Luck Grove benefits from growth opportunities

SYRACUSE — Founded in 2008 by Michael Roberts, Luck Grove Telecom, Inc. enjoyed a bit of a low-key existence as a designer and construction contractor company for the telecommunications industry.

Just a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was just ramping up its growth strategy with the hiring of Vincent Cioci as CEO. The fiber telecom industry was growing, and Luck Grove, which had been operating with a subcontracting team of about three, was ready to expand.

“As the pandemic started to unfold, the need for our services became very apparent,” Cioci says. People working at home realized their internet wasn’t where it needed to be in order to support their work, he says. Federal-government stimulus programs provided funding that enabled clients to hire Luck Grove to change that.

That, in turn, fueled growth at the business, which now employs more than 250 people. Luck Grove Telecom, which got its start in The Tech Garden, now occupies 42,000 square feet across three floors in Equitable Tower 1 at 120 Madison St.

During the pandemic when many businesses made the switch from in-person to remote work, Luck Grove was making its own switch. Over the past several years, the company has transitioned from simply designing projects to building and installing those projects. 

The pandemic did present some challenges for the company, particularly with its surveyors that work out in the field. While considered essential employees, traveling to work in other states was complicated at times amid the changing COVID rules.

“We were able to overcome those challenges,” Cioci recalls.

One benefit of the pandemic became apparent as the company sought to fill jobs. “Fortunately for us, there were a lot of experienced folks without employment that we were able to bring onto our team,” he says. Luck Grove’s recruiting and hiring strategy includes looking for key qualities and sourcing employees from adjacent industries since there isn’t a “telecommunications engineer” major offered at college, Cioci adds. “We’ve had to implement a robust training and development program.”

While Luck Grove Telecom has grown from a regional business to a national player, the firm remains committed to Syracuse, Cioci says. 

“I’ve always had a love for downtown Syracuse,” he says. “There are things for our

employees to do. It’s centrally located for employees who live outside Syracuse.” 

The location is also close to hotels, dining and more when company officials are hosting out-of-town clients.

Syracuse will always be home, Cioci says, but Luck Grove is expanding its horizons beyond the Central New York area. The company just opened a location in Tampa, Florida and is looking for a larger space for its satellite office in the Chicago region.

“We recently got into EV charging,” Cioci says of one of the company’s newest offerings. “More and more folks are starting to purchase those types of vehicles, and there’s a need for those charging stations.”

Luck Grove is also actively looking to fill jobs. “It’s a constant hiring process at this point,” Cioci says, as the company lands new projects on a weekly basis. “We are actively hiring for most roles in the company.”

Luck Grove Telecom (www.luckgrove.com) provides field survey, network design, National Electric Safety Code compliance, computer-aided drafting, and construction services.