CalContractor - 2019 Grading & Excavating

Moves Millions of Yards of Earth on Newly Reconstructed Trampas Canyon Reservoir and Dam Project

12 ROVE ENGINEERING, INC. 18 MIKE ZARP, INC. & CMZ EXCAVATION INC. 25 PEED EQUIPMENT COMPANY

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Grading &

CONTENTS

Excavating Issue

Feature Articles 06

SUKUT CONSTRUCTION

Moves Millions of Yards of Earth on Newly Constructed Trampas Canyon Reservoir and Dam Project

06

12

ROVE ENGINEERING, INC.

18

MIKE ZARP, INC. & CMZ EXCAVATION, INC.

24

Turns to ECCO Equipment Corporation for Rental of Heavy Machinery on Highway 111 Emergency Project for Caltrans

Two Companies Cut From the Same Cloth of Family Pride, Exceptional Customer Service and Uncommon Jobsite Production

12

PEED EQUIPMENT COMPANY

Continues to Impress with Industry-Leading Customer Satisfaction and Reliability

18 CalContractor Magazine / www.calcontractor.com PUBLISHER: Kerry Hoover khoover@calcontractor.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Brian Hoover, CMS, LLC Ian Hoover, CMS, LLC

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Sukut Construction Moves Millions of Yards of Earth on Newly Reconstructed Trampas Canyon Reservoir and Dam Project

Below: Grading of the reservoir bottom is nearly complete.

Ultimately the reservoir will hold over 5,000 acre-feet of water.

By Brian Hoover

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C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Above & Right: Cat 657 scrapers excavating for dam core material.

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ocated in the hills just south of Ortega Highway in Rancho Mission Viejo, you will find an earthen dam initially built to support a sand mining operation in the early 70s.

After nearly five decades, Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) is reconstructing the reservoir to provide recycled water for use during anticipated periods of drought. The construction of what is now the Trampas Canyon Dam will allow the nearby Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant to recycle all of its wastewater and save the recycled water for when it is needed later in the year. The $123 million-plus reservoir is being paid for through a Proposition 1 grant, a State Water Resources Control Board low-interest loan, along with funds from the city of Rancho Mission Viejo and other District reserves and funds. When complete, the 5,000-acre-foot dam will have a capacity of 1.6 billion gallons of water, making it the largest surface water reservoir in south Orange County.

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The SMWD board of directors authorized the construction of the Trampas Canyon Dam in November 2017, naming Sukut Construction as the prime general contractor.

Greg LeBlanc, P.E., is the project manager for Sukut Construction, LLC (Sukut) overseeing the Trampas Canyon Dam project that began Jan. 31, 2018. “This particular project was scheduled to be completed in early December 2019.

However, due to the incredibly wet and rainy 2018, the schedule has been amended to July 2020,” says LeBlanc. Sukut’s portion of

the contract is approximately $85 million and entails moving more than 3.7 million cubic yards of material to buttress and raise the existing earthen dam upward an additional 40 feet.

The impressive project also calls for construction of new inlet/ outlet structures, a 600-foot-long concrete spillway, 700 feet of 63-inch microtunneling, as well as the construction of three MSE walls, reservoir aeration systems, 5,500 feet of 30-inch CML&C distribution pipe, 6,800 feet of asphalt access roads,

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Above: Embankment construction is near completion at the East Saddle Dam but a spillway, boat launch ramp, and boat house still remain to be constructed.

instrumentation, a new dam control building, and a boat launch ramp.

Additionally, and by jobs end, Sukut will have graded and excavated approximately 4.3 million cubic yards of earth, while pumping and removing upward of 50 million gallons of water due to the recent rainstorms. “You can’t build an earthen dam when it is raining, and this area received around 22 inches, more than twice the normal annual amount, over this past year.

The moisture content has to be spot on to perform the extremely technical earthwork on a project like this,” says LeBlanc. “The construction specifications call for a minimum of 98% compaction, which cannot be achieved when it is wet or raining.”

