Southeast 12, June 14, 2023

ARDOT photo Approximately 400,000 cu. yds. of excavation and 450,000 cu. yds. of embankment will be moved during construction.

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

“Originally opened to traffic in 1957, the existing I-30 bridge spanning theArkansas River was at the end of its useful service life,” said KeliWylie, ARDOT’s alternative project delivery administrator. “The purpose of this project is to increase the safety of vehicular traffic on I-30 and I-40 by correcting geometric deficiencies, improving the condition of the roadway by

see CROSSING page 64

Construction Jobs Picture Looks Bright, But WhereAre the Workers? Industry

Skilled Craft Worker Need Turns Into Critical Situation

By Lucy Perry CEG CORRESPONDENT

Construction employment is on an upward path and that’s both good and bad. By extension, if jobs increase, so does the need for workers. And that’s the continued challenge for the industry: contractors are beating the bushes for skilled labor to meet their labor needs.

The AGC reports that as the construction sector was adding 15,000 jobs in April, the industry jobless rate was falling to a record low.

see JOBS page 40

Next year, the industry will need more than 342,000 new workers, on top of normal hiring, to meet industry demand.

Experience the Progress.

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GRAY, TN

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COVINGTON, GA

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The Liebherr Generation 8 Excavators – A glimpse into the future

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8

FEATURES

COVENANT CONSTRUCTORS’ INTEGRITY, HOT MARKET FUEL SUCCESS

Many business owners set lofty goals for their first years in operation, only to fall short of their objectives. In the end, though, it may simply be that they needed a little more time and seasoning to reach their targets.

12 DREAM ON 3, INDUSTRY TEAM UP TO FULFILL KIDS’ SPORTS DREAMS

The ability to help make dreams come true for kids and young people with life-altering physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities is a blessing reserved for a rare group of people.

14 LINDER BUILDS PARTS BRANCH FOR MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., MARKET

Linder Industrial Machinery recently added its fourth location in the South Carolina market. The facility serves as a parts branch serving customers in the thriving six-county Myrtle Beach market area.

14 SCDOT TO REPLACE, REHAB BRIDGES ON I-20 OVER WATEREE RIVER

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) announced May 30 that it will replace one bridge and rehabilitate two other bridges on Interstate 20 over the Wateree River in Kershaw County.

16 ARTBA FOUNDATION ASSISTS CHILDREN OF FALLEN HWY. WORKERS

The ARTBA Foundation’s scholarship fund is giving post-high school financial assistance for the 2023-24 school year to five children of highway workers who were killed or permanently disabled on the job.

20 SCOTUS RULING MAY HERALD FASTER PROJECT APPROVALS

The EPAcampaign to regulate all U.S. ditches hit another roadblock May 25. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with ARTBA and the NSSGA that the agency exceeded its authority in developing new wetlands regulations.

22 HURRICANE SEASON 2023: FLORIDA STILL RECOVERING FROM IAN

In southwest Florida, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, piles of debris are everywhere. Demolition and construction work is ongoing across the region. Trucks filled with sand rumble along to renourish the eroded beaches.

Founder Emeritus (1930-2021) Edwin M. McKeon Sr.

Southeast Publisher Richard C. McKeon

Executive Publisher Teddy McKeon

Editor In Chief Craig Mongeau

Senior Editor Robby Chakler

Editorial Assistant Katherine Petrik

Contributing Editor Eric Olson

Production Mgr. John Pinkerton

Controller Judith Nixon

Circulation Mgr. Cathy Printz

Main office 470 Maryland Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034

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Web site www.constructionequipmentguide.com

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24 INDUSTRY LEADERS ENGAGE IN ARTBA LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Emerging leaders in the transportation design and construction industry completed an intensive introduction to federal legislative and regulatory issues May 15 to 17 during the ARTBA Foundation’s Industry ILDP.

28 CUSTOMERS LIKE CHANGES AT JAMES RIVER’S CHARLOTTE BRANCH

The Charlotte, N.C., branch of James River Equipment has grown in popularity among construction contractors and users of agricultural equipment in the past several years, and new developments there are likely to ensure that continues.

32 FOUR WAYS TO ADDRESS INDUSTRY’S TECHNICIAN SHORTAGE

According to a 2020 AED Foundation industry research report, the industry may need to fill as many as 73,500 heavy equipment technician positions by 2025.

34 VOLVO STRENGTHENS FIA PLATFORM WITH NEW PARTNERSHIPS

Volvo Construction Equipment announced that Parker Hannifin, a global leader in motion and control technologies, will join the CE Dealer team as a new partner for season two of the FIA World Rallycross (World RX) Championship.

