His wife, Martha Blizzard, was about ready to close the business, when son Robin Blizzard approached her about taking a new direction – clearing lots for mobile homes.
They bought a small dozer, backhoe and dump truck. Robin began clearing lots making about $200 a day.
Today, the company has large residential, commercial and government customers and employs about 75 people. It was named one of 12 finalists for Equipment World’s 2025 Contractor of the Year Award.
One Lot at a Time
Martha and Robin Blizzard Equipment World
“I thought, ‘Oh, my God, how are we going to pay for that?” Martha recalls. “But the bank loaned that money. And then at the end, we sold the house, and then we built another.”
The company later branched into commercial metal buildings, tile flooring, carpet, countertops, wallpaper. Martha also ran a business sewing laundry bags for the laundry industry.
Their son, Robin Blizzard, had worked for Caterpillar dealer Blanchard Machinery for about three years after high school. His real love was moving dirt. He had no interest in homebuilding or selling ceramic tile. At that time, the residential construction market had tanked, and mobile homes were becoming popular.
His parents agreed in 1999 to shift the company to site work.
While clearing lots for mobile homes, Robin was approached about installing sewer lines. His profit margin on his first job was $80,000 – much better than the $200 a day. He began expanding into water lines and later paving.
He worked long hours, and it helped that the family business was well-known in the area.
“We just made a name for ourselves doing good quality work,” Robin says.
“By 2005, we were rolling.”
The Great Recession
Equipment World
The company scrambled to find jobs anywhere it could.
“From 2008 to 2012, we did anything we could to keep the payroll,” Robin says.
That included school construction sites, municipal work, commercial projects, driveways. He would offer to perform site work and other services to pay off those the company owed money to.
“He just kept telling me, ‘Just keep the doors open. Do what you can,’” Martha recalls. “We robbed Peter to pay Paul.”
After four years of struggling to make payroll, the end was in sight.
“When 2012 rolled around, it was like somebody opened the floodgates, and we could see the light,” Robin says.
“We’ve been growing ever since 2012.”
Continuous Growth
Kershaw Builders' multi-million-dollar parks and recreation project for Kershaw County is taking shape.Kershaw Builders Inc.
In the past six years, the company has seen rapid growth of 25% to 30% a year, expanding from $3 million to $5 million in annual revenue to $16 million in 2024.
Robin says he watched the larger companies whose projects KBI worked on. He learned how they structured their management, how they used construction management software, and how they handled employee relations, benefits and training.
“Some of these bigger companies, they want to see you succeed, because they want you there for the next project,” Robin says.
Third Generation Comes Aboard
Hunter and Robin Blizzard on KBI jobsiteEquipment World
He’s now a project manager and leads crews on some of the company’s largest projects.
“I just enjoyed it,” he says. “I love what I do today.”
Other family members have also joined the company. Hunter’s wife, Ashleigh, is an estimator and performs 3D modeling. Robin’s wife and Hunter’s mom, Amy Blizzard, serves as administrative assistant.
Ashleigh BlizzardEquipment World
Ready in an Emergency
KBI’s local government and state department of transportation relationships often mean it gets calls at all hours for emergency work.
“They call us because we’re going to get it done,” Robin says.
A high-profile example of this came around Christmas 2023 when a bridge on Interstate 20 failed, causing the busy westbound highway section near Camden to shut down.
TV news stations were soon on the scene. People were angry about the traffic jams. Facebook was blowing up with posts of people complaining and wondering when it would reopen.
KBI just happened to be working hundreds of yards away on another bridge project on I-20 and brought in its equipment. Robin, Hunter and the company's crews worked around the clock from December 21 to 23 to help get traffic moving again.
“They say they’re going to do something, and then they do it,” says client Russell English, project manager for Connelly Builders Inc. “… Those guys were out there 24 hours a day to get that bridge back open.”
KBI crews worked around the clock to help reopen the I-20 Wateree River Bridge in Camden, South Carolina, that failed just before Christmas 2023.Kershaw Builders Inc.
Staying Diversified
After the Great Recession, Robin has made a point to keep Kershaw Builders with a broad range of services.
The company has crews that specialize in specific areas, making them efficient and productive. Robin and Hunter are hands-on, both spending much of their time out in the field and making sure project managers and crews stay updated with documentation and daily reports.
“If I was to leave today because I had something going on, the next project manager could step in my place and know where I was at,” Robin says. “Our customers, developers know that when we come out there, we're going to take it on and do the job start to finish. And no matter who we send out there, they're going to have the same train of thought that the project manager before had when he was there.”
Along with being a family-owned company, KBI is well-known for its community involvement, including offering free sandbags to people before Hurricane Debby struck, volunteering, and educating kids about the construction industry.
“Robin, Hunter and Martha are all stand-up folks,” says Jeff Jones, southeast regional manager for JM Wood Auction, “and you can see it in the company they have built.”