Additionally, LeBlanc says that aggregate filter materials used in 8

the construction process are susceptible to contamination. “If you place filter materials during wet weather conditions, you will be faced with a couple of thousand feet of material that must be protected from the silt coming down from the slopes above,” says LeBlanc. “To keep the filter materials viable, we use fabric or Visqueen along with sandbags, which, of course, are costly and take a significant amount of time to both install and remove before and after a storm. Sukut had as many as 100 crew members, including operating engineers on the job at one time. “Cleaning and placing the filter material requires an army of laborers on-site, and that is

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precisely what we had during this process,” continues LeBlanc.

The original earthen dam no longer meets DSOD safety standards, and so the first course of action was for Sukut’s crews to de-grade the reservoir by removing a million yards of dirt from the face of the existing dam. “We excavated down around 40 feet until we found bedrock before putting the dam embankments back in place. So, we essentially took out a million yards, put a million back in and then added another million yards to raise the dam 40 feet over a 3,700-foot area,” says LeBlanc. “Once the bedrock is exposed, we began hauling in fill material. The core itself is made { Continued on page 10 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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{ Continued from page 8 }

up of approximately 350,000 cubic yards of claylike material that we borrow from existing native soil from hillsides located around the reservoir. We also import filter materials made up of sand, gravel, and base material from a source located in Corona. In all, we are using around 2 million yards of shell material and 400,000 yards of filter interspersed throughout the dam so that it functions properly.” According to LeBlanc, the filters are designed and constructed to prevent internal soil movement, control drainage, and are necessary to meet current dam construction requirements.

10

Moving millions of yards of dirt requires heavy construction equipment that will stand up to the rigors of working two 10hour shifts each day. “We have had as many as 12 Cat 657E twin-engine scrapers on-site during peak construction,” says LeBlanc. Sukut is also utilizing Cat D10, D9, D8 and D5 dozers, and anywhere from a Cat 349 to the massive Komatsu PC800 excavators for a variety of other applications. This includes placing around 50,000 cubic yards of rip rap on the upstream face of the dam, or for setting the thousands of feet of 30-inch and 16-inch steel inlet and outlet

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pipe. “We used a Komatsu PC800 to excavate deep receiving and jacking pits to bore a 63-inch micro tunnel underneath the dam that will house the 30-inch pipe,” continues LeBlanc. Sukut is also utilizing wheel loaders and compactors on-site, including three Komatsu 500s, three Cat 966s, two Cat 950s, and three Cat 825 compactors.

“We are putting a lot of hours on these machines, including a brand-new Cat 657 Tier 4 Final scraper,” says LeBlanc. Sukut also has several other brand-new machines added to its fleet for this project, including a Cat D9 dozer, a Cat 140 motor grader, C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

a Cat 325 excavator with GPS, and a new Cat 966 wheel loader.

Sukut Construction is a heavy civil general engineering contractor with 50 years of superior performance on residential, public, commercial, environmental, landfill energy and industrial projects in the western region. “This is the second dam/reservoir project that I have managed, and I am honored and excited to have been a part of the Trampas Canyon Dam project,” says LeBlanc.

“Our company has proudly been a part of the construction and

rehabilitation of numerous dams and reservoirs throughout the Western United States, and our laborers, operating engineers, and equipment department are the best in the business as far as I am concerned. They all deserve a great deal of praise and recognition for their steadfast work and professionalism.”

For more information on Sukut Construction, please visit their website at www.sukut.com or call 888-785-8801. Cc

Left: Main dam shell of the right side, the granular chimney drain in the middle, and the core on the left side.

Below: The main dam embankment has been completed from elevation 370 to 590.

Final height is 643.

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11

ROVE ENGINEERING, INC. Turns to ECCO Equipment Corporation for Rental of Heavy Machinery on Highway 111 Emergency Project for Caltrans

By Brian Hoover, Editor

Above: Cat 623 Scraper on Hwy 111 Emergency Project for Caltrans.

Below: Drone footage of the geyser or mud pot that has been moving toward SR-111 and impacting the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

C

altrans recently completed an emergency project to detour a portion of State Route 111 (SR-111) that was in harm’s way from the movement of a natural-occurring geyser that has been in existence since 1953. The geyser or mud pot has been moving toward SR-111 since 2016. The speed of which the geyser is moving has increased in recent years, impacting the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and infringing on the right of way. Caltrans has coordinated with local, state, and other partners on this mitigation process to construct a detour road to reroute traffic from SR-111 to the west of the current alignment. Work began in late August 2019 with the construction of sheet pile walls

Above: Mass grading operation to detour a portion of State Route 111 (SR-111) out of harm’s way.

