lycoming included a project at Basin and Fourth Streets in Williamsport to make way for the school's building construction project.
"We are blessed to have great customers," Joslyn said.
Steinbacher Enterprises, like many businesses, experienced a bit of a slow-down during the COVID pandemic, but has since rebounded.
"COVID was a tough two-year period," Joslyn said.
The demolition side of the business supports the store filled with items reclaimed from demolition projects.
Doors, lighting fixtures, cabinets, tables, home décor, and all sorts of home and business furnishings can be found in the store, which once housed Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
Customers can browse the large lower and upper floors for items.
"We ship a lot of things out of state," Joslyn said.
California, New York and Texas are the most common shipping destinations.
For some LEED projects, materials must be recycled.
The couple attribute the success of their business to simply carrying out good work.
"It goes back to basically doing your job and doing it well," Joslyn said. "We just take pride in our work."
Added Matt: "We do quality work. We are a well-known demolition company."
Much of the work that comes their way is through word of mouth. However, the business is also present on social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
The two agreed there are challenges as well as pros and cons to running and owning a business.
"It's a lot more work than you anticipate," Joslyn said. "The business doesn't stop."
The couple do have plans to grow the salvage business.
"We are trying to find another location," Matt said.
Steinbacher offices can be found in the Nippenose Valley at 8130 S. Route Highway 44 or their website www.Steinbacherinc.com. The store, Historic House Salvage, is located at 315 Arch St., Williamsport. The website is www.historichousesalvage.com.