36 PALMETTO BUILDING $185M LINE TO SERVICE VOLVO AUTO PLANT

Palmetto Railways has started construction on a rail line that will service the Camp Hall Commerce Park and the Volvo factory in Berkeley County. Camp Hall will soon be home to the largest investment in South Carolina history.

38 BERLON INDUSTRIES OFFERS WIDE VARIETY OF UNIQUE ATTACHMENTS

Berlon Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of a variety of attachments, is on a mission to provide high-quality attachments by partnering with dealers and retailers and gathering input from customers.

60 LEEBOY

ANNOUNCES ITS DEALER AWARD WINNERS FOR 2022

LeeBoy recently announced the winners of its 2022 Dealer Awards. The Southeast’s Tractor & Equipment Company, Reynolds-Warren Equipment Company and Ascendum were among the winners.

78 JEFF MARTIN MAKES DONATION TO SPECIAL FORCES ASSOCIATION

To honor the men and women that have bravely served the country, Jeff and Kellie Martin and Jeff Martin Auctioneers team were honored to present a sound system to the Special Forces Association.

88 DEANCO HOLDS SUCCESSFUL PHILADELPHIA, MISS., AUCTION

The sale featured a huge selection of pickups and over the road trucks and a good-looking line-up of construction equipment, compact machines, attachments and all kinds of miscellaneous support equipment.

90 SOLD AUCTIONS CONDUCTS JUNE SALE IN BLACKSBURG, S.C.

The well-attended auction attracted 1,096 online bidders and more than 1,200 who attended the auction on site. There were 188 lots that included a Peterson grinder as well as Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere excavators and dozers.

86 COMING AUCTIONS

91 BUSINESS CALENDAR

47 VOLVO CE Compact Assist Packages for Soil Compactors

For

Richard C. McKeon

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• Tennessee • Virginia 704/553-8888

Cell 704/726-1452

e-mail rmckeon@cegltd.com

Construction Equipment Guide Southeast Edition (ISSN 1058-6474) is published biweekly by Construction Equipment Guide Ltd. Advertising and Editorial Offices are located at 470 Maryland Dr., Ft. Washington, PA 19034. Toll Free 800/523-2200 or Fax 215/885-2910. Annual Subscription Rate $65.00. Call for Canadian and foreign rates.

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Covenant Constructors’Integrity, Hot Market Fuel Success

By Eric Olson CEG CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

The value of having experienced and steady leadership at the helm of any new business goes a long way toward building a successful future. Usually, a new company takes several years to take root in the marketplace before it becomes profitable.

Many business owners set lofty goals for their first years in operation, only to fall short of their objectives. In the end, though, it may simply be that they needed a little more time and seasoning to reach their targets.

In the case of Tim Walker, founder and president of Covenant Constructors LLC, in Nashville, Tenn., he started his site development firm in February 2017 with the aim of reaching $20 million in volume within five years — only to achieve his goal two years early.

The reasons for Covenant’s speedy rise to success are many, not the least of which is the 35 years of experience Walker had accumulated working in the construction industry. In addition, he brought to Covenant other savvy people with successful backgrounds in the construction trade, including his second-in-command, Michael Dickson, who serves as the company’s project manager and estimator.

Middle Tennessee’s dynamic construction marketplace is certainly another factor in Covenant’s rise to prominence, Walker

acknowledged.

“Number one, the opportunity for success in this business is tremendous because of all the construction going on around the Nashville area,” he said. “That has provided us with the revenue generation that we need-

ed to get to our goals, but we also have great people working in the office and in the field, without whom we really could not generate the volume that we have. So, I attribute a lot of that success to the people we have on our team.”

Walker said he had always had the idea in the back of his mind to run his own outfit one day, never lacking confidence in his abilities to be successful at it.

“I knew that I could do on my own what I was doing there,” he said. “Because I pretty much had control over that business, I was certain about how to keep a business of my own running. Then, it was a matter of finding investors that were willing to take a chance on me and give me the capital to start up. Once that was secured, I could start to find the right people to help me grow the new company.”

From only five team members working at Covenant when it started, the civil construction firm grew to nearly 60 employees within two years, and now has 100 people in the field, with another 20 to 25 office personnel, he said.

Its clients and competitors alike have come to understand that Covenant’s attention to detail and dedication to delivering the best work possible, along with its integrity and faith, have led it to become a leader in the Nashville construction industry.

Home Site Development Is Covenant’s Bread-and-Butter

Due to Covenant’s influx of projects, Walker has preferred to limit the company’s work area to within a 50 to 60 mi. radius of Nashville.

see COVENANT page 42

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DreamOn3,IndustryTeamUptoFulfillKids’SportsDreams

By Eric Olson CEG CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

The ability to help make dreams come true for kids and young people with life-altering physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities is a blessing reserved for a rare group of people.