Right: Cat 623 scraper entering the cut.

designed to divert the current flow of water. Next came the installation of a sub-surface drainage system that will divert water flow beneath the roadway to the west side for the highway and into a gravel wash.

Finally, a detour road was installed to redirect traffic while plans for a new structural highway and bike path is completed. Caltrans will eventually tie-in the ends of the newly built roadway to the existing SR-111 once the geyser water reaches the sheet piles located east of the highway.

Rove Engineering, Inc. (Rove Engineering) was contracted by Caltrans to remove the existing highway located around 5 miles northwest of Niland in Imperial County at Davis and Gillespie roads.

Steven Eugenio is the president and owner of Rove Engineering, and he supervised every aspect of his company’s duties. “Our job was to remove the existing highway once the asphalt pavement was milled off and exported from the site. We essentially created a big hole for the emergency structural fill system and made way for the construction of a temporary roadway,” says Eugenio. To accomplish this, Rove Engineering would need to move around 20,000 yards of dirt. Due to the CALCON TRAC TOR .CO M

high water table and expansive soil conditions, they decided to go with Cat 623 scrapers, a Cat D8 and D6T dozer, a Cat 815 F2 soil compactor, a Cat 140M motor grader and two 4,000 gallon water trucks. “We used our motor grader and Cat D8 dozer while renting the remainder of the equipment for use on this particular job site,” continues Eugenio. “ECCO Equipment Corporation out of Santa Ana is our go-to rental equipment company, and we rented the Cat D6T dozer, the Cat (815 F2) soil compactor and three Cat 623 scrapers from them through their representative, Vince Castellanos. I can’t say enough about working with ECCO on this, and most all of my other jobs, whenever large, heavy equipment is needed. Vince managed all of the logistics that go along with preparing the equipment, moving it, and keeping them up and running and serviced in the field.

That takes a lot of pressure off

me and allows our crews to concentrate on giving our clients the best possible result.”

Rove Engineering started in 2018, and they now have nine pieces of construction equipment in their fleet. “The bulk of our equipment is Caterpillar, and I have purchased all nine pieces of equipment over the past 16 months,” says Eugenio. “I prefer to own the equipment that I use every day out in the field, like motor graders, excavators, small scrapers, small dozers, skip loaders, mini excavators and backhoes. I turn to Ecco for the big dozers, excavators, large scrapers and compactors. It just makes more financial and logistical sense to go with Ecco whenever we are moving large quantities of dirt.”

Eugenio explains that his experience with ECCO Equipment Corporation goes back to when he was working at other large, wellknown civil general engineering

G R A DI N G & E XC AVAT I N G / 2 0 1 9

13

Above: Cat 815 Dozer compacting onsite.

Below: Union Pacific Railroad Team standing-by.

earthmoving companies. “I had worked with ECCO and Vince in the past when I was supervising job sites while also handling the rental equipment decisions for other firms,” says Eugenio. “I took note that ECCO was always on time, with reliable equipment and operators. I had worked with Vince Castellanos before starting my company, and I already knew that he was reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable about all of the various details of our niche business.” Eugenio says that

ECCO Equipment Corporation stepped up for him on the emergency State Route 111 job for Caltrans. “ECCO got me everything I needed with little to no notice on the State Route 111 emergency project,” continues Eugenio. “They are always there for me. You know, every piece of equipment will eventually fail, and for me, it is all about what a company will do for you during those downtimes.

There are a lot of moving parts, and we work in some heavy clay material here in the Imperial Valley that can wreak havoc on a piece of machinery. Anytime something has gone down, ECCO has been on top of it, right away, with parts, service or even a replacement machine.”

Rove Engineering works primarily in the Imperial Valley and occasionally on other projects throughout San Diego and Riverside counties. “I mainly focus on grading and underground utility projects for both the public works and private sector,” says Eugenio.

