Posted February 19, 2009

By Nadia Maria Smith
CS&T Staff Writer

BENSALEM – O’ Sullivan Sons, a construction company based in Bensalem, is weathering the economic storm well thanks to spanersification and business practices based on sound Catholic principles, according to owner Bill O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan and his brother John began their business 13 years ago doing all phases of construction, including new construction, remodeling and commercial and institutional work for schools both Catholic and public.

“We run an honest business,” said O’Sullivan, a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish. “We believe you can’t go against the rules of God, so we’ve been rather successful at what we’ve done. We run our business according to the guidelines of the Church.”

The brothers, products of Catholic schools, were influenced by their father, a business owner, and their uncle, a general contractor.

“My uncle was a contractor for 40 years and I worked with him for a long time,” O’Sullivan said.” [And] our dad’s company manufactured steel picket fences like you see along Penn’s Landing and the Vine Street Expressway. His company also did work for the U.S. embassies in France and Cyprus,” he added.

His father closed his company in the early 1990s, which was the catalyst for the O’Sullivan brothers to start their own.

O’Sullivan Sons also does custom carpentry and millwork for their clients, as well as windows, fencing and railings. Some of their brass railings can be found in area churches such as Our Lady of Grace in Penndel, Queen of Peace, Ardsley, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bensalem and Holy Innocents in Philadelphia.

The brothers make sure they give back to their faith community so it isn’t a surprise that they have done pro bono repair work for poorer parishes or helped out whenever they could.

“We used to donate a lot of time at Our Lady of Fatima School. It was the very first school that offered full day kindergarten in the area and so we built all the bookcases, fixed the library, rearranged everything and painted the entire school,” O’Sullivan recalled.

Faith has guided not only his business, but his personal life too.

O’Sullivan has been married for more than 20 years and has two sons – his youngest has a life-threatening disease.

“If I didn’t have my faith I would fall apart,” he said. “I have some really close friends who have helped me through this.”

Among them are a number of priests, he said. “I am really blessed to have met a lot of good men,” he said.

For more information about O’Sullivan Sons, call 215-639-8246 and ask for Bill or John.

CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith may be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.