Aloysius X. Gleeson, the grandfather of our current president and CEO, began working for Giant in the mid 1950’s handling motor repairs and electrical services in the grocery stores and the bakery in downtown Silver Spring. In 1954, he started Al Gleeson Electrical Company, Inc. His wife was the first bookkeeper, and they ran their business out of their home in Washington, DC. The basement was their office, and the service trucks were in the garage.

By 1965, the company had grown and moved to its current Bladensburg address on Upshur Street. In the early days, services even included rebuilding electric motors, before they became more of a commodity. Al’s son, Frank Gleeson was an Electrician’s Mate in the Navy, during the Korean war and joined the family business when he returned home.

Frank Gleeson expanded the business from service and maintenance to include partnering with contractors for new construction and renovation projects. A relationship with Giant Food was already being built in the sixties, one that continues to this day. The company’s focus on businesses with critical electrical needs continued to grow, adding major food distribution and perishable food facilities.

Frank’s son, also Al — Aloysius E. Gleeson – joined the business in 1985 and after successfully managing the service and construction departments became President and COO in 1997. Al has carried on the tradition of maintaining a highly experienced team and delivery high-quality service. Wegmans expanded into our area in 2004, the Rochester based grocery chain is family owned and operated as are we. Gleeson handled the electrical construction for the first store in Sterling, VA and we also performed the electrical new construction at the first Maryland store in Hunt Valley.  Over the last 16 years as Wegmans Food Market has expanded further into Virginia and Maryland. Al Gleeson Electrical Co., Inc. has continued to be involved in new construction and electrical and plumbing maintenance in the Wegmans stores in our area.

Gleeson does not make ice cream, however one of our customers does.  Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream began a huge expansion with US Nestle of their Laurel plant beginning in 2004 and ending in 2006, with smaller additions and production lines added throughout the years since. Al Gleeson Electrical Co., Inc. was the electrical contractor on site during the expansion in Howard County that created one of the largest ice cream plants in the world; the size of 14 American Football fields. This was not our first project in food production or distribution facilities.  We continue to work at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream today.

In 2006, the natural complement of plumbing was added, with exceptionally talented Master Plumbers joining the Gleeson team. Al has protected the company’s longstanding relationships and built many more, expanding the company’s work with warehouse, industrial, manufacturers as well as more top tier grocery stores. Over the years our relationship has spanned three generations and we have grown along with Giant, now an Ahold Delhaize USA company.