For Thomas O’Connell, founder and president of Triple Star Construction Inc., success has never been about shortcuts or quick wins. It has been about resilience, integrity, and a lifelong commitment to the craft of building.
“Behind every successful person, you’ll see that there are a ton of mistakes,” Thomas says with a laugh. “My father’s old saying was, ‘You learn through your mistakes, so you should be a genius by now,’ and it’s true to this day. Every day is a new learning experience; it never stops.”
“Every day is a new learning experience; it never stops.”
That mindset has shaped a remarkable journey. Triple Star Construction began as a natural extension of Thomas’s decades-long career in construction. He first entered the industry at 16 years old, working as an electrician’s helper. Over the years, he built experience across multiple trades eventually establishing his own carpentry company, a business that evolved into the thriving general contracting firm Triple Star is today.
Thomas has seen nearly everything the market can throw at him. He weathered the 2008 financial crash and kept moving forward. “It hasn’t been an easy road,” he admits, “but whoever said building a business was easy?”
Today, the company has grown into a $50-million-a-dollar commercial general contracting firm, operating from corporate offices in New Jersey and Michigan and serving clients nationwide. But its heart remains deeply personal. Triple Star is a family-run business in the truest sense—Thomas now leads the firm alongside three of his children: Christina, Chief Financial Officer; John, Vice President of Operations; and BrookeLynn, Marketing and Office Manager. With the hope that Thomas Jr., who just graduated from engineering school, will be joining the company soon.
The company’s name itself carries that legacy. “CGT Triple Star is my family,” Thomas says. “I’m very grateful this company grew—and it truly is family owned. I get up every morning thinking, ‘How lucky could another man possibly be?’ I didn’t have this in the beginning, but now I get to share it with my family. There’s nothing like that.”
For Thomas, people, both family and employees, are the cornerstone of everything. “We care so passionately about what we do,” he says. “We don’t take shortcuts. The people are the core of this company.”
He speaks with pride of the firm’s seasoned superintendents and project managers. “We have the best project managers of all time,” he says. “We’ve gone through a lot to get the right people. The people we have now, between the office and in the field, are highly trained, and they care about what they do. That’s what it’s about: caring and loving the work. If you don’t love what you’re doing right now, don’t do it. It’s a waste of life.” That philosophy, quality over quantity, has guided Triple Star’s growth. “You can achieve a lot with really good people,” Thomas remarks, “but it’s difficult to achieve anything with people that don’t care.”
Triple Star’s roots are in carpentry, a trade Thomas mastered early in his career. “I learned to build before ever being in business.” The company’s early projects were car dealerships and car washes, a niche that Thomas and his team came to dominate. “At one point, I probably built more car washes than anyone in the Tri-State area.” Over time, the business expanded into retail, restaurants, and animal-hospital construction, the latter of which has become one of Triple Star’s defining specialties.
“We started building animal hospitals about 13 years ago and that’s really become one of our fortes. We’re known throughout the country, especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest.”
Triple Star’s recent projects highlight its technical range and consistency. In Michigan, the company completed a full remodel and renovation of emergency animal center, a 31,000-square-footfacility that now includes state-of-the-art treatment areas, operating suites, imaging rooms, and diagnostic labs.
A New Jersey project, an 11,000 square-foot interior build-out, featured new treatment, exam, dental, and surgical suites. In Pennsylvania, the company just completed a 5,000 square foot interior fit out, including new treatment spaces, exam rooms, radiology, and an elevator upgrade.
Current projects in the animal care industry include a ground up build in New Jersey and a large interior built out in Long Island, New York. Triple Star has also completed projects this past year in NJ, NY, PA, MA, VA, MI, MN, with more on the horizon.
Beyond veterinary facilities, Triple Star is forging strong partnerships in the commercial and retail space. The company recently completed a fit-out for a restaurant chain in Manhattan in addition to another fit-out for the same chain in downtown Detroit.
Across every market, Triple Star’s reputation rests on the quality of its work and its commitment to deadlines. “We have steady major corporate and private clients,” Thomas says, “It takes time to get into this position. We pride ourselves on the quality we deliver. We’re not the least expensive company on the planet, but we always deliver projects on time or ahead of schedule. It’s quality work at a reasonable cost.
This year, the company expanded into larger offices, allowing it to manage operations nationwide while maintaining close oversight on every job. The move reflects both growth and a long-term vision: to keep building the company without compromising its family-owned spirit. This is about legacy as much as business. “It’s going to be owned by these kids eventually,” he says. “That’s the plan.”
For Thomas, the foundation of all success can be summed up in one word: integrity. “If you have integrity in life, you’re going to have integrity in business,” he says. “We are and always will be transparent with our clients. That honesty, he explains, is something he learned from his father. “My dad taught me integrity just by being who he was,” he says. “When I started having children, I realized I needed to show them by action, by doing the right thing. Your life transcends into your business, and your life practices transcend into your business practice.”
After over 30 years, Triple Star Construction continues to accelerate.
“We’re projecting more growth and success going forward; My goal is to keep growing so my children keep this legacy going.”
That confidence is not unfounded. With a loyal client base, a dedicated team, and a family leadership model that keeps values front and center, Triple Star has become a model of sustainable growth in commercial construction. Thomas says simply. “It will always be a family-run business. We’re not afraid of hard work, and we don’t take shortcuts. You do the right thing, you hire good people, and you stand behind your work. That’s how you build a company that lasts.”
From veterinary hospitals to restaurants and retail fit-outs, from one man’s carpentry shop to a multi-state general contractor, Triple Star Construction stands as proof that integrity and perseverance still build the strongest foundations of all.