“For now, it is around 70% private { Continued on page 16 }

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{ Continued from page 14 }

and 30% public works, but that seems to be changing pretty rapidly.

I have just recently completed two mass and finish grading projects for Caltrans with two new military base contracts on the books for dry utility and underground electrical installations.”

Rove Engineering also recently completed a mass grading job for an apartment complex in Imperial, where they rented and utilized dozers and scrapers from ECCO Equipment Corporation. Additionally, they completed a 55-unit housing track job where they moved 70,000 cubic yards and a mini storage construction job in El Centro, again with the use of scrapers and dozers from ECCO Equipment Corporation. “I am grateful to have so many wonderful, hardworking people around me every day.

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My wife, Yessenia, handles all of the books and billing, and she knows her way around the state and federal work. Her father is a government contractor, and she is accustomed and proficient in working with all of the paperwork and red tape that goes along with that work,” continues Eugenio.

“Our superintendent, Ted Vogel, manages all of the underground utility work, and he is also really good at his trade.”

Although Eugenio has only been out on his own for less than 18 months, he has plans for considerable growth in the near future. “I would like to have four divisions within the next few years to include asphalt paving, concrete construction, mass, and fine grading and underground dry and

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wet utilities,” says Eugenio. “This vertically integrated model makes sense in the fact that we can go in and grade the site, install the utilities, and then install the asphalt and concrete infrastructure.”

These new divisions will require the addition of asphalt paving machines, concrete equipment and adding proficient operators and laborers in the process. “It will take a lot of work, but we are up for the challenge and look forward to a very bright future here at Rove Engineering.”

Rove Engineering, Inc. currently offers mass grading, fine grading, grub and clearing, as well as wet & dry utility and demolition services.

For more information on Rove Engineering, please call (760) 790-7705. Cc C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

FROM TROPHY TRUCK RACI NG CHAM PION TO OWN I NG A CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISE – IT IS ALL ABOUT HAVI NG TH E BEST TEAM AN D EQU I PM ENT AVAI LABLE Left: Steven Eugenio rose to the ranks of one of the top Trophy Truck Drivers winning a long list of races, including the SCORE Desert Challenge and the SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck Point Championship in 2014.

teven Eugenio has been operating heavy equipment since he was a teenager. He grew up in a family-owned pipeline company that has worked for the agricultural department for 65 years. Eugenio is also a second-generation off-road racer, working his way up from starting out racing bicycles, motocross, and supercross before moving on to off-road trucks. He began in the 16 class and moved on through 12, 10, Class 1, and then into the Trophy Truck Division. He eventually became one of the top Trophy Truck drivers in the sport, winning a long list of races, including the SCORE Desert Challenge and the SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck Point Championship in 2014.

After 12 years of racing and multiple injuries, Eugenio felt it was time to focus on his career and family. “It is all about being competitive, having the best team and the best equipment, and I carried that spirit and determination right into my construction career,” continues Eugenio.

Eugenio started out working in the construction business in 2002, working his way up to general foreman and superintendent with several well-known construction firms.

“I eventually realized that I was doing most

of the legwork, overseeing all of the field operations and the bulk of the estimating duties on important, high-profile projects.

It occurred to me that I could be doing this on my own for myself and my family,” says Eugenio. So, in 2018, and at the age of 38, Steven Eugenio did just that, and he has attacked it with the same competitive spirit he had in sports racing. “I am from a small town (El Centro) here in the Imperial Valley, and I have been fortunate to have built some great relationships with certain individuals and companies over the years. They know what I am capable of after witnessing my work firsthand in the past, and that made for a pretty good start when I decided to go on my own.”