The number of organizations that do so in a highly developed and effective way are few, but a nonprofit based in Charlotte, N.C., has thrived for more than 10 years by applying its own novel spin to fulfilling youngsters’ dreams sure to last a lifetime.

Dream On 3 is designed to help young people ages 5 to 21 to realize their ultimate sports dreams, said Brandon Lindsey, the group’s co-founder and CEO.

“When we started, there was Make-a-Wish, of course, a similar type of program to ours, but those kids had lifethreatening health issues,” he said. “As we planned Dream On 3, we saw there was a population of kids that were not being served — kids that were living with chronic illnesses, intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health challenges and other life-altering conditions like burn and spine injuries. These children and young adults are living through some difficult situations, but they did not have access to this type of programming because their diagnoses were not considered life threatening. We recognized the need and decided that was a space we wanted to press into and serve these kids.”

Most of the work Dream On 3 does is to connect kids with sports-related trips and personalities, known as Dream Experiences, the nonprofit’s core program. Lindsey describes it as one that customizes over-the-top, VIP experiences for each Dreamer.

“All our programs are based around sports, so we like to tell them if their dream is to swim with the dolphins, that is not what we do,” he said. “But if your dream is to swim with the Miami Dolphins, then we can do that. We can build an experience around a sports component, and the dream will

span three to four days with the child’s entire immediate family included. We take them wherever the dream is going to happen, whether it is to meet the athlete or attend a sporting event anywhere across the country.”

Examples of the Dream Experience program, which he said has greatly expanded over the past decade, include one young man meeting and hanging out with his hero, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.

“We also helped a girl battling some mental-health issues to spend time with Simone Biles, the multiple Olympic gold medal gymnast,” he said. “That was really cool, because

Simone had just gone through her own difficulties, and they were able to connect on a very personal level.”

Together, Brandon and his wife, Elizabeth Lindsey, the charity’s co-founder — along with their employees and volunteers — have set up a lengthy list of Dream Experiences that involved the National Football League, NCAA college football, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, NASCAR and the Kentucky Derby, as well as other competitions like gymnastics, golf and even professional fishing.

In the first year of Dream On 3 in 2013, the Lindseys were able to fulfill the dreams of three kids, beginning with Nicholas Batley, who was able to meet NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip.

“Nicholas lives with autism and deemed himself as the pioneer of Dream On 3 because he was our first Dreamer,” Elizabeth said. “We are so thankful he came back to our 10year anniversary Gala in January.”

She added that Dream On 3’s mission to give kids like Nicholas hope and happiness has always been the backbone of the organization.

“How it began and why it is still blessed today is because everyone who gets involved in Dream On 3, whether it is our referral partners in different communities or our volunteers, donors or sponsors, all see and feel the mission,” Elizabeth said. “There is a ripple effect, so not only is this child and family living a dream come true and are feeling loved, but they also feel a community behind them. It is not a one-anddone. It is so rewarding to be able to see a child experience that moment when their dream starts and then hear what it does for them after the fact.”

Construction Industry Helps Build Dream On 3

According to the Lindseys, their success in founding, growing and expanding Dream On 3 was a near miraculous feat due to their not having any history with running a nonprofit.

(L-R): Grant Adams, CEO, Ascendum Machinery; Stephen Roy, president, Volvo Americas; Kristin Parker, North Carolina regional manager, Ascendum Machinery; and Mark Arcilesi, account executive, Ascendum Machinery.

Brandon Lindsey describes the annual Dream Gala as Dream On 3’s Super Bowl. see DREAM page 50

Linder Builds Parts Branch for Myrtle Beach, S.C., Market

Linder Industrial Machinery recently added its fourth location in the South Carolina market at 1689 Dividend Loop in Myrtle Beach, S.C., just minutes from Highway 17. The facility serves as a parts branch serving customers, technicians and product support representatives in the thriving six-county Myrtle Beach market area.

“Linder has long standing customer relationships in this market,” said Rob Leavel, Linder’s general manager of operations of

the Carolinas. “This allows us to better meet their needs as well as meet the growing demand.”

This 5,000-plus square foot facility was purpose-built for Linder in a new industrial park located centrally near Myrtle Beach International Airport. The facility was specifically designed and equipped to support Linder’s field-based technicians as well as support for the parts needs of local customers.

Leavel added, “Myrtle Beach was chosen based on the growth in the market and the transition to a more year-round economy versus a tourism driven market. The influx of people into the market has driven significant residential and commercial growth in recent years and that trend seems to be continuing as more people discover the area.”

