William Haugland is an entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in the construction industry. Bill started his career as an Operating Engineer. He then studied at Hudson Valley College with a major in Electrical Construction. He was selected for the Northeastern Apprentice Training Program (NEAT). Bill completed the 7,000-hour program and graduated in three and a half years as a Journeyman Lineman. Shortly after, he started B&J, a company specializing in underground and overhead electrical line work. In 1990, Bill sold B&J to the Asplundh Tree Expert Company and formed a utility construction division, which was shortly thereafter renamed Asplundh Construction and is still in business today. Bill led them through a great period of growth and success with his strong leadership skills and innovative ideas.
In 1999, Bill left Asplundh Construction and formed a partnership with KeySpan Energy (now National Grid). Shortly after, he bought out KeySpan’s interest and formed the company, Hawkeye. In 2003, during his ownership of Hawkeye, Bill also built and now owns a 54 MW power plant in Greenport, which is under contract to Long Island Power Authority. In six short years, Bill’s team at Hawkeye grew to over 1,200 employees and more than $250 million in sales. Hawkeye was sold in 2006 to Tenaska (a private independent energy company), where Bill remained CEO for three years.
Bill’s next acquisition was in December 2006. He purchased the Grace Asphalt Plant from Mr. Grace and family, then sold it four years later to the New York City Department of Transportation. Bill started Grace Industries and entered the heavy highway civil construction industry. Now, combined with Haugland Energy as the utility construction provider, Grace Industries furthers Haugland Group’s ability to perform complex construction projects with 1200+ employees. Bill also owns a marine terminal business with two water sites in Inwood and Glen Cove in Nassau County, LI that provides heavy highway civil construction materials, marine transport, and trucking services.
Given his wealth of knowledge and experience, Bill is now leading his latest business endeavors to great success in the construction industry. Bill says that his business model is simple: “Build a great team, work safe and smart, and provide our employees with the best equipment and tools that are well-maintained.”
Bill is proud to be a union contractor and is very involved in all aspects of training and safety. He has served in multiple roles and is still a member of many boards. Bill maintains strong relationships with industry leaders, local union workers, and the International Building Trades and Electrical Workers Unions (IBEW). He is also a certified IBEW lineman and a long-standing member of the Operating Engineers Local Union 138.
Bill is an officer and board member of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), which negotiates collective-bargaining agreements with the IBEW in ten states in the Northeast. He also serves as a Trustee of NYU Langone Health. In addition, two of Bill’s sons, Bill Jr. and Joseph, are currently sitting on building trade boards.
Through the Haugland Family Foundation, Bill has donated millions to support hospitals, education, medical research, children’s causes, as well as marine and other environmental initiatives that matter deeply to him.