Were you guy's from & what do you do?

[Nac]

I was just curious to know whare everybody was from and what kind of work and hoe big they are just to know and for possible networking. I just was asked to bid a site job about 3 ac. of virgin land to clear, grade, curbs, sidewalks, parking lot, lighting, storm system, utilities hookups and building excavation. Looking at the plans just ballparking it I am guessing $700,000.00 price and up range. Will start to a take off tommarow. Was intrest in other smaller contractors maybee to do a joint venture.
by the way:
Nuccio Construction, LLC
Conncrete, Masonry & Excavation
NJ area
3-6 employees
New home construction and small site work contractor

[nitescapes]

If you were only a little closer..say 3 states LOl...I am from Va. I am just started my own landscape & Construction co.

I want to stay mostly in hard-scapes, water features, low voltage lighting & grade and sodding for the landscape and would like to get into mild excvating such as lot clearing, basements, utilities, grading and work into bigger projects once I establish my name as a quality contractor.

Currently I am doing all aspects of landscaping. I am also doing erision control and some decent little contstructions bids(2 two car garge bids complete with paver driverways are on the table right now waiting for the customers to make their mind up! :drinkup

Justin :usa


J.W. Reid Landscape & Construction
Stafford, Va 22556
540-764-2734
nitescapes@earthlink.net

[Steve Frazier]

I'm just outside Popughkeepsie, N.Y. and run a rinky dink lanscaping company. I've got a lawn maintenance crew and I specialize in Unilock hardscapes. We cover all the bases though for our customers, there isn't much we don't do if asked.

[Cat420]

I'm just around the corner from Steve. I help do a bunch of stuff for the family business. We would like to build 2 or 3 houses a year, but property in this area is expensive. Right now we are doing some minor excavation jobs, but as you guys know excavation is feast or famine.
Family business- Heaven Sent Homes inc.
My Mom's business- Above Average Realty (3% commissions, Pm me if you want the number)

[DKinWA]

I'm about half an hour west of our state capitol and work roughly 20-25 miles around our home. Right now I work alone, but have some experienced family members that are willing to help out whenever I need it. I also do this part time and was going to go full time this year, but due to some circumstances beyond my control I've decided to wait till next year.

Right now I'm targeting smaller jobs no one else seems to want. Most of them are 1-3 day jobs, but tend to be good money makers since there's very few of us that will even do them. I also target jobs that require smaller equipment which also limits my competition. My long term goal is to build a small business around smaller jobs (less than 5 days) and keep myself and two or three others working year round. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)

Having just said this, tomorrow I'm looking at an 8-10 acre clearing job!

[Electra_Glide]

Right now I'm targeting smaller jobs no one else seems to want. Most of them are 1-3 day jobs, but tend to be good money makers since there's very few of us that will even do them. I also target jobs that require smaller equipment which also limits my competition. My long term goal is to build a small business around smaller jobs (less than 5 days) and keep myself and two or three others working year round. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)



DKinWA,

Your description sounds pretty much like me (small 1-3 day jobs, working on my own). I'm about 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. This is my first year out on my own, and like you, I'm doing it part time. I'd like this to become a full-time thing somewhere down the road, but it has to pay the bills.

I'd be interested in hearing what you've done to "market yourself". Up to now, I've been using word-of-mouth, and it's going pretty slow. It seems that around here everybody is towing around a skid-steer and is willing to work for cheap, cheap, cheap. Either that, or most customers think your just "pushing around some dirt", and arean't really willing to pay for it.

Joe

[DKinWA]

I've found a decent add in our local newspaper has helped a lot. I think I pay around $120 a month, but it pays for itself each month. I've also gotten both my pickup and dumptruck lettered and I think it helps with the familiarity issue. The only downside was having to change my pickup to my commercial policy and having to pay a little more for insurance. Again, I think the cost of the lettering has already paid for itself. The rest of my work comes from word of mouth which is probably around 50%.

I've found with working a full time job, union responsibilities, starting construction on our new home, and running a part time business more than I can handle as it is. No use digging my grave too early. Next year our home will be done, union responsibilities will be passed on and I'll have time to really start working on the business. Man, I can't wait.