The branch is staffed by parts representatives and further supported by the team

based out of Linder’s full-service Ladson, S.C., branch. Linder also will have product support and mainline equipment sales representatives and a team of field-based technicians working out of this new location. This is just another “piece of the puzzle” that Linder Industrial Machinery is putting into place to be at the forefront of its customer’s needs as it celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. 

The new Linder Myrtle Beach facility is located at 1689 Dividend Loop, just off Highway 17 and near the airport.

SCDOTtoReplace,RehabBridgesOnI-20OverWatereeRiver

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) announced May 30 that it will replace one bridge and rehabilitate two other bridges on Interstate 20 over the Wateree River in Kershaw County.

The road structures northeast of Columbia are approaching the end of their service life and, through a project that will combine bridge rehab and new construction, SCDOT will ensure this stretch of freeway will remain operational and continue serving as an essential connection for commercial traffic and travel.

The project will include replacing a single existing bridge, as well as rehabilitating two other spans, and improving the roadway approaches on I-20. The project design phase will begin later this year, SCDOT noted, and it is expected to advance to construction in 2024.

The state agency has been working on hundreds of aging bridges in South Carolina since 2018 as a part of SCDOT’s strategic plan to

improve the state’s transportation infrastructure.

“As many of the bridges across our state reach their end of service life, SCDOT is working to rehabilitate and replace them before it becomes an emergency,” said state Secretary of Transportation ChristyA. Hall. “Ensuring that our bridge network is well prepared to support the increasing motor vehicle traffic, [as well as the] commercial traffic connecting South Carolina to the global economy, will continue to be a priority for SCDOT.”

Carolina Crossroads Hits Milestone Ahead of Schedule

Motorists traveling along I-20 westbound from Broad River Road in Columbia may notice a new exit lane for traffic leading toward I-26 westbound, SCDOT said May 26. The new lane provides an added 1,500 ft. for vehicles to travel through the interchange and helps decrease traffic congestion for drivers continuing

west on I-20.

The opening of the new lane marks a milestone for Phase 2 of the state’s much-discussed Carolina Crossroads construction.

Archer-United Joint Venture (AUJV), the team leading the work on the first two of five planned project phases, committed to open-

ing the auxiliary lane within 560 days after receiving the official Notice to Proceed (NTP). The team did it with two weeks to spare as the lane officially opened to traffic on May 16.

Brian Klauk, SCDOT’s project manager of Carolina Crossroads, noted that the new lane will help

streamline the flow of traffic during peak hours.

“We understand the frustration that can come with congested roadways and with long-term construction projects,” he said. “Our goal from the start was to implement a phased construction approach that would allow the traveling public to enjoy incremental improvements throughout the duration of the project. The early opening of the I-20 auxiliary lane exemplifies the positive impact that this strategy can have on drivers.”

The second phase of construction on the Carolina Crossroads project began last year and is expected to reach significant completion in early 2025.

The effort is part of SCDOT’s 10-Year Plan, established in July 2017 when the South Carolina gas tax increase was enacted. The transportation agency’s plan is designed to address improvements to the state’s highway and bridge systems. 

The facility was “purpose built” and designed specifically for Linder’s parts needs in the six-county Myrtle Beach, S.C., market.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will replace one bridge and rehabilitate two other bridges on Interstate 20 over the Wateree River in Kershaw County.

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ARTBAFoundation

Assists Children of Fallen Hwy.Workers

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s (ARTBA-TDF) “Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship” fund is giving post-high school financial assistance for the 2023-24 school year to five children of highway workers who were killed or permanently disabled on the job.

More than 200 scholarships have been awarded to worthy students from 33 statestopursueundergraduate and graduate courses, as well as technical training.

The program was established with a gift from two Roanoke, Va., highway contractors and their companies — Stan Lanford (1999ARTBAchairman) of Lanford Brothers, and Jack Lanford (1991 ARTBA chairman), with Adams Construction Company.

More than 200 scholarships have been awarded to worthy studentsfrom33statestopursueundergraduateandgraduate courses, as well as technical training. Scholarships have a value of up to $10,000 annually.

The 2023 class includes:

ï Amy McNeil, Lumberton, Texas —Amy’s father, Jeffrey McNeil, was killed in 2005 while working for the Texas Department of Transportation.Amy is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas,Arlington.

ï Katie Hutt, Cleveland, Tenn. — Katie’s father, Chris, was struck and killed in 2006 by a passenger vehicle while installing signage for United Rentals in a highway work zone. Katie will be a junior studying architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

ï Jenna Jares, West, Texas — Jenna’s father, Gregory Jares, was killed in 2001 while working for the Texas Department ofTransportation special crews. Jenna is a graduate student studying occupational therapy at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.