Like most startups, Rove Engineering began by working on relatively small projects close to home. Eugenio took on his new venture without any outside financing and has grown his company quickly from working seven days a week. “The industry seemed to welcome me with open arms with small job opportunities here and there. I was still working for Granite Construction as a finish blade man while also doing some small side jobs on the weekends and afternoons,” continues Eugenio. “Within a couple of months, I hired a few great operators and started taking on larger, more complicated projects. Now, some 14 months later, we have 15 to 20 individuals working here at Rove Engineering, and that is just the beginning.” Cc

Mike Zarp, Inc. & CMZ Excavation Inc. TWO COMPANIES CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH OF FAMILY PRIDE, EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND UNCOMMON JOBSITE PRODUCTION

By Ian Hoover, Contributing Editor

T

The Zarp Family legacy began with Dick Zarp, who worked as an owner-operator many years ago. Mike Zarp followed in his father’s footsteps after leaving grocery business to start operating heavy machinery in 1988. Mike worked several years as a backhoe operator for Range Equipment, an operated equipment rental company in Southern California. Mike Zarp, Inc. was officially started in 1990 after Mike decided to go out on his own as an owner-operator. He acquired his Class C contractor’s license in 1993, taking advantage of the plentiful opportunities available in the late 90s. Mike Zarp quickly started hiring additional operators and labor support staff to keep up with the growing demand.

His young company soon grew into a turnkey excavation service company, primarily performing structural work for concrete contractors on parking garage projects, hospitals, and educational facilities such as LAUSD and UCLA. Mike Zarp, Inc. would continue to grow organically as a dedicated family enterprise when Mike’s son and daughter joined the business in 2003. Chris Zarp and Courtney (Zarp) Tedder were both involved in other successful professions when they heeded the call to take 18

their first steps toward a new career path. Like his father before him, Chris had worked in the grocery business through high school, college and early adulthood. “I was recently married and was thinking of starting a family, and I no longer wanted to work `during weekends and holidays,” says Chris. “This is what initially started me thinking of joining my father in the construction business.”

Courtney made the move for similar reasons, after working as a hairstylist in a salon in Costa Mesa. “It was simple economics.

Dad offered me a better opportunity, and I could see the future benefits of taking pride and being a part of a successful family business,” says Courtney.

Chris and Courtney helped out on weekends and summers in their youth, but they were about to learn a lot more about the business. Chris began his career as an operator apprentice and soon transitioned into the company’s lowbed driver. After spending his days delivering equipment from one job site to another, Chris was ready to take the next step in 2009 when he was promoted to project manager. Chris continued to bid on projects and help run the field operations, while Courtney

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managed all aspects of the office administration duties. As they say, nothing remains the same, and exciting changes were on the horizon for the Zarp siblings.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and many times changes are made simply to adapt to specific environments or conditions. This was one of the reasons why Courtney, Chris and their younger brother, Casey Zarp, decided to start CMZ Excavation, Inc. in 2016. As a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Courtney Tedder is the majority shareholder and serves as the president of CMZ Excavation, Inc.. Chris Zarp serves as vice president of operations, while Casey Zarp serves as a Local 12 operator, as well as an officer in the company. “Navigating the construction industry has become much more complex with contract exclusions being just some of the red tape we are forced to deal with each day,” says Courtney.

“One of these exclusions came from our insurance provider at Zarp, Inc. (Mike Zarp, Inc.), who would not underwrite apartment building projects. CMZ Excavating is working with a separate insurance company, and that has allowed our firm to take on apartment construction jobs.”

Additionally, Courtney points out that operating as a womanC A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Above: Courtney Tedder, President, CMZ Excavation, Inc. and Chris Zarp, Vice President of Operations, CMZ Excavation, Inc. Right: Mike Zarp, Inc. headquarters located in Corona.

owned business has also provided for other advantages and considerations. “My brother, Chris, got his contractors license when we started CMZ Excavation, and this, along with my WBE status, has opened new doors that may not have been available to us before,” says Courtney. “I am excited about working with my brothers on this venture that is already bearing much fruit.”

Mike Zarp, Inc. (Zarp, Inc.) is the primary company that many of the structural excavation contracts go through, with CMZ Excavation picking up the projects where the insurance requirements and WBE certificate comes into play.

Mike Zarp, Inc. is well-known for its experience and excellence in structural excavation for large general contractors and concrete construction companies.

“At Zarp, Inc., we specialize in structural excavation and backfill work, along with slab on grade construction,” says Courtney. “We do a lot of footing work, but much of our growth and expansion has been in the mechanical, electrical, CALCON TRAC TOR .CO M

and plumbing excavation end of the business.”

