Building on past legacies, mechanical contracting specialist Notch Mechanical Constructors is embarking on a new era 

A company defined by family values and exceptional craftmanship, Notch Mechanical Constructors (Notch) offers high-end mechanical construction and piping installations across New England. Founded by Roger Neveu in 1972, the company specializes in industrial piping solutions for a wide range of energy and manufacturing sectors, from fuel cells to cogeneration, chemicals to bioprocessing, and pharmaceuticals to food and beverage – complemented by a plethora of fabrication and design-build capabilities. From humble roots, Notch has grown substantially, building a remarkable track record of satisfied customers, including some of the world’s biggest names, such as Medtronic, P&G, Dupont, and Ameresco. 

Leading the company is the second generation of the Neveu family, with Roger’s eldest son, Steven Neveu, at the helm as President. However, following an impressive 27-year tenure in the position, Steve recently announced that he will soon be stepping down as President, though not without ensuring a smooth transition that upholds Notch’s legacy and success. In April 2025, Construction Today sat down with Steve to uncover what lies ahead for Notch. Before that, he starts by sharing the company’s history and inspiring journey that led it to the success it has today. 

“My father founded the business 53 years ago in 1972,” Steve begins. “He was working as a foreman for another company as a pipefitter and welder, but the company required a lot of travelling; he was out of town almost every week and only came home on the weekends. He soon realized that, if he started his own company, he’d be able to work and make it home for supper every night. Notch was very much driven by family. One of our core values is to care about family and how we integrate that into the business. My father started out as a one man show with a welding machine in the back of his truck, but rather than start with small residential work like most contractors, he went straight into the industrial sector, and we’ve primarily been an industrial mechanical contractor ever since. 

“I joined the company in 1985. At that point, we had around ten employees and my father was the sole office guy. Although my father had no formal business training, he was a good, common-sense businessman, and he told me that we’d just doubled the overhead and needed to find more work. I was a recent graduate from a mechanical engineering college and wasn’t too sure what direction I wanted to take, so I took on a few projects, led the computerization of the company, and soon discovered that I loved growing the business. I was my dad’s right-hand man for the next fifteen years. In that time, four out of my six siblings joined Notch, and I became company President in 1997. 

“Today, we’ve grown to cover all the southern New England region, serving Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and even southern New Hampshire and Vermont. We’ve expanded our reach, but we’ve stuck to our industrial manufacturing roots.” 

Succession plan 

Notch’s company ethos prioritizes employee and customer relationships. When discussing the future of the company, Steve shares that he wanted to put a plan in place to ensure that Notch will continue to thrive when the time comes for him and his siblings to retire; one that would provide a good outcome for both his team and his customers. After some consideration, Steve and his siblings decided on employee ownership – a strategic decision that will maintain the legacy and integrity that Notch is recognized for. 

“In 2000, I, along with four of my siblings, worked out an agreement to buy the company from my father and we remained equal owners from that point onwards. However, we were all getting older, me being the oldest, and it raised the question of how we’d go about stepping away from the business when the time came,” Steve reveals. “We investigated all the different options, and an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) was one of the top two we landed on. We did a preliminary feasibility study and made the call to go 100-percent ESOP. As one of my brothers said, we all came into this together, so it would be good to go out together in terms of ownership. We want to see Notch continue, in and of itself, not sold to a bigger company. We feel that we’ve built something unique, and we’d like to keep the company alive and see it progress, especially for our employees who have worked alongside us for all these years. 

“About three years ago – after we completed the ESOP transaction – I approached the board with my tentative retirement date,” Steve continues. “We needed to start thinking about my replacement and I, as President, have always felt that one of my most important jobs is to ensure a smooth transition to whoever the next leader will be. I didn’t want to see the company struggle after I left because we chose the wrong person.  Two years ago, the board and I selected one of our existing employees to be executive vice president as part of the succession plan. They would take over 60 percent of my current job to help them learn the ropes while I’m still here to oversee and mentor them.” 

New leadership 

Emphasizing the importance of communication and transparency with his team throughout the transition, Steve was thrilled to announce that Nick DePalma will be succeeding him as President of Notch on October 1st. As the sun sets on one era, a new day dawns, and Steve is optimistic about the company’s future. Continuing to strengthen its existing legacy, the company is well-positioned for a thriving future under new leadership. Concluding our conversation, Steve reveals his vision for the future of Notch and reflects on the talented team that has helped to make it all possible. 

“I’ll be making a ‘soft exit’ in the sense that I will be stepping into a part-time, non-executive chairman role for the next two years. I’ll still be involved but in more of an advisory role, and I’ll likely stay on as a director beyond that if everybody still feels like I’m bringing value,” Steve affirms. “In the next few years, I’d like to see the business continue to spread geographically. We have a lot of strength in the western New England area, but we’d like to expand our model to new places in the Northeast, such as New York. We’d like to build our team of tradespeople so that we have a broader craft capacity across our region and grow our revenue in new markets. We built one of the first pipe pre-fabrication shops in the region in the early 1990s and we are working to bring it to the next level through ‘lean construction’ techniques. We’ve also been looking at some new service offerings and we’ve just started a design-build division, so we’re looking to grow that.   

“As I’m nearing the end of my 40 years at Notch, I’ve really enjoyed the team that we’ve built here. We’ve got a great crew of people who make the work enjoyable, even when business is a challenge. The team of people we have has made us successful.”  

www.notch.com