In memoriam: David Mardigian

David Mardigian passed away Jan. 9, 2016, peacefully at home. He was 64. He was founder and CEO of the demolition firm MCM Management Co., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and a pioneer of industrial and environmental repurposing.

His obituary describes Mardigian as having a larger-than-life personality and a huge heart. “He was passionate about work, loved his family wholeheartedly and will be sorely missed,” the obituary states.

MCM Management, the company he founded, is among the largest demolition firms in the country. It recorded revenues of $116 million in 2013 and had 300 employees as reported in the November-December 2014 issue Construction & Demolition Recycling.

Mardigian founded MCM in 1993 was providing executive oversight of design, estimating, field operations and client relationships until his death. The company’s website says Mardigian began working in the demolition field in 1966 as a summer laborer.

His “career emphasis throughout his career has been to achieve low unit costs through productivity, the highest degree of safety, meeting schedules thought to be impossible, while minimizing the impact of demolition operations on adjacent property owners and the general public. Mechanical means have always been employed to limit manual labor, thereby limiting exposure to most worker safety hazards,” the website adds.

The Washington-based National Demolition Association described Mardigian as a “pioneer of industrial and environmental repurposing and was actively involved in shaping NDA's sponsorship of the an educational program for demolition at Purdue University.

Dan Costello, NDA Awards Chairman stated, "The memory of his strong belief in providing education for our industry should be remembered by our members in his name."

David was survived by his wife of 23 years, Bonnie Jean Mardigian, five children and three grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Grace Gospel Fellowship Church, in Pontiac, Michigan. Memorial tributes can be made to Grace Gospel Fellowship, 65 E Huron St., Pontiac, Michigan 48342.