Erosion Control Startup, How to market it?

[BDeer]

Ive been contemplating going into the erosion control business. My background is in Civil Construction management; so that is where my familiarity comes from with erosion control. I'm trying to figure out the best market to target and how to target them. I know civil jobs and what erosion control is required with them but I also feel like it might be easier to land my first few contracts with a home builder or small development. My problem is how to market to them, emails and cold calls to everyone in the phone book? Do I take out an ad in the yellowpages?

Any insight would be helpful.

 

[CM1995]

Erosion control is a tough business to be in unless you invest large sums of money to have specialized equipment. The problem is anyone can get into installing silt fencing, wattles, rock bags, hay mat, etc with a 1 ton pickup and a rental account for a trencher or access to laborers.

The larger companies that have hydro-seeders, hay blowers, tractors, trenchers, skids, etc can provide a larger variety of services and do it on a larger scale. This eliminates the smaller guys that don't have or have access to this type of equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to discourage you, it's just my honest opinion of this business. However, environmental regulations are only getting more stringent with the EPA's phasing of the Clean Water Act requirements for construction sites. This will obviously create more opportunity in this field but we need the construction projects to start back up to create demand for it.

 

[Drc]

Join a plan room or plan center, and bid everything within your work area, maybe the state department of transportation have internet access to plans and bid tabulations.

Pull bid results, bid tab's and abstracts on public job you can and see what the market is doing and who is getting the work.

 

[Acivil]

If you want to do public work, your only shot is to get a DBE/WBE/CSB status... Prime contractors (at least in this region) on public work almost always look to Erosion Control to meet quota. As far as marketing, my experience is cold calling, get to know compliance officials in your area and get on their mind so when they red tag a site and the contractor needs help they can offer them a place to start, plan rooms, job trailers, salesmen from local rental companies, signs on your installations once you get going. Do some research, make contact with desirable suppliers and put together a catalogue of products/services you offer, then start calling on design engineers to push your pet products in their design of upcoming projects. Listen to the problems the contractors you talk to express and figure out how you can be their solution. KEEP YOUR OVERHEAD LOW! The largest problem I have identified with this business is that much of the work is labor intensive, but contractors demand high production IE:I just got topsoil on 5 acres of 2:1 slopes and its supposed to rain tomorrow so I need them matted this afternoon... Don't pander to that type of poor planning or that will become what is expected of you and the payroll involved with keeping enough people to satisfy that type of demand will eat your lunch on the days when you don't have 5 acres of matting to roll. There is also a lot of room for innovation in the BMP market as it is relatively young, so break out the crayons and do something tricky!

 

[CM1995]

KEEP YOUR OVERHEAD LOW! The largest problem I have identified with this business is that much of the work is labor intensive, but contractors demand high production IE:I just got topsoil on 5 acres of 2:1 slopes and its supposed to rain tomorrow so I need them matted this afternoon... Don't pander to that type of poor planning or that will become what is expected of you and the payroll involved with keeping enough people to satisfy that type of demand will eat your lunch on the days when you don't have 5 acres of matting to roll. There is also a lot of room for innovation in the BMP market as it is relatively young, so break out the crayons and do something tricky!

Very good advice!

 

[engi]

I would say if you are small the key would be to specialize.

Find something difficult that doesn't come up on every contract and market yourself as a specialist. Top of my head I think of in-stream works...aqua-dams, turbidity curtains, get to know the regulatory and permitting process for your local environmental inspection boards and offer quarterback permit applications and paperwork during the project kick-off stage if you are selected. Offer to help write the environmental protection plan for tender submission...once you have 3-4 of those canned they are easy to generate.

Anybody can kick out coco-matting and stand-up silt fence...focus on the tough stuff nobody wants to do...market yourself as a problem solver.

 

[KrayzKajun]

his is the route I plan to follow with my new endeavor. been doing a lot of research on the Stormwater, Erosion and Sediment management. Seems there is a real market for that stuff especially down south in my area. Not only in residential/commercial developments, but in industrial and coastal/wetland restoration. I'm working on a couple of certifications through the state of louisiana and the EPA. I'm drawing up a business plan to work off of. Goal is to start small with stormwater/retention pond repairs & maintenance, drainage installs/repairs and construction site erosion control. Then eventually evolve into a full scale Stormwater/Erosion System design & development.

 

[MunkyMayhem]

plan to be hosed on prices. The biggest problem was getting paid for the work done as what the contractor requested wasn't always paid under contract. Also the price for the remediation were so high and if things were incorrectly installed. Honestly I would recommend that you consult for a while on the design side to see the other players then branch out into your own company.