ïBreanaJones,Gaston,S.C.—Breana’sfather,Standra Jones Sr., died in 2007 after being struck by a vehicle while at work for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Breana will be entering her sophomore year at Winthrop University studying graphic design.

ï Joann Jones, Bluffton, Ind. — Joann’s father, Dale, was struck and killed in 2009 while working for the City of AndersonStreetDepartment.Joannwillbeaseniorstudying biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. For more information, visit www.artbatdf.org. 

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Recent SCOTUS Ruling May Herald FasterTransportation Project Approvals

The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency’s (EPA) campaign to regulate all U.S. ditches hit another roadblock May 25.TheU.S.SupremeCourtagreedwiththeAmericanRoad & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) that the agency exceeded its authority in developing new wetlands regulations.

The decision potentially means EPA will need to rewrite its “Waters of the United States (WOTUS)” rule, which has led to permitting delays for transportation projects.

At issue in Sackett vs. EPAwas whether the agency could require a permit for any area with a “significant nexus” to a navigable waterbody, such as a river, lake or stream. The EPA never defined “significant nexus,” causing confusion for the entire transportation construction industry.

The Court called the “significant nexus” test “particularly implausible” and held the EPA has “no statutory basis to impose it.”

In their brief to the Court,ARTBAand NSSGAcritiqued the “significant nexus” test, noting it has “no inherent limiting principles” and empowers federal agencies to assert federal jurisdiction “well beyond the limits set by Congress.”

ARTBA and NSSGA maintained that defining WOTUS in such an expansive way improperly creates permit obligations for features such as roadside ditches, which serve the necessarysafetyfunctionofcollectingwaterduringandafter rain events. This type of overregulation serves only to delay critical infrastructure improvements and increases costs without providing any environmental benefits, the groups say.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision removes un-necessary and un-supportable impediments to transportation improvements across the country,” saidARTBAPresident and CEO David Bauer. “With Sackett as a guide, we urge the EPA to pursue common sense strategies that complement our nation’s infrastructure and environmental goals.”

“Today’s opinion in Sackett v EPA is a victory for our industry and is a major step towards a more reasonable definition ofWOTUS, which our members have struggled with for years and was exacerbated by the premature and confusing Biden administration rule. With the end of significant nexus,wehopethattheagenciesheedthisdecisionandwork for a truly durable rule,” said NSSGA President and CEO Michael Johnson.

“Aclearer WOTUS definition is necessary for our industry to provide the materials needed to build and modernize our country’s infrastructure in an environmentally friendly manner.”

ARTBA and NSSGA have been working together on the issue of CWA jurisdiction since 2005, along with other national association coalition allies. The groups also have been involved in federal district court litigation on the WOTUS rule since 2015. With the clarity provided by Sackett decision in hand, the groups will continue their efforts to repeal the WOTUS rule and work towards a clear definition of the CWA’s reach.

Hurricane Season 2023: Florida Still Recovering From Ian

Eight months ago, chef Michael Cellura had a restaurant job and had just moved into a fancy new camper home on Fort Myers Beach in southwest Florida. Now, after Hurricane Ian swept all that away, he lives in his older Infiniti sedan with a 15-year-old longhaired chihuahua named Ginger.

Like hundreds of others, Cellura was left homeless after the Category 5 hurricane blasted the barrier island last September with ferocious winds and storm surge as high as 15 ft. Like many, he has struggled to navigate insurance payouts, understand federal and state assistance bureaucracy, and simply find a place to shower.

“There are a lot of us like me that are displaced with nowhere to go,” said Cellura during a recent interview next to his car in a commercial parking lot alongside other storm survivors housed in recreational vehicles, a converted school bus, even a shipping container.

The Associated Press reported May 29 that recovery is far from complete in hard-hit Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and Pine Island, with this year’s Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning June 1.

This year’s tropical storm season forecast, according to the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA), calls for 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine becoming hurricanes, and one to four powering into major hurricanes with winds greater than 110 mph.

Another weather pattern that can suppress Atlantic storms is the El Nino warming expected this year in the Pacific Ocean, according to experts. Yet the increasingly warmer water in the Atlantic basin fueled by climate change could offset the El Nino effect, many scientists believe.

Demolition, Construction Bringing Area Back to Life

In southwest Florida, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, piles of debris are everywhere. Demolition and construction work is ongoing across the region. Trucks filled with sand rumble along to renourish the eroded beaches. Blank concrete slabs reveal where buildings, many of them once charming, decades-old

structures that gave the towns their relaxed beach vibe, were washed away or torn down.

Ian claimed more than 156 lives in the United States, the vast majority in Florida, according to a comprehensive NOAA report on the hurricane.

