The Eastmond family knows boilers. For 87 years, they have owned and operated EASCO Boiler Corporation; the largest minority owned and operated steel boiler and tank manufacturer in the country. Situated in the heart of the Hunts Points Industrial Complex in the Bronx, EASCO has built a reputation for high quality products that are in over 15,000 locations throughout the NY tri-state area and beyond. EASCO equipment can be found in such notable locations as the new One World Trade Center, Trump Towers, Yankee Stadium and NY Botanical Garden/Bronx Zoo.
Leon Eastmond, the family patriarch and CEO of the company, learned the boiler trade from his Bajan father, Arlington Leon Eastmond, Sr. In turn, Leon passed on his passion for entrepreneurship and business acumen to his sons Frederick and Leon and his grandson Tyren, EASCO’s COO. Today, the family is collectively building on a nearly 100 year legacy of hard work and devotion to community.
EASCO is in the heart of NYC’s most economically challenged borough, the Bronx, and delivers more than just boilers. By employing over 100 people (98% are Black & Latino) in manufacturing positions, compensating staff at levels that are higher than the state and city minimums (including full healthcare benefits), providing re-entry opportunities and training for the formerly incarcerated and cultivating a crop of successful entrepreneurs, EASCO is also an eco-system for economic development.
The challenges that EASCO faces are no different from any other manufacturing firm that maintains operations in the midst of the costly NYC landscape. Operating this multi-million dollar business in the Bronx, with over 200,000 square feet of space in its corporate footprint, EASCO must continually build its pipeline of new clients to stay successful and competitive. To remain relevant, EASCO has evolved as its industry has moved away from heavy oils and into the natural gas arena. In 2013, EASCO completed an environmentally conscious project that is a model for the rehabilitation of heating and hot water systems in large residential and commercial complexes. This Seward Park project (Lower East Side of Manhattan), resulted in the replacement of old steam heating systems which were replaced by more energy efficient and environmentally-friendly equipment. The conversion resulted in an annual cost savings of over $400,000, adding value for the property owners and tenants while preserving the environment. As another cost saving service, EASCO offers clients a unique on-site installation process that reduces additional demolition and reconstruction costs thereby decreasing the overall cost of new heating system installations.
The keys to EASCO’s success are an ardent commitment to maintaining the family legacy of high quality boilers and steel tanks, uplifting the extended Black and Latino communities in the Bronx and, above all else, evolving in an ever-changing market-place.
EASCO exemplifies what minority owned businesses should look like. What started in the hearts and minds of the senior Eastmonds has ignited a passion for socially responsible entrepreneurship, in current Eastmond generations. This spark has grown from a flame into an everlasting symbol that will continue to represent a beacon of hope in the heart of the Bronx.