Salvatore LaBella’s commitment to clients, community fueled firm’s growth

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When Salvatore LaBella left what at the time was the largest engineering firm in Rochester to launch his own company in 1978, he knew there would be mountains to climb. 

The new kid on the block doesn’t start at the front of the line. Stature must be earned. 

Which is just what Mr. LaBella set out to do when he created what began as a one-man firm, LaBella Associates. By the end of the first year, there were four employees. And when Sergio Esteban joined the firm on Jan. 1, 1981, the desk count was up to seven. 

“He wanted to do something different, he wanted to have a special company,” Esteban said. 

He succeeded, that’s for sure. Today, LaBella Associates employs more than 1,200 across 36 offices in 12 states as well as Spain, providing engineering, architecture, planning and environmental services to a vast array of clients. 

The growth was something that pleased Mr. LaBella. But more than anything, the firm’s reputation is what made him most proud. 

“We are what we are today because of our values and culture, and those started with him,” Esteban said. “He’s the one who instilled those principles in us.” 

Family, friends and associates will gather on Saturday at St. Mary’s Church in Canandaigua to remember Mr. LaBella during a funeral Mass in his honor. He died Sept. 3 at the age of 81. 

Mr. LaBella is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sandra (Galitski); daughter Cynthia (Michael Broadfoot); son Vincent (fiancée Emily Wild); grandchildren Aidan, Bria, Alexa, Mia and Arianna; sisters Pauline Sherwood, Ann Marie Knauf and Barbara Cacia and brothers Ernest LaBella and Patrick LaBella. 

LaBella Associates gained prominence because of how Mr. LaBella conducted business. 

“He was about honesty and integrity and being committed to the clients,” said Robert Healy, a principal who has been with LaBella for 32 years. “He certainly gave us a strong foundation that has allowed us to go to the growth level we are at today.” 

Mr. LaBella believed projects were partnerships, Healy said. When problems arose, Mr. LaBella said it was imperative to find a solution that made the most sense, even if it meant losing cents – and dollars. It didn’t matter if the issue was created by client error. 

“There were a couple times when I actually advised going the other way, but he said, ‘No, let’s just take care of it,’ ” Healy said. 

“He would say, ‘This is a client of ours. If it comes out of our pocketbook, so be it.’ It wasn’t about finger-pointing or backing out of a project.” 

Mr. LaBella learned those principles as a youngster, working in his uncle’s neighborhood store on Clifford Avenue, he told the Rochester Business Journal in 1997. 

“He had a special way of connecting with clients,” Esteban said, “and he inspired all of us with his principles.” 

Those principles also went beyond the office walls. Mr. LaBella was deeply committed to the betterment of the community. 

“He was a trusted sounding board for people to talk to,” Healy said. 

That included people in positions of power. The county executive might call to say hello. Or the mayor. And Mr. LaBella didn’t use these advisory chats to promote his firm. He leveraged his influence for the greater good, Esteban said. 

“He knew how to put things together; people with people,” Healy said. 

But Mr. LaBella never pretended to be all-knowing. Rather, he spent a lifetime learning. 

“He liked to ask people questions,” Healy said, “and then listen.” 

He also was insightful and forward-thinking. Long before small engineering firms understood the importance of a marketing manager and a strategic plan, LaBella made sure his firm had both. 

“Those were big-company ideas, but he implemented them here,” Esteban said. 

Health issues slowed Mr. LaBella in recent years. His last day in the office was Nov. 4, 2012. 

When Esteban visited Mr. LaBella back in August, on the table near the bed was a book detailing 25 years of company projects. 

“He liked to look through the book,” Esteban said. “He was very proud of the LaBella name.” 

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