In hard-hit Lee County — where Fort Myers Beach and the other seaside towns are located — 36 people died from drowning in storm surge and more than 52,000 structures suffered damage, including more than 19,000 destroyed or severely damaged, NOAArevealed.

Even with state and federal help, the scale of the disaster has overwhelmed these small towns that were not prepared to deal with so many problems at once, said Chris Holley, former interim Fort Myers Beach town manager, in speaking with the AP.

“Probably the biggest challenge is the craziness of the debris removal process,” Holley explained. “We’ll be at it for another six months. Permitting is a huge,

huge problem for a small town, too. The staff just couldn’t handle it.”

Residents Determined to Overcome Ian’s After Affects

Then there are the battles with insurance companies and navigating how to obtain state and federal aid, which is running into the billions of dollars.

Robert Burton and his partner, Cindy Lewis, whose mobile home was totaled by storm surge, spent months living with friends and family until finally a small apartment was provided through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They can stay there until March 2024 while they look for a new home.

Their mobile home park next to the causeway to Sanibel Island is a ghost town, filled with flooded-out homes soon to be demolished, many of them with ruined furniture inside, clothes still in closets, art still on the walls. Most homes had

at least three feet of water inside.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation estimated the total insured loss from Ian in the state was almost $14 billion, with more than 143,000 claims still open without payment or claims paid but not fully settled as of March 9, the AP found.

In Sanibel, the lingering damage is not quite as widespread as it is in Fort Myers Beach, although many businesses remain shuttered as they are repaired, and storm debris is everywhere. Seven local retail stores have moved into a shopping center in mainland Fort Myers, hoping to continue to operate while awaiting insurance payouts, construction permits, or both before returning to the island.

They call themselves the “Sanibel Seven,” according to Rebecca Binkowski, owner of MacIntosh Books and Paper, a Sanibel fixture since 1960. She said her store had no flood insurance and lost about $100,000 worth of books and furnishings in

the storm.

“The fact of the matter is, we can get our businesses back up and running but without hotels to put people in, without our community moving back, it’s going to be hard to do business,” she said. “You hope this is still a strong community.”

Yet, the sense among many survivors is one of hope for the future, even if it is sometimes hard to imagine.

Cellura has a new job at another location of the Nauti Parrot restaurant on the mainland. Insurance only paid off the outstanding loan amount on his destroyed camper and he did not qualify for FEMA aid, leaving him with virtually nothing to start over amidst quickly rising apartment rental costs.

But, after 22 years on the island, he is not giving up.

“I believe that things will work out. I’m strong. I’m a survivor,” he told the AP. “Every day I wake up, it’s another day to just continue on, and try to make things better.”

NOAA image

A summary infographic showing hurricane season probability and numbers of named storms predicted from NOAA’s 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook.

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A W AMERI WEKE CA EEP O ON TRA A

DozensofIndustryLeadersEngageinARTBALeadershipProgram

Three dozen emerging leaders in the transportation design and construction industrycompletedanintensive introduction to federal legislative and regulatory issues May 15 to 17 during the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Foundation’s Industry Leader Development Program (ILDP).

The annual event also featured policy discussions with congressional staff and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) officials.

More than 800 graduates from over 200 industry firms and public agencies have completed the ILDP

since 1996. HNTB, one of the world’s leading infrastructure firms, is the program’s exclusive sponsor.

The three-day event included a session on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and mentoring and career development sessions led by ARTBA Chair Paula Hammond, senior vice president, WSP USA and ARTBA Senior Vice Chair Tim Duit, president, Duit Holdings.

The 2023 class included:

ïConradAlthoff,assistant project manager, Branch Civil Inc., Roanoke, Va.

ï Matt Baldwin, assistant vicepresident/seniorproject manager, TranSystems Corporation, Geneva, Ill.

ï Ricardo “Rick”

Betancourt, director of construction, Texas Department of Transportation Odessa District, Odessa, Texas

ï Brian Binder, director of

project controls, Branch Civil Inc., GlenAllen, Va.

ï Kyle Burdi, project manager, Union Paving and Construction Co. Inc., Mountainside, N.J.

ï Jennifer Budd, partner, Cohen, Seglias, Pallas, Greenhall & Furman, P.C., Philadelphia, Pa.

ï Mark Campbell, pursuit manager, Lane Construction, Cheshire, Conn.

ï John Cappello, regional rales manager, HCSS, Sugar Land, Texas

ï Clayton Cross, area manager, Ajax Paving Industries of FLLLC, North Venice, Fla.

ï Matthew Doss, commercial business development manager, Commercial Metals Company (CMC), Ellijay, Ga.

ï Daniel Drury, commercial manager, Skanska USA Civil, Queens, N.Y.

