A Pittsburgh-founded roofing company that spent nearly two decades working from temporary locations across Central Ohio has settled in Gahanna for good, and its first major local project is generating electricity for the city's new Civic Center.

Burns & Scalo Roofing constructed three solar carports at the Gahanna Civic Center at 825 Tech Center Drive, installations the city expects will cut about 10% off the building's annual electric bill, according to a city profile published Wednesday, Aug. 19, in CityScene Columbus.

Kevin Schultz, senior director of operations and project manager for the Civic Center, said the city will spend the next year establishing an energy baseline for the building before confirming the savings figure.

The carports sit alongside EV charging stations and will also shade pavement to slow asphalt deterioration and shield police and city fleet vehicles from weather.

From branch office to local player

Burns & Scalo, a 70-year-old family-owned company, expanded into Central Ohio in 2007 but operated from temporary locations for years. The company cut the ribbon on its permanent Ohio headquarters at 1070 Tech Center Drive on April 15, 2025, with nearly 75 guests including Mayor Laurie Jadwin and Gahanna Area Chamber of Commerce President Derrick Clay, according to Roofing Contractor magazine.

The 35,000-square-foot building sits on nine acres, just around the corner from the Civic Center it now helps power.

"What we've learned is to not be the branch office from Pittsburgh, but to be the local Ohio office," Jack Scalo, president and CEO of Scalo Companies, said in the city profile. "Clients prefer to deal with the local company. I think the statement that we made with the headquarters solidified that in terms of the commitment and the confidence that we have in our business in this market."

The company is in its second generation of leadership under Jack Scalo, with his son John Scalo, senior vice president, preparing to take the helm as the third generation.

How the Civic Center contract came together

The connection was direct. Elford, Inc. served as general contractor for both Burns & Scalo's headquarters and the Civic Center. When the city wanted solar for its new building, Elford's team reached out to Burns & Scalo because the company had already installed a solar carport and rooftop array at its own headquarters nearby.

The Civic Center carports use the same panels and modules as the ones at Burns & Scalo's building, with a slightly different rack system to fit the site layout.

Burns & Scalo was also nominated for two awards at the Gahanna Economic Summit and Business Excellence Awards: Employer of the Year and Creative Design.

The Civic Center at 825 Tech Center Drive consolidates City Hall, the Gahanna Division of Police and the Senior Center under one roof. The city plans to finalize its energy baseline over the coming year to confirm the solar savings estimate.