MIKE ZARP, INC. PROJECTS Mike Zarp, Inc. will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2020, commemorating the hard work and determination that has taken this family-owned business from one man’s dream to 60 employees’ signatory to the Operators and Laborers union.

Zarp, Inc. has been a part of a long list of large, high profile projects over the years, and the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge project is a perfect example of this type of work. “We did all of the structural excavation work for Whiting-Turner Construction on the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge project, as well as some electrical excavation for Morrow-Meadows Corporation,” says Chris Zarp. “We started in 2016 and finished our portion of the work in 2019. This particular project represents the largest single job since the inception of our company, and we are very proud to have been a part of such an epic project.”

Zarp, Inc. was also on the Midfield Satellite Concourse project out at LAX for Turner Construction Co. and PCL Construction Services, Inc. “We performed the structural and plumbing excavation for this $1.6 billion project that we began in 2017 and just recently completed,” says Courtney Tedder. “We take great pride in taking part as a sub-contractor on important and impressive projects like this and credit this success to our hardworking operators and laborers. We have some of the best in the business working here at Zarp, Inc., and it is important to let them know just how much we appreciate their efforts.” Zarp, Inc. will also be starting another project at LAX soon where they will be doing the structure excavation, backfill, slab on grade and underground plumbing excavation on two massive garage structures. Referred to as the, LAX ConRAC Project, massive garages will relocate 20 existing rental car locations into one convenient 5.3 million square

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Above: Casey Zarp digging footings for new Police Facility in Los Angeles.

Right: Casey Zarp, Local 12 Operator and Officer/Shareholder in CMZ Excavation, Inc.

foot Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility. “The ConRAC project will begin soon pending weather, and we will excavating storm drain and waste line to include the digging of 19 sump pits, among other things,” says Chris. “This will be another great project for Zarp, Inc., and should take around 18 months to complete.”

CMZ EXCAVATION, INC. PROJECTS CMZ Excavation, Inc. has also been on its fair share of high-profile projects since its inception in 2016. One of these jobs was for a new building recently constructed at the UC Irvine Medical Center, where CMZ performed all of the mechanical and electrical underground excavation work.

The project began in 2017 and was just recently completed. CMZ Excavation, Inc. is also currently 20

working on a UCLA housing project that started this year and will go into 2021. They have and will continue to perform everything from structural excavation for concrete foundations to underground excavation for new plumbing installations.

Additionally, CMZ Excavation performed all of the structural excavation for the concrete contractor on the Los Olivos Phase 1 and 2 projects in Irvine.

“We are fortunate to be working for such a large customer base and a wide variety of niche contractors at both Zarp and CMZ,” says Chris Zarp. “We like our position in the industry right now, with both companies doing their part for the greater good. We have experienced tremendous growth lately, nearly doubling our revenue over the past four years. It seems like we are at our peak optimum performance as

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far as workforce and equipment are concerned, and our goal is to maintain the status quo.”

Mike Zarp, Inc. maintains a fleet of 25 pieces of heavy construction equipment, including backhoes, compact excavators, skid steers, wheel loaders and skip loaders. “Our fleet consists of John Deere equipment purchased from RDO Equipment Co. out of Riverside,” says Courtney. “We are big on John Deere and feel that they manufacturer the best equipment for our particular construction needs.” Courtney points out that nearly their entire fleet is Tier 4 Final, and that includes a few recent additions. “ Courtney Tedder acknowledges the importance of working with the right construction equipment company. “We just purchased a new John Deere 544L wheel loader from our RDO sales representative, { Continued on page 22 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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Above: Brian Smith, Operator for Mike Zarp, Inc. shown digging for LAX Intermodal Transportation Facility-West Parking Structure.

Right: Brian Smith, Local 12 Operator.

Below Left: Footings by Zarp, Inc. Operator, John Huffman, at UCLA Southwest Project.

Below Right: Zarp, Inc. working at hotel project in Palm Springs.

{ Continued from page 20 }

Eric Gfeller, who is always there for us when we need him,” continues Courtney. “We also acquired brand-new John Deere 310 and 410L backhoes in 2019.

