CNY companies top New York City’s One World Trade Center

In a matter of weeks, a group of Central New York businesses will see fruits of their labor rise to the pinnacle of the tallest tower in New York City.

The companies — J.R. Clancy, Inc. of Van Buren, TDK Engineering Associates, P.C. of Camillus, and Blair Construction & Fabrication of Auburn — worked to design and build a beacon for the last section of the spire topping One World Trade Center, the building formerly referred to as the Freedom Tower. Plans call for the skyscraper to stand at 1,776 feet, which its developers claim would make it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

Technically, the beacon won’t be the highest light on the tower spire, as Federal Aviation Administration lights will glow above it. But the Central New York beacon should shine brightly enough to spotlight the companies involved in making it, says Joseph Durand, TDK president and founding principal.

“People don’t know how talented the businesses are around here,” he says. “These manufacturing guys are second to none. They don’t blow their own horn. You don’t hear anything about them. But talk about talent.”

Crews are set to hoist the beacon into place sometime at the end of February or early in March, according to TDK. It is part of an 18-section, 408-foot-tall spire. The first section of the spire went into place in January.

TDK started working as a subcontractor on the beacon project in 2008, just after rigging-system specialist J.R. Clancy was hired to create the sky-high lantern. The design combines fixed light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a rotating mirror system to create moving beams of light. They will shine out on two sides, cycling at a pace of one revolution per minute.

Anyone looking at the New York City skyline should notice the beacon, according to Thomas Trytek, TDK vice president and founding principal.

“You could be down virtually anywhere in the city, and as long as you could see the building, you could see the light,” he says. “The beacon itself, the intensity of it, is like the full moon. It’s not really blinding, but you’re going to be able to see it.”

Trytek helped to manage the beacon’s construction along with TDK Senior Designer Daniel Coe. J.R. Clancy fabricated some components, including gear motors and controls. And Blair Construction/Fabrication in Auburn manufactured stainless-steel, aluminum honeycomb, and aluminum mirror-finished components.

Initial concepts called for xenon lights, but the design team scrapped them in favor of LEDs. The LEDs last longer — 50,000 hours instead of 750 hours — and consume less energy, dropping annual operating costs to $8,804 from $22,907, according to TDK’s estimates.

Designing the beacon wasn’t as easy as swapping out light bulbs, though.

“Every piece of the unit has to be able to be carried in and out by a person,” says Mike Murphy, president of J.R. Clancy. “Because you need to go up through the antenna if you’re going to do any work on it.”

Going up through the antenna means accessing the inside of the beacon through a 28-inch porthole. Reaching the lantern’s innards through that porthole proved to be another challenge: The mirror apparatus ended up blocking certain components.

So the design team sketched out mirror sections that can be folded and stored in the sides of the beacon. They also added the ability to manually turn the mirror apparatus in order to gain access to different beacon parts.

“They’re all challenges, but the significance of this project is important,” Murphy says. “It’s rewarding to be a part of the entire building. It’s a big name.”

Murphy declines to share the size of the beacon contract. Trytek doesn’t know the exact dollar amount, but estimates it cost around $1 million.

Existing connections between J.R. Clancy and Tishman Construction group helped the Van Buren company land the beacon contract, Murphy says. Tishman Construction group, a part of the global engineering-design firm AECOM, is working on One World Trade Center.

Before being shipped to New York City, the beacon components had to be assembled and tested at J.R. Clancy’s headquarters. Then they had to be taken apart again for shipment. Workers will reassemble them for installation at One World Trade Center.

J.R. Clancy is headquartered in 35,000 square feet at 7041 Interstate Island Road in Van Buren. It employs 55 people and is owned by Wenger Corp. of Owatonna, Minn. Murphy projects the company will grow its revenue by 10 percent in 2013 but does not disclose specific totals. He also credits J.R. Clancy Director of Project Management Bridget Cox with overseeing the beacon project.

TDK owns a 3,000-square-foot building at 19 Genesee St. in Camillus that serves as its headquarters. The company has nine employees. It generates $1.5 million to $2 million annually and is likely to grow by 5 percent in the upcoming year, according to its principals. The company has a third principal, Jason Kantak, in addition to Durand and Trytek.

Blair Construction & Fabrication employs 17 people at a 35,000-square-foot headquarters at 284 North St. in Auburn. Its vice president, Blair Longo Jr., declines to discuss revenue.

Fabricating parts for the beacon was a major job, one that required precision, Longo says. The Auburn company is proud to be part of the project, he adds.

“It’s huge for us,” Longo says. “This is probably the highest-profile thing we’ve done. When you look at the building, that’s what you’re going to see.”

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com