Jill Gilstrap Clodfelter loves Clemson, her alma mater. In fact, she is so passionate about Clemson that she incorporates the school’s colors – purple and orange – into her daily life. Her kitchen, for example, is painted Clemson orange.
So, it seemed natural for Clodfelter, who holds a degree in civil engineering, to incorporate a Clemson color when starting her highway and utility contracting business, Regional Site Solutions of High Point, North Carolina. As a result, all of Clodfelter’s trucks and trailers – and now curb machines – are Clemson purple.
Regional Site Solutions specializes in landscaping, grading and utilities, and Clodfelter was subbing curb work until earlier this year. Deciding she wanted more control over that area of her business, Clodfelter ordered a Power Curbers 5700-Super-B. She wanted it in purple, and the factory complied. Clodfelter sees the distinctive color scheme as smart marketing. “They call me that crazy girl with those purple things, but they call me,” says Clodfelter. “They even call me if they see one of my trucks speeding.”
Clodfelter’s employees have dubbed the machine “Barney” after the purple cartoon dinosaur. Mary Mitchell, the machine’s operator, says she loves the work and she likes the machine, too. “When they told me the machine is purple, I said, ‘That’s my favorite color’,” Mitchell says. Mitchell, who had 17 years experience operating a Power Curber 5700 before joining Regional Site Solutions, says she expects a stuffed Barney to appear on the machine’s console any day.
Word for word
“They did not intend to cause any damage, but when one of them accidentally hit a trailer with a backhoe, they all thought it was funny.”
– Jackson County, Missouri Prosecutor Mike Sanders telling the Kansas City Star about three teenagers who destroyed $300,000 worth of construction equipment at a Bass Pro Shops development site after deciding to take the machines for a joyride.
“It seems a little silly to alter a construction project aimed at helping the entire ecosystem just for the benefit of a few birds, but that is what the law requires.”
– South Florida Water Management District board member Mike Collins to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about three barn oil chicks nesting in the path of a multi-billion dollar construction project.
“It’s a whole bunch of dirt, believe me.”
– Schemmer Associates engineer Randy Fehl to the Omaha World-Herald about moving 850,000 cubic yards of dirt – enough to reach to top of the Nebraska State Capitol if piled on a football field – in developing the site of a future shopping center.