ï Jason Duncan, deputy director, construction divi-

sion, TxDOT,Austin, Texas

ï Jaime Franchi, communications and government affairs director, Long Island Contractors’ Association, Melville, N.Y.

ï Tabia Gamble, transportation planner, STV Inc., Owings Mills, Md.

ï Gregory Gharib, senior program director, Parsons, Pasadena, Calif.

ï Scott Gutowski, office manager / senior geotechnical engineer, Terracon Consultants Inc., Charlotte, N.C.

ï Michael Hadden, estimating manager, Skanska USACivil, Waltham, Mass.

ï Scott Harley, regional team leader, CDM Smith, East Hartford, Conn.

ï Matthew Hearn, senior project manager, HNTB Corporation, Washington, DC

ï Seneca House, senior project manager, Parsons Corporation, Miami, Fla.

ï Alexander Jones, engi-

neer 1, Rogers Group Inc., Columbia, Tenn.

ï Bryan Jones, division president, HNTB Corporation,Arlington, Va.

ï Erdal Karataylioglu, engineering manager, Parsons Corporation, Richardson, Texas

ï George Lane-Roberts, alternative delivery & preconstruction manager, J. Banicki Construction Inc. Phoenix,Ariz.

ï Stephen Lowrey, director of performance, APACAtlantic Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.

ï Crystal Lui, senior bridge engineer II, TY Lin, San Francisco, Calif.

ï Bryan Lutz, director of construction, TxDOT, Tyler, Texas

ï Katie Peabody, customer success manager, HaulHub Inc., Boston, Mass.

ï Krista Putrino, VP, director of strategic business development & sales, New

York Metro/ Trans. Global Business Line, AECOM, NewYork, N.Y.

ï Fernando Pizarro Quintanar, project director, Cintra,Austin, Texas

ï Ryan Russell, VP — construction performance, CRH Americas Materials, Nampa, Idaho

ï Luke Schweinsberg, project manager, Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction, Draper, Utah

ï Bryan Smith, design build project manager, Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. York, Pa.

ï Patrick Son, senior project manager, roadway, Gannett Fleming Inc., Washington, D.C.

ï James Thomas, supervising engineer, Parsons, Centreville, Va.

ï Harrison Wadsworth, vice president, government relations, AECOM, Washington, D.C.

For more information, visit www.artba.org.

TerexAnnounces National Competition for Technicians

Terex Equipment Services will host a nationwide competition for Terex service technicians this summer. The champion will win a trip to The Utility Expo in September in Louisville, Ky., and other prizes.

Terex Equipment Services employs hundreds of technicians working as mobile techs or at 21 service centers around the country, delivering full service on any brand of aerial lift, mobile elevatingworkplatform,diggerderrick, crane, telehandler and related equipment.

“Terex service technicians provide hydraulic, mechanical and electrical troubleshooting and repair, they are able to do transfers and rebuilds, capable of cylinder repair, and many are certifiedwelders.Wedecidedtohold this inaugural Technician Rodeo tohighlighttheuniqueskillsthese team members bring to helping customers keep their equipment up and running, and to promote this as a career path,” said Cody Curran, training specialist.

The initial phase of the competitionwillbebasedonconducting an annual inspection of a Genie scissor lift at the regional locations. Annual inspections are comprehensive and critical to ensuring equipment is in proper working order. Points will be given for time required to complete the task, defects found, proper documentation, and following safety protocols.

Regional winners will travel to Terex Utilities’ headquarters in Watertown, S.D., in August to compete in the finals, where the annual inspection challenge will be on a digger derrick.

A 2020 research report from the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation found that the construction and utilities industries may need to fill more than 73,000 technician positions by 2025. The report also noted that public awareness of advanced technologies in manufacturing is growing.

“Terex invests in its employees, providing them with the

tools, training and knowledge to succeed. To be a technician at Terex requires an eagerness to learn and having basic mechanical skills. Our early talent development programs and training courses provide the path for technicians to take their careers to the next step,” said Evan Johnston, field service supervisor.

Career advancement includes opportunities in field service or technical support, or even branch management, he added.

“Terex is a great place to work. I have seen a lot of beautiful country in my travels and met a lot of great people,” said Johnston.

Terex Utilities is seeking supportfromvendorstoprovidecash prizes, swag, gift certificates, tools, boots or related giveaways for the regional and national winners. Contributors will be recognized in the announcement of the winner, prior to the Utility Expo.

For more information, contact Terex Utilities at utilities.info@terex.com.

“Terex

service technicians provide hydraulic, mechanical and electrical troubleshooting and repair, they are able to do transfers and rebuilds, capable of cylinder repair, and many are certified welders. We decided to hold this inaugural Technician Rodeo to highlight the unique skills these team members bring to helping customers keep their equipment up and running, and to promote this as a career path,” said Cody Curran, training specialist.