We purchase the John Deere equipment that we use every day and then rent other machines like large excavators from RDO Rents whenever the need arises. When it comes to CMZ, it makes sense to bare rent what we need from Zarp, Inc.” Consistency in the areas of quality, pricing, and safety is 22

what the Zarp Family strives for in both Mike Zarp, Inc. and CMZ Excavation, Inc. “Our office staff is well-known and appreciated for their tremendous efficiencies in getting all of the paperwork done correctly and efficiently,” says Courtney. “When a contractor calls and needs us on a job tomorrow, we have to get all of the necessary insurance and other paperwork done quickly.

This is second nature to our administration staff, and they get it done in hours, not days.

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Exceptional customer service is what sets us apart, and we will continue to strive to be the best at what we do, now and in the future.” For more information on Mike Zarp, Inc., please visit www. zarpinc.com. For more information on CMZ Excavation, Inc., please visit cmzexcavation.com or call (909) 946-7017 for information on both companies. Cc

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By Brian Hoover, Editor

P

eed Equipment Company (Peed Equipment) was founded in Chandler, Arizona, by Dennis M. Peed in 1982. The company started out rebuilding Cat D9H dozers that were a bit scarce and in high demand.

Dennis Peed sold over 250 of these dozers before starting a rental fleet composed of Cat D9H dozers and Cat 631D scrapers. Before long, the company added D10s and more late-model scrapers as they continued to rent to large earthmoving contractors throughout the Southwest territory. By 1995, Peed Equipment had moved into the larger Cat 657E scrapers, and then in 2001, they decided to move their headquarters to Southern California. Today, Peed Equipment offers both operated and bare Cat machines to contractors

throughout the United States and Canada.

Cat scrapers are the backbone of the Peed Equipment fleet with close to 100 of these units, including (72) Cat 657E/G scrapers, and a mix of 651E and 637K scrapers available from Tier 3 to Tier 4 powered and GPS available on the 637Ks. Additionally, the company rents a large selection of Cat 777F/G haul trucks, 992G/K wheel loaders, 6015B hydraulic mining shovels, 390F excavators, D10T and D9T dozers, as well as Cat 740B artics, motor graders, and a long list of water trucks, water pulls, wheel dozers and compactors. These Cat machines are powered by Tier 3 and Tier 4 engines, with Trimble GPS available on many of the units.

Below: Cat 657E scrapers busy keeping the earth moving down in San Diego on the Village 8 Project.

Peed Equipment is also doing its part to keep CARB emissions down by voluntarily converting 100% of their diesel units to new cleaner-burning Cat Acert engines.

Their decision not only benefits the environment but also provides greater fuel savings, performance, and an overall lower cost per hour.

Peed Equipment has supplied scrapers and other large, heavy pieces of construction equipment to a variety of industries, including coal and gold mines, levees, landfills, nuclear, natural gas and solar power plants, heavy highway, residential, industrial and dam projects. Additionally, they supply on-site mechanical staff and spare units to keep the down time at a minimum and production at its highest. The onsite mechanics are

Above:

Peed Equipment utilizes spread of (20) Cat 657E/G scrapers, along with GPS equipped dozers, to knock out new landfill cell in no time at the Bena Landfill in Bakersfield.

equipped with service trucks built specifically for Peed Equipment with the capability of lifting rear power packs on 657 scrapers with a single crane, perform oil changes, and still make weight with all their tools. Onsite trailers are supplied for larger jobs that allow for mechanics to build Cat hoses right on the job, while also stocking major wear parts and components.

Dennis and Carolyn’s son, David, took over managing the company’s operations when his father passed in 2006. David Peed began his career with Peed Equipment in 1992 and worked from the ground up while serving his apprenticeship under his father for many years. Today, David is the President and overseas Peed Equipment, helping his mother and family carry on the legacy that his father worked so hard CALCON TRAC TOR .CO M

to build, while Carolyn runs the accounting department and company finances.

Ken Rudenski is the Field Operations Manager for Peed Equipment. He is responsible for overseeing daily operations, including lining up operators, supervising equipment service schedules, helping manage project contracts, the companies marketing, and assisting David in equipment sales. “I am honored to work for and with the Peed Family along with the exceptional operators and support staff we have here at Peed Equipment Company.” Rudenski says that Peed Equipment has machines working throughout the country.

