Tag: Contractor of the Year finalist: Page 4

Business

A construction success story at 30, James MacKay likes “the jobs no one else wants”

When asked to describe how he started in construction, James MacKay laughs. “I got into a little bit a trouble when I was in high school,” he says. His father, a construction veteran, promptly dropped James off at a friend’s paving job…and that contractor, just as promptly, put him on a jackhammer. But rather than […]

December 22, 2016

Contractor of the Year

Focus on top-notch employees, business diversity grows success for Missouri’s B&P Excavating

Mike Brown has never had a job that wasn’t in construction. For 17 years, he worked as a general contractor superintendent for a large construction company before venturing out on his own. He started in 1992 with just one backhoe. Now that backhoe – and the desire to make a mark his own way – […]

November 24, 2016

Contractor of the Year

Training up younger workers, diversification at heart of GMP Contracting’s passion for the work

Building something from nothing is in Joe Porchetta’s blood. The son of an Italian immigrant who watched his father and grandfather build a life in a new country by starting a curb and sidewalk company, Porchetta got his first experience in construction at around 9 or 10 years old. Though his father passed away when […]

September 16, 2016

Business

California’s Hansen Bros. is a family construction business in more ways than one

Jeff Hansen knows a thing or two about tests, not the kind you get in school but the kind life throws at you—sometimes known as opportunities. Although Hansen grew up working in the construction business started by his grandfather and great uncles, he traveled out of state to attend college at the University of Nevada […]

August 26, 2016

Contractor of the Year

Inspired by father, Nebraska contractor built his company into an American Dream

The TCW in TCW Construction stands for “Tony’s Cement Works,” a tribute to the company started by Joe Delgado’s father, Lorenzo (Tony) Delgado. “We use his wheelbarrow logo to this day,” says Delgado, president of the Lincoln, Nebraska firm. In true American dream fashion, however, the son’s company has far eclipsed what his father started. […]

May 30, 2016

Business

Why this Colorado excavation contractor refuses to call his staff “employees”

Although it’s often said that you can’t please everyone all the time, Bradley Grubaugh says he’s sure going to try. With 35 years of construction experience, Bradley knew a thing or two about how to keep both clients and employees happy when he formed Bradley Excavating in Colorado Springs in 2002. With a scope of […]

May 4, 2016

Business

From digging graves as a boy to relocating a construction business during the recession, Tim Humerick built a career staring down the odds

Tim Humerick has spent little of his life doing things he didn’t want to do. There was the one time he got a job in high school at Kroger that lasted all of a couple of weeks. “It was kind of hard to get hours at my other job during the winter, so I went […]

January 18, 2016

Business

Wisconsin contractor is a role model for the industry and his community

Although different contractors can have vastly different motivators, the successful ones all share a similar internal drive – one that spurs them on to not only provide a comfortable life for themselves and their families, but to also be at the top of their game. For Sean McDowell of McDowell Construction in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, […]

November 17, 2015

Success Stories

This “crazy diverse” Iowa contractor thrives on doing work that other companies shun

“I knew from high school I wanted to be a contractor,” says Jeff Pettiecord. So he started doing small remodeling jobs shortly after graduating, and eventually started his company in 1984. But it was the early 1980s and times were tough. “I literally chased fire trucks,” Jeff recalls. He’d call on the owners of the fire-damaged […]

June 2, 2015

Success Stories

Third-generation contractor manages company transition by merging old values with new opportunities

For James Tollestrup, running the family business has included mastering the ability to transition the company from one phase to another. The third-generation contractor has taken Lethbridge, Alberta-based Tollestrup Construction to new levels of growth while maintaining the identity of his grandfather’s company. A changing identity Founded in 1940, the company has avoided experiencing growing […]

April 2, 2015

Success Stories

Lifelong love of construction gives third-generation contractor Brad Phillips a distinct advantage

When you ask Brad Phillips when he first became interested in construction, his answer is straightforward: “I can’t remember when I haven’t been.” And when you look at Brad’s background, his answer makes perfect sense. Brad is part of the third generation that runs Phillips Companies, Beavercreek, Ohio. The company, which was started by his […]

January 6, 2015

Success Stories

Impressive level of quality combined with a passion for his people keep Dallas contractor at the top of his field

After Vern Larman returned to the Dallas area from a two-year stint as a missionary in Bolivia, he found he had a passion and expertise for excavation. During his five years working for a pool excavation contractor he learned to master the excavator to become the company’s most profitable crew member. As his experience grew, […]

October 1, 2014