The story of L.C. Whitford Materials Co. is one of adaptation, resilience, and family. Part of the wider L.C. Whitford Company—founded in 1916 as a small construction firm specializing in local buildings, institutional facilities, and bridges—the materials division was established in the 1980s as the company’s work expanded into manufacturing. What began as a practical solution to a supply problem has since grown into one of New York State’s most important producers of pre-stressed beams and precast products.
The origins of the materials division were rooted in necessity. “We started out with just making and producing our first set of beams for ourselves—it started out as an necessity,” recalls Jessica LaFleur Hunt, General Manager at L.C. Whitford Materials Co. “Our company was originally awarded a job that called for pre-stress beams, and the company we had contracted with to purchase the beams from ended up going out of business, so we needed to find a way to get these beams made because our construction company needed them. So we decided to purchase one of their forms from them and manufacture the beams ourselves.”
From that first set of beams, produced in a single bed, the division has expanded significantly. Today, the plant operates with eight beds and is widely recognized for its ability to deliver high-performance products quickly. In fact, the company became New York State’s first manufacturer of high-performance concrete pre-stress beams, a milestone that firmly established its reputation. Over time, it has expanded into Pennsylvania, producing beams for PennDOT and manufacturing a wide range of products including box beams, prestressed girders, NEXT beams, and double tees.
Pre-stressed concrete has become central to infrastructure in New York and beyond, offering both strength and speed. “Beams are extremely strong when they’re pre-stressed, and the turnaround time is very quick,” Jessica explains. “With a normal beam or a precast unit, you would have to factor in cure time. But when you pre-stress, you can make a beam in a matter of a day or two—and it’s done and ready to ship.”
That speed has proven invaluable in emergencies. “If a bridge was washed out or collapsed and you needed to get something in place and running quickly, prestressed beams are perfect,” she adds. “We can almost always squeeze it in for an emergency and get you beams in the fastest amount of time possible.”
In a region where harsh winters and increasingly frequent flooding shorten construction seasons and stress infrastructure, that ability to deliver quickly is more than a competitive edge—it is a necessity. “A lot of times in New York State, you have a very short period of work time. You have winter you have to deal with, and in the past two years, we’ve had lots of flash flooding and bridges getting washed out, so routine capital projects got set aside for many years, which means there’s a lot of bridges that need to be redone or rehabilitated. Our pre-stress beams ensure that we’re able to repair as many bridges as possible in a short period of time, working through construction season. It also allows us to react to emergency work and repairs in a very quick timeframe.”
For L.C. Whitford Materials Co., success has always depended on the ability to adapt. Jessica points to several instances where customer needs pushed the company to expand its capacity. “There have been a couple of instances where a customer might have needed a beam that was larger than we could produce—so we reacted quickly, got a bigger bed in place, and got the engineering needed from our on-site engineer, who’s able to make sure that we get everything up to par and we can react quickly.”
“There have been a couple of instances where a customer might have needed a beam that was larger than we could produce—so we reacted quickly, got a bigger bed in place, and got the engineering needed from our on-site engineer who’s able to make sure that we get everything up to par and we can react quickly.”
On average, the company ships around 300 beams per year, though volumes fluctuate with the types of jobs being delivered. “We have a lot of railroad precast jobs, so we only produced 200 beams this year, but in the past it’s been upwards of 300 to 400, if you count all the precast components and we’ve done for parking garages and such,” Jessica says. Whether the job involves multi-level parking garages, railroad infrastructure, or highway bridges, the team’s focus remains the same: deliver quickly, efficiently, and to the highest standards.
The L.C. Whitford Company has been in business for 110 years this coming spring, and much of that legacy has been built on bridge work. Jessica emphasizes how that history benefits the materials division today. “Our company is very knowledgeable about timelines, bridge performance, and what is needed to make a good bridge. That 110 years’ worth of experience benefits us when it comes to making prestressed beams.”
Equally critical are the people behind the production. “We have a dedicated staff and a lot of key players here at the materials company,” Jessica says. “The head of our quality department, Chad D’arcy, has been with the business for 34 years. He was one of the first people to work on the beams when the materials company started up. Our plant manager, Randy Geffers, has worked here since he was in high school. I don’t think there’s a product that he hasn’t made. Their knowledge alone allows us to troubleshoot any problems we come across and answer questions if our clients call and have concerns about a beam or want to know if they can make adjustments to get it to fit within a better timeline or within the bridge abutment itself—we’re very knowledgeable in that aspect.”
This deep bench of experience has enabled the company to maintain an enviable record for on-time delivery. Jessica notes that in the past eight years, the company has been late on just a single delivery—and only by a matter of days. That reliability is reinforced by the company’s decision to maintain its own trucking fleet, giving it complete control over delivery schedules.
Like the larger L.C. Whitford Company, the materials division remains a family-owned enterprise. It was founded by Chan Whitford in the 1980s and today is run by Brad Whitford, the fourth generation of Whitfords to carry the torch. For Jessica, that family orientation is a point of pride. “One of my biggest prides with this company is they’re very family-oriented. My father worked for this company for 40 years before he retired, and was happy working for them. A lot of the family we have here are father-daughter teams, father-son teams, and uncles thereof.”
That sense of continuity is all the more striking given the company’s rural setting. “We’re a rural area out here and not very populated,” Jessica says. “Being as rural as we are, to be in business for 110 years and be able to do what we do and produce beams for all of New York State and Pennsylvania is really quite a feat in itself—along with the fact that our company has been owned by multi-generations and it’s always stayed right in the family; they have a lot of heart in the game.”
If 2024 was a full year, 2025 is shaping up the same way. “We’re going to continue pouring our beams. We had a pretty full schedule this year, and we’ve got to get all our beams shipped—we have an excellent on-time delivery rate. We take great pride in making sure that we can work around our contractor’s schedule, especially since their schedules change almost daily, and we’re really good at accommodating that.”
Beyond beams, the company also supplies barrier for New York State. “When the weather starts getting cooler, we plan on producing tube & key barrier, which we sell within New York State. It’s probably the most versatile barrier that New York State uses, and we plan on producing that to help the contractors out.”
Future plans include further tapping into the precast industry, broadening the company’s product range beyond prestressed beams and parking garages to include more culverts. The team has also been increasing its work with the company’s railroad division. “We produced four projects for the railroad division of our company, which is more than we’ve done for them in the past. We’re hoping that we can support them more and tap into the railroad market for other contractors,” Jessica says.
From one beam bed to eight, from emergency bridge replacements to parking garages and complex railroad bridge jobs, L.C. Whitford Materials Co. has built its reputation on speed, adaptability, and family continuity. As it looks ahead to another busy year, the company remains committed to the same values that have defined it for generations: hard work, reliability, and a deep-rooted commitment to both family and community.
