Steve McCann - Demolition Foreman

At CH&E Construction, when you want something demolished, who you gonna call? Without hesitation, the answer is Steve McCann, demolition foreman. It’s dirty work, packed with intense physical labor and risk, but for McCann (a 30 year demolition veteran) it’s the perfect job.

While others think about constructing buildings, Steve readily admits to fantasying about how to take them down. The thrills and chills of demolition got into his blood in the 1970’s, when he razed many a Lancaster landmark, including the bakery on West King St. (famous for its cream puffs) to make way for Steinman Park, the Eshelman Feed Mill on Queen Street (along with its famous silos, immortalized in Charles Demuth’s painting “My Egypt”), the Lincoln Hotel, and a DC-8 airplane at the Harrisburg Airport in Middletown, PA.

For a professional like the soft-spoken McCann, there is an efficiency and safety which rely on a keen understanding of structures and construction, and developing the strategy to dismantle those elements. This means he is usually on the inside - working up close and personal. “Gravity is the main tool of demolition. Tear it down, not up,” McCann advises.

McCann works hard and plays hard, including jet skiing and attending music festivals. With a collection of over 2,000 albums and an uncounted number of CDs, he loves all types of music. Steve admits that demolition attracts a “rare breed.” For him, the dare of it all is there - working without fear of heights and subjecting himself to a full body workout every day. “Every project is different,” he says, “so the strategy and tactics change to fit the job. I get a sense of accomplishment from it.”