EOS MECHANICAL: Embracing Technology Sets EOS Mechanical A Step Above
It’s a classic American tale: An entrepreneur starts a business at his dining room table and a few years later, the company’s an emerging leader in its industry.
Nirav Sapra really did start EOS Mechanical on his dining room table in 2019, and his company really is an emerging leader thanks to his future-focused strategies. As an Indian-born American, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and an experienced engineer, Sapra saw a niche to fill within the Chicagoland construction market. His goal: build up a top-class HVAC contracting firm able to fulfill Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) requirements for general contractors in the public sector. It’s safe to say Sapra realized that goal, and in short order!
That’s not to say it was easy. The business’s first three years of operation were in the middle of the COVID lockdown era.
We were probably the only company in America that didn’t get PPP money,” Sapra said with a laugh. “It was a tough market. We had to figure out how to bid competitively in that environment. That forced us to adopt new technologies early on.”
Embracing emerging technologies helped EOS carve a space in a very competitive market, and over time it’s helped them stand out from the competition. The Elmhurst-based company was an early adopter of Procore construction management software, and they invested heavily in laser scanning tech. The latter has helped EOS crush some big, sensitive projects — like replacing the air handling unit (AHU) for two operating rooms at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.
“We were working on this project while one of the ORs was operational, so we had to minimize dust creating activity,” Sapra said. EOS laser scanned the space early on, allowing them to pre-fabricate all the ducting off-site. They installed anchors while the OR was closed, then slid the pre-fabbed ducting and AHU in between surgeries.
Laser scanning also allowed the firm to tackle similarly sensitive projects for the North Chicago VA hospital. EOS utilizes laser scanning as much as possible because, as Sapra says, it’s less hassle for the people who hire them.
“If someone needs us to swap out a boiler system, for example, we laser scan the space, assemble everything virtually, get most of the pipe and ducting pre-fabbed off-site, and then we come in and just slide everything together,” he said.
To Sapra, utilizing modern tech, like laser scanning, helps tradesmen at least as much as their clients.
“I’m very lucky to have great people, and this tech allows us to extend their careers. I want their intelligence more than their ability to lug something heavy,” Sapra said. “It’s safer and there’s less physical wear and tear. This is where I see the future of the construction industry going. Most of the people in my company see the vision and we’re driving forward on it.”
EOS Mechanical employs 26 skilled workers and has been a member of SMACNA Greater Chicago since March 2020.