[CascadeScaper]

DK, we're doing the same thing as you, or at least that's our goal, to be doing 1-3 day jobs with out excavator and skid steer. We're going to take some pictures of our equipment and have "rack cards" as my dad calls them printed up by a printing company in town. They're supposed to be like those little 2 sided cards that are about 4 inches wide and 8 inches tall, just a little something we can give to someone if they are interested in our services. Around here, everyone has a backhoe, a dumptruck and is missing a couple teeth (haha, had to add that in, it's so true around here though). I'd like to fill the compact equipment market that isn't currently being serviced by anybody. Although I'm feeling really bleak about the services we can offer, I can't look around and instantly come up with a ton of services that we could offer, but I'm going to start somewhere. We're doing a job for the city municipality laying some sod and doing some irrigation work. The guy in charge asked us if we had some equipment and when we told him we did, he asked us if we would like to do subcontract work for the city as it becomes available. So far I've come up with this list of services for us to put on our rack cards: Site prep, light land clearing, utility trenching, slope stabilization, drainage systems, light road building, light demolition. Hopefully we'll get off to a good start, the 303CR will be here tomorrow! Can't wait!

[coopers]

Cascade, I see you're from Chelan. I stay at a house on Wapato Point every summer. How is the business over there? I agree with you that everyone has a machine, I see that a lot. Passing by homes you seem to see a backhoe in every driveway. Do you think there is a need for compact equipment over there? I guess there are enough homes and neighborhoods where a compact machine would be usefull. What about doing work for the US Forest Service or some other large outfit? There is a customer that comes into my work a lot and his excavation company does work for the US FS every once in a while. Anyway....

Blake
WA

[Dwan Hall]

Not sure what kind of title you would put on what I do.
I guess just about anything that someone is willing to pay for as long as it is legal, and if things ever get tight that may change. LOL
I have a plowing, sanding, removal business in the winter then in the spring I sweep up the sand I put down then repaint the lines on parking lots. I run 6 F350 plows, 3 975 Bobcats, an all wheel drive 10 X 10 F600, L9000 10 wheeler, Cat IT 28, in the winter and in the spring and summer I drag out a TB 070 Takuchi excavator, along with a Bomag 100 double drum roller, 500 and 300 gal hydroseeder, Royer shreader for producing topsooil, 3 street sweepers (pelican, Mobil, Elgin aircub), 3 walk behind paint stripers, Ditch witch plow, and trencher, Utility locater (Radio Detection RD400) Power ram push box for trenchless utility work. Just bought a AustinWestern all wheel drive grader to restore, have my own shop 56' wide 26' deep 4 bays with a 9000 2 post lift. own a warehouse which I rent out and 1 acre of comercial land which I am in the proces of designing a mini storage.
I am member of the local 302 (operating engineers), licenced plumber, 2nd class boiler licence, class A CDL with all indorcements (except Haz) including M/C. 20 years as an Electronics technition, install underground utilitys, (water, sewer, electrical, cable, fiber, phone), install landscapes, (plant rock gardens, hydroseed, grade yards, install driveways, build roads, lot prep for new homes.
Produce and sell topsoil, sell washrock, D-1, sand, p-rock, fill, bolders, Coverit storage shelters, and produce vinyl graphics for trucks and other equipment along with street and parking lot signs. (custom signs)
I came to Alaska back in 1976 with $97.00 and a wife. Still have the wife and have built my business to be worth 7 figures with little outside help. I have 1 helper in the summer and 3 including my wife in the winter. By the way I was a highschool dropout. My mother always told me if I didn't finish highschool I would be diging ditches and sweeping streets for a living. Damm if she wasn't right.

Dwan

[9420pullpan]

i live around the allentown area. i work for American Infrastructure a some what of a large company. Allan A. Myers, T.C. Simmons, R.G. Griffith are all companies of American Infrastructure and Independance Construction Materials. Allan A. Myers is out of Worcester PA, T.C. Simmons is located in Maryland and R.G. Griffith is located in Virginia.


http://www.americaninfrastructure.com/

[DR RPM]

I am a field supervisor for canada's largest environmental and industrial demolition contractor, we run a fleet of 80 excavators, in 5 provinces along with 35 landfills and disposal sites. If we can't shear it up or clean it up and get rid of it, I don't know who can. :bash