“We have some big jobs going in Florida and Texas right now, as well as central and northern California,” says Rudenski. “I would say that we have around half of our

fleet working up in Northern California at this time on landfill and housing projects.”

BENA LANDFILL MODULE 3 EXPANSION PROJECT IN BAKERSFIELD Peed Equipment began working at the Bena Landfill in April 2019 and just recently finished in mid-December after moving more than 3 million yards of dirt. “We were mass grading for a new landfill cell in addition to excavating perimeter drainage ditches. The job went smoothly even though a few geological cracks were discovered, requiring us to move scrapers back in and move an additional few hundred thousand yards of dirt,” says Rudenski. “It was perfect soil conditions for scraper work, and at its peak, we had 20 scrapers working on the project.”

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Left: Peed Equipment Company’s brand new Cat 6015B Tier 4 hydraulic shovel taking its first bite into the earth. The Cat 6015B is a 150-ton shovel offers greater efficiencies and reliability at a lower cost with as much as a 20% increase in production over similar shovels.

Above:

Left: Cat 657G scraper and D10T2 dozer working steep slope in the early stages at Bena Landfill.

Right: Peed Cat 834H wheel dozer pushing in corner and keeping the fill tidy at Bena Landfill.

WORKING FOR LB3 ENTERPRISES ON MASS GRADING AND SITE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN CHULA VISTA Peed Equipment is also currently working for LB3 Enterprises in Chula Vista on the Village 8 project being developed

by HomeFed Corporation. Peed Equipment has been on this particular site for nearly a year, assisting LB3 with mass grading the new 320-acre subdivision. LB3 Enterprises is also excavating subdrain, storm drain, and performing all of the finish grade on the job. The earthwork is extensive, and with the assistance of Peed Equipment, they will move more than 7 million cubic yards of dirt 26

before jobs end. “We supplied three Cat 777 haul trucks during peak construction while LB3 is using their excavators and personnel to load. At peak, we had the Cat 777 haul trucks, spread of 657E scrapers, and a pair of D10T dozers running on the job,” says Rudenski. “We always enjoy working with LB3 Enterprises, they are a great company to work for, and we appreciate their continued business.”

Peed Equipment is well-known throughout the industry for their superior equipment reliability and uptime. “We have the best maintenance personnel in the industry, led by our outstanding equipment superintendent, Jeff Atkins.,” says Rudenski.

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“Our production rate, extremely low downtime numbers, and competitive rental rates keep our list of loyal customers calling us on an exclusive basis.” Peed Equipment had as many as 110 operators working for them out in the field last year. “Our operators are the best there is, and it is our reputation and quality that keeps us busy,” continues Rudenski.

“We just started a 3.6-millionyard landfill job in Sacramento where we are using 30 of our 657 scrapers,” says Rudenski.

“In Florida we have 14 657’s running, with more in transit on the way, plus a bunch of our support equipment, to build a large settling pond dam. This is a { Continued on page 28 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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Right: Peed Equipment Cat 777 haul truck dumping another 100-tons of rock in deep section of the fill at the Village 8 Project.

{ Continued from page 26 }

part of our ongoing effort toward diversification and keeping our machines and operators working at all times.” Rudenski points out that at this point, they are at about 60/40 when it comes to operated versus bare equipment rentals.

“We like to keep our rentals operated as much as possible, but our select group of bare clients are professionals that have been in the industry for many years, and they treat our fleet with care and respect,” continues Rudenski.

“We added a couple new Cat 740 water trucks to our fleet, several D9T dozers, 777G haul trucks, and recently took delivery of a new Cat 6015B excavator, with hopefully a second shortly,” continues Rudenski. “We are repowering a large portion of the fleet, most from Tier 3 to Tier 4, but sometimes buying new makes more sense.”

Peed Equipment Company has the experience, equipment, and expertise to take on any earthmoving and mining project in the United States, Canada or even worldwide. From one of the largest fleets of scrapers in the country to dozers, excavators, haul trucks and more, Peed Equipment continues to shine with industryleading customer satisfaction and reliability. For more information on Peed Equipment Company, go to www.peedequipment.com or call their Temecula headquarters at (951) 657-0900. Cc

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