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D.J. Scheffler & Nye (DJSN) has established itself as a leader in the specialized world of foundation drilling and shoring. As the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, it marks four decades of taking on complex construction projects—from the edge of the Grand Canyon to the challenging slopes of the Pacific coast. We sat down with President Dale Scheffler to discuss the company’s evolution from a determined one-man operation to a premier pillar of the industry.
Foundations of an Entrepreneur
Q: Every great company starts with a spark. How did your journey in the construction industry begin?
Dale Scheffler: I’ve been working since I was 13 years old. I grew up working for my father. He ran his own window cleaning business, so I saw how entrepreneurs operate. But for me it really started in high school with a hands-on construction class where I got to build a house. I realized early on that I had an affinity for construction and an intuitive understanding of how things were put together.
In 1975, I entered a three-year apprenticeship with the cement mason’s union. During that time, I went to work with Ben F. Smith, a highly diversified concrete contractor, where I learned the concrete business from the ground up. We worked on tract homes, commercial buildings, and tilt up factory buildings. Pretty much everything you can imagine for concrete work.
Q: What was the focus of your work in those early years?
DS: I became a building contractor at first. But I really wanted to stick with the concrete. I built tennis courts, some tilt up, backyard pools and restaurants. I officially decided to work full time as a concrete contractor and started my business in February of 1979.
From Concrete to Specialized Drilling
Q: DJSN eventually became a leader in hillside drilling. What prompted that shift in focus?
DS: I was building a spec home in Diamond Bar that sat on incredibly hard rock. I couldn’t find a drilling contractor who could handle the site conditions without charging massive “extras” that ate all the profit. A geologist named Henry Lawrence was on the job and he introduced me to a customized drill rig that could get the work done on that project. I ended up buying it, re-engineering it to be more efficient, and later built two generations of that rig.
Around that same time, I did some caisson work for a Ford Motor Company executive’s home. That really excited me, I liked drilling down into the earth and placing concrete steel. On one of my first jobs I actually had to helicopter the steel into the hole. But it was after I bought that first rig that I realized there was a massive opening in the market for specialized services. So, I started adding equipment like the Texoma 50 drill rig. Now we have a fleet ranging from the massive Soilmec 930 to the surgical Klemm 702 mini rig for limited-access work.
Building Momentum and Expanding Expertise
Q: How has DJSN managed to grow so consistently over four decades?
DS: Our growth has been very organic, driven primarily by word-of-mouth. Originally, my mentor Howard Potter, who did soil sampling and hillside drilling, started letting people know that Dale Scheffler was the right man with the right equipment for the job. You can say we’ve relied on our reputation for quality. Because we deliver on difficult sites, we’ve built deep loyalty with a network of contractors, engineers, geologists, and suppliers. These relationships, nurtured over many years, have provided a steady stream of business.
Q: Where is the company focusing its operations today, and what markets are you currently serving?
DS: We service all of Southern California. Our work is a balanced mix of residential and commercial/industrial projects. The company is known for drilling successfully in hard rock and high-water table areas, on hillside and beach fronts. We are also recognized for designing and building for landslide and slope stabilizations.
Q: How does your approach to drilling differ from your competitors?
DS: Many larger firms focus on massive public works projects. We found our niche in difficult environments—hillside, beachfront and in limited access situations that require groundbreaking solutions and technical precision.
Growing the Business and Constructing a Legacy
Q: Over the last 40 years, the company has worked on some truly iconic projects. Which ones stand out?
DS: We’ve been fortunate to work on several landmark projects that require a high degree of technical skill. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Rose Bowl, Scorpion Pier, Santa Rosa Pier, and the bridge at Vandenberg Air Force Base are highlights. We’ve always been drawn to projects that others might find too challenging or risky.
Q: Beyond the high-profile projects, what does the “day-to-day” work look like for your crews?
DS: The core of our business is foundation drilling and shoring that supports residential and commercial growth across Southern California. This includes everything from CFA secant pile shoring on residential properties to large commercial shoring jobs for basements or underground parking facilities, including one that was ten stories deep. We’ve also become known for technically challenging work like landslide repair and slope stabilization. While a typical job might last two to three weeks, we have the capacity to handle multimillion-dollar projects that extend over a year.
Q: You recently celebrated your 40th anniversary. Looking back, what do you attribute your longevity to?
DS: Our longevity comes down to relationships and people. We’ve stayed consistent in our focus on innovation and high-quality work. We have maintained great working relationships with contractors, engineers, geologists, and suppliers for decades. But most importantly, we have an outstanding group of long-term employees who always get the job done right, which is why the safety of our crew is so important to us. We go to great lengths to ensure the safety of our employees while still providing a high-quality end result on all of our projects.
The Future in the Inland Empire
Q: How do you view the Inland Empire market moving forward?
DS: Currently, about 20% of our volume of work is centered in the Inland Empire. As the region continues to grow, specifically with tilt-up industrial buildings and new housing, we expect our footprint there to expand.
Q: Are you concerned about the current economic climate?
DS: Not particularly. We’ve built a business that is remarkably resistant to market fluctuations because our clients have the means to continue their projects regardless of the economy and stock market.
We have also been asked to help with the rebuilding efforts resulting from the fires in the Palisades and Malibu area. This is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Today, we are seeing a surge in requests and have several large-scale projects in the pipeline that are going to keep us busy.
Q: Any final thoughts on the future of DJSN?
DS: I feel incredibly grateful and fortunate. Very few companies reach the 40-year mark. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but we’ve always found a way to thrive. Now, I’m most excited about preparing the next generation to carry this legacy forward.
D.J. Scheffler & Nye is a foundation drilling contractor based in Pomona, CA, serving Southern California and beyond.
