Published Nationally
®
Southeast Edition
February 27 2019
$3.00
Vol. XXXII • No. 5
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
‘Fish Condo’ Makes Big Splash Off Florida Coast
United Makes Short Work of Bridges…8
The merger of May Heavy Equipment and Rob’s Hydraulics took effect Jan. 1, expanding the territory and the service menu of both.
Merger Creates May/RHI Under NED Ownership
Blanchard Hosts ‘Lunch & Learn’ Event…23
By Joe Barron
CEG ASSOCIATE EDITOR CCA Florida photo
An excavator was used to push concrete structures for the reef off the barge.
By Cindy Riley
CEG CORRESPONDENT
World of Asphalt Breaks Attendance Records…28
Table of Contents.............4 Trucks & Trailer Section ...................................34-37 Attachment Section ...................................38-41 Recycling Section.....49-58 Auction Section ........80-91 Business Calendar..........82 Advertisers Index ..........90
Divers in Florida are monitoring an artificial reef recently installed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Lee and Charlotte counties. The Phoenix Reef, 12 mi. due west of Gasparilla Pass, required more than two years of
planning. “When it was finally deployed, the excitement was incredible,” said Frank Gidus, director of habitat and environmental restoration for the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida. “It involved a true community effort, with many people from the local area helping get the project completed, donating funds and providing various services. “The project was designed from the beginning to involve 100 percent local businesses and individuals. For instance, Manhattan Road and Bridge substantially discounted the cost of the barge and deployment, Coastal Precast donated all of the concrete materials that were deployed on the reef and Ingman Marine assisted with the entire planning process of the reef and provided boat support. This was a huge cost savings for a project like this, where all the funding was raised by the local community on behalf of a non-profit organization, to better their community and help the local economy in the long run.” NBC and CBS news crews documented the effort, which was successfully completed in late 2018, in approximately 50 ft. of water on the Phoenix Reef, which lies at 26 degrees 45 minutes north latitude and 82 CCA Florida photo degrees 28 minutes west longitude. The A telescoping forklift was used to set spuds in see REEF page 62
place to help hold the barge in the target area.
May Heavy Equipment and Rob’s Hydraulics Inc. are now May/RHI. The merger of two of the largest Hyundai dealers in the country took effect Jan. 1, expanding the territory and the service menu of both. National Equipment Dealers LLC, which assumed ownership of May Heavy Equipment in January 2018, now owns the newly named May/RHI. “There are some synergies between the two companies,” said Jesse Beasely, vice president and general manager of the new May/RHI. “Rob’s has a strong background in fabrication. May Heavy Equipment has a more rental background. We also represented more lines than Rob’s did. May will give them access to Bomag products as well as Bell off-road trucks, and May Heavy Equipment hopes to learn more from them about the fabrication side of the business.” With its welding and cutting shops, Rob’s can make just about anything, from custom winches to parts that have been discontinued by the original manufacturers. “If somebody has a machine that parts are not made for anymore, they will produce the parts in their shop,” Beasley said. “It’s way more in-depth than it is at May Heavy Equipment, and we are getting into that side of the business.” see MERGER page 70