About EMCO
Who We Areand Where We Came From
Our Objective
Objective statement to be written by Harrison Balzli.
Our Mission
Mission statement to be written by Harrison Balzli.
Our Story
Three Generations. Since 1973.
EMCO's story starts with Clifford Balzli Sr., P.E., a mechanical engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. In 1957 he founded Balco Mechanical Contractors, a union Sheet Metal, HVAC and Plumbing shop in Birmingham.
In 1973 he acquired Electrical-Mechanical Contractors, Inc. from Mississippi and moved it to Birmingham as Balco's non-union counterpart, servicing the Commercial, Institutional, Government, and Industrial markets. The two companies ran side by side until Balco and EMCO merged in the late 1980s.
In 1988 his son, Clifford "Bubba" Balzli Jr., a mechanical engineer from the University of South Alabama, took over full time and led EMCO for three decades. Harrison Balzli took over operations in 2018 and became owner in 2021. Like his father and grandfather, he runs the company with a more hands-on approach than a traditional corporation.
Company Timeline
-
1957
Balco Mechanical Contractors
Clifford Balzli Sr., P.E. starts Balco Mechanical Contractors in 1957 in a small building at 4449 5th Avenue South in Birmingham. Balco incorporates in 1958.
Pictured: Balco's First Building, 4449 5th Avenue South, Birmingham
-
1959–60
The Alton Schoolhouse
Balco moves into a One-Room Schoolhouse in Alton, where Willie Burton becomes its first permanent outside employee.
Pictured: Willie Burton (Left); The One-Room Schoolhouse, Alton, Photographed 1968 (Right)
-
Early 1960s
Boiler and Chiller Plants
Under Clifford Sr., a licensed professional engineer, Balco takes on Boiler and Chiller Plants: the Mechanical Rooms and Piping that keep buildings running.
Pictured: Clifford Sr. with Newly Installed Boilers (Left); Chiller Plant (Right), Early 1960s
-
Mid-1960s
Union Sheet Metal, HVAC and Plumbing
Balco grows into a union Sheet Metal, HVAC and Plumbing shop serving the Southeast, with its own Sheet Metal Fabrication Shop.
Pictured: Cliff Sr., 1960s (Left); Balco's Original Sheet Metal Fab Shop, 1965 (Right)
-
1967
Carl Ashmore
Carl joins Balco in April 1967 and goes on to serve as President of EMCO in its early years. He led the company until his death in June 1984.
Pictured: Carl Ashmore in an Unfinished Cell at the St. Clair County Correctional Facility, 1984
-
1973
Clifford Sr. Acquires EMCO
Clifford Sr. acquires EMCO as Balco's non-union counterpart.
Pictured: Young Bubba Balzli
-
1976
Hyster Expansions
EMCO begins working for Hyster in Sulligent, Alabama, in 1976. A 1978 plant expansion has Rooftop Units flown into place by helicopter, and Hyster keeps bringing EMCO back for expansions through the 1980s. It is the start of EMCO's longest customer relationship, which continues today.
Pictured: Rooftop Unit Set by Crane, Hyster Expansion, 1980s (Left); Rooftop Units Set by Helicopter, Hyster Expansion, 1978 (Right)
-
1977
Diane Mayfield Joins EMCO
Hired by Clifford Sr. on October 3, 1977, Diane has kept EMCO running behind the scenes on the Administrative and Accounting side for nearly five decades. Loyal through the highs and the lows, she still serves the company today.
Pictured: Diane Mayfield
-
1981
Paul Brewer Joins EMCO
Paul goes on to serve as Vice President and Field Superintendent, and for decades he is Bubba's right-hand man in the field. The standards he set for quality, safety and loyalty to our customers are the ones our crews still work to today.
Pictured: Paul Brewer (Left); Paul Welding Pipe (Right)
-
1988
Second Generation
Clifford "Bubba" Balzli Jr. takes over full time. Balco and EMCO merge in the late 1980s.
Pictured: Clifford "Bubba" Balzli Jr.
-
1990s–2000s
A Small Crew, Big Results
Bubba and Paul, with a tight core crew of multi-craft hands, take efficiency to the next level and complete high-profile projects one after another, allowing EMCO to build and expand into a new Fabrication Shop in 1999–2000. A small group doing the work of a much larger contractor.
Pictured: New Chiller Being Offloaded and Finished Mechanical Room, Hyster, 1993; Jet Fuel Line, Arnold Air Force Base, 2002; Bubba Balzli and Paul Brewer, Vaporizer Replacement, Pinson LNG, 2010
-
2002
Into Automotive
After a successful Nissan Engine Plant Expansion, Bubba and Paul were asked to replace another mechanical contractor on Nissan's new Assembly Plant in Canton, Mississippi, a job running almost a year behind schedule. With no prior automotive assembly experience, they were called to a meeting near a column at “Roof”, they were both confused when nobody showed up on the roof of the Body Shop until realizing they were supposed to meet at the car assembly’s “Roof” line instead... The crew worked 16-hour days, seven days a week for six months to put the project back on track, then carried the Mechanical and Process Piping work through to the plant's opening in 2003. EMCO still works at the facility today.
Pictured: Automotive Assembly Cells
-
2017
Passing the Torch
Paul and Bubba begin handing the work to the third generation, bringing Harrison up through the field alongside the crews and customers they spent decades building.
Pictured: Paul Brewer and Harrison Balzli, Creative Polymer Solutions, 2017
-
2021
Third Generation
After seven years of field and office mentorship, and three years running operations, Harrison Balzli becomes owner of EMCO in 2021. He puts client satisfaction first and finds EMCO's niche in Specialty and Chemical Process Piping, without losing sight of the crew efficiency the company was built on, all with a mindset of keeping pace with a modernizing construction industry.
-
Today
Shop + Field
Industrial, Commercial and Shop Fabrication Divisions.