The family business that’s been blowing stuff up since 1947

The Loizeaux family business is booming. Literally.

Source: Controlled Demolition, Inc.

The family business that’s been blowing stuff up since 1947

The Loizeaux family business is booming. Literally.

For 3 generations, the Loizeauxs have operated Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI). They use explosives to turn massive structures into tidy piles of rubble in seconds.

And it all started in 1947…

… when CDI’s founder, John D. “Jack” Loizeaux flattened his 1st structure. Over the decades since, Jack’s wife, sons, and descendents have played key roles in CDI’s business.

CDI really hit the ground running in 1957 when it imploded 3 buildings in Washington to make way for the US Department of State headquarters.

CDI also holds numerous world records, including:

  • The world’s largest structure (by volume)… demolished with explosives.
  • The tallest man-made structure… demolished with explosives.
  • The world’s largest building (by square footage)… demolished with explosives.

Most recently, CDI helped first responders safely bring down part of a building in Surfside, Florida, following the tragic collapse that killed 98 people.

CDI is also a… media company?

CDI has a YouTube channel that boasts 44m+ views and showcases its work imploding things like hotels, bridges, and chimneys.

The company has also worked with Hollywood on explosions in films like “Lethal Weapon 3,” “Enemy of the State,” and “The Dark Knight.”

If you’ve seen “The Dark Knight,” you know the scene where the Joker blows up an entire hospital. Well, now you also know that it was actually the Loizeaux family doing the blowing up.

In case explosions are your thing, here’s a 10-minute video of CDI imploding massive buildings to soothing music.

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