While I think the story of our firm is unique and interesting, it may be no different than the story of the birth of countless other firms across the country. CoreStates, Inc. was formed on July 30, 1999, and we did absolutely nothing for the first four months of existence. The Articles of Incorporation were recorded and the book sat on my shelf for the rest of the year while I debated whether to quit my “day job” and go out on my own. The start of the new century seemed an appropriate initiation point for the company, so we opened the doors on January 1, 2000, armed only with a head full of ideas and the willingness to simply outwork anybody in the marketplace.
CoreStates was launched with the intent to provide engineering and project management services to the retail petroleum industry. This seemed a natural fit due to my previous experiences working for Amerada Hess and Sunoco. The idea was to outperform everyone in our core competency (retail petroleum) in the states we knew best (the East Coast). CoreStates was off and running!
Our first year was obviously one of tremendous change and challenges. Circle K provided job number 001 and we were now in business. We quickly outgrew the master bedroom office and signed our first lease for 1,000 square feet in Norcross, GA. I remember thinking that there was no way I would ever have enough employees to fill the whole space. Well we did, and we did it quickly. Upon landing the Kmart account, our space and employee needs dramatically increased. I convinced Rich Perez that life was better in Georgia than it was in California and he joined the company in September of 2000.
The year 2001 was no less dynamic. Glenn Phillips joined the company in January of that year from Amerada Hess, where we had worked together in the early 1990’s, and started the New Jersey office. Dick Cote joined shortly thereafter and the Virginia office was born. The “core states” plan was falling into place.
From there, we added other key personnel such as Andy Shaw and his crew to provide the detailed mechanical and electrical support to our petroleum programs, Linda Allen and her stewardship of the accounting side of the business and others. We then filled in the missing geographical coverage areas with offices in Boston, Tampa, St. Louis, Charlotte and Boca Raton. We remained true to our goal of client satisfaction and can count 12 of the Fortune 500 companies as satisfied CoreStates clients. In fact, we have three of the Top Ten!
As we turn into our seventh year in business, I look forward to extending the firm’s reach into other market segments and other geographical areas. Our current clients have asked us to expand our coverage and new clients will seek out our level of service. I believe firmly that any client with a multi-site, multi-state development program will benefit from a “CoreStaters” singular focus on client satisfaction.
Our commitment to our clients’ needs will be matched only by the firm’s commitment to our employees’ needs. We remain dedicated to providing rewarding, professionally fulfilling career opportunities --- where it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun along the way! As you browse through our website, I invite you to contact us with any questions you may have.
Welcome to our Company.
John M. Scheffey, PE
Founder and President
