The industrial demolition industry was born at the turn of the century, following the tumultuous and destructive wars of the early 1900s. The American people’s resilience and determination met each war with vast economic growth and development. Through all of these historic times, demolition experts have had to learn and adapt new tactics to take down the outdated and make room for the future. In the latter half of the 1900s, demolition and dismantling went through its greatest growth, truly catching its stride.
In this second half of the 20th century, during the 1960s, L.L. “Jay” Schwall began working in the demolition and dismantling industry. Early in his career, a young Schwall worked with Cleveland Wrecking. As he gained valuable insight into the demolition industry’s workings, he began to see opportunity in this specialized field. Schwall went on to learn and work more in the late 1960s with Cuyahoga Wrecking. As the decade ended, he saw where he could potentially achieve the “American Dream” we’ve all become so fond of in our patriotic heritage.
Owning one’s own business in the early 1970s was no small feat. However, Schwall was determined to achieve this goal and start his very own company to be proud of. In 1973, he started Invirex Demolition in New York, New York. The spirit of the entrepreneur is often unwavering in the face of adversity, and no task was too big for Schwall. Invirex Demolition’s breakout project was with the world-famous New York Yankees to take down none other than Yankee Stadium.
After this monumental dismantling and demolition project, Schwall continued building his stellar reputation. Invirex Demolition’s continuous success in dismantling key industrial projects led him to the New Orleans area. This is where he acquired Louisiana Chemical Dismantling Co. Inc. (LCDC) . Through this acquisition, LCDC was now able to successfully serve industrial companies throughout the U.S.
Years came and years passed as Schwall continued achieving the “American Dream.” Yet another goal still to achieve was passing his amazing legacy along. As he was working to build this demolition business, his son, Jay, was close to his side learning as much as he could from his father. Jay grew up in the demolition and dismantling industry with years of hands-on training before obtaining his degree in engineering. When the right time came in 2006, L.L. “Jay” Schwall was finally able to proudly pass his business, and his legacy, to his son, Jay.
After Jay took ownership of LCDC, he continued to provide industrial dismantling and demolition services throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. He continued LCDC’s stellar growth trajectory following the dismantling of LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Keeping the demolition industry strong and leading by example to other businesses are what LCDC strives to do. LCDC is now proudly family- owned and internationally known.