Customers Like Changes at James River’s Charlotte Branch

The Charlotte, N.C., branch of James River Equipment has grown in popularity among both construction contractors and users of agricultural equipment over the past several years, and new developments there are likely to ensure that continues.

For one, the full-service dealership, known for specializing in John Deere-made equipment, recently got a new general manager in Kyle Cohoon, a long-time James River veteran experienced in the company’s various product lines.

“I was previously the John Deere territory sales rep for James River Equipment, and then came on in 2019 to help out with compact sales because there is so much volume in this area,” he said. “I also spent a little time over in Raleigh to fill in an open sales territory, then assumed some day-today tasks here in Charlotte before transitioning over to the general manager role.”

Charlotte Branch Adds New Training Center

Another recent addition to Charlotte’s James River store, located at 9550 Statesville Road in the Queen City, is an annex building designed to give its technicians the proper training on how to work on the machines that are sold or leased there, according to Cohoon.

“There has been a lot of advancement in construction equipment lately and John Deere has a pretty high standard that our technicians must reach to be certified to work on its machines,” he said. “So, we have set up that building as a training facility, and eventually want it to become an onboarding and development center for all James River employees as they come into the company to give them a consistent feel of the place.”

James River to Employ Trio of Equipment Simulators

But James River in Charlotte also is exploring the possibility of offering training for its customers that want their people to learn how to operate many of John Deere’s new models.

The dealership’s development center would house three new construction machine simulators to provide immersive training for people who lack experience in running John Deere equipment. Like flight simulators for pilot training, the devices employ sophisticated software that present trainees with the basics of working heavy construction pieces as well as virtual scenarios that they may encounter on a job site.

“Each of the three simulators cover the main construction product lines for John Deere,” Cohoon said. “They have a three-panel screen that presents a view out the window of the cab, and they are equipped with motion platforms to give feedback to the operator. For instance, when learning to run an excavator in a simulator, and a trainee picks up a full bucket, he or she will feel the feedback in their seat as the bucket breaks out of the ground.”

James River’s idea is, because of acute shortages of construction workers and equipment operators, to offer this training opportunity to its customers along with part of a John Deere machine purchase or lease package.

“Anyone can say that they are a professional equipment operator or want to be one, but before you go and put them in a $300,000 to $400,000 machine, it is nice to know that they can actually set a section of pipe or be able to dig on a bench and load a truck safely,” Cohoon said. “In addition, training them in a simulator means they are in a controlled environment where you can really vet them without damag-

ing the machine or, more importantly, putting anyone in an unsafe situation.”

John Deere Electric Models Add to Diverse Product Lines

Cohoon is excited about the many new types of equipment John Deere has released in 2023, particularly its more environmentally friendly machines.

“[The manufacturer] has released a lot of information on its new electric products, not only battery electric machines, but also the new hybrid technology that allows for better power delivery and incredible fuel savings. We will be seeing that on several products, including dozers and wheel loaders. Within the next couple of years, we expect to see battery electric power on the John Deere backhoe, compact wheel loader, and other products as well.”

Besides its long association with John Deere Construction, James River Equipment also has forged close ties to other manufacturers, like SENNEBOGEN material handlers, and in recent years has brought on Cemen Tech and the Wirtgen line of products after that maker was purchased by John Deere in 2017.

“Now we carry Wirtgen mills and stabilizers, Vogele asphalt pavers, Hamm rollers, and the Kleemann crushing line,” Cohoon said. “Plus, we have a whole material processing team that is set up to handle the specific needs of the crushing customers and equipment.”

With all the changes and adjustments now firmly in place at the James River Equipment branch in Charlotte, the distributor is even better positioned than before to care for the needs of any construction customer in the region.

For more information, call 704/597-0211 or visit www.jamesriverequipment.com.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide.All Rights Reserved.)

Kyle Cohoon, a long-time James River veteran experienced in the company’s various product lines, is the general manager of the Charlotte facility.

James River Equipment has three operator training simulators.

ConExpo-Con/AGG Caps Mental Health Awareness Efforts

ConExpo-Con/AGG announced its backing of construction professionals during Mental Health Awareness Month with a $5,000 donation to the Construction IndustryAlliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP).The money will be directed to its construction mental health support efforts.

“Intheconstruction industry, there are roughly a dozen deaths by suicide on a daily basis,” said ConExpo-Con/AGG Show Director Dana Wuesthoff. “Between the mental healthfocused education content at the show, the articles on the ConExpo-Con/AGG website, and now this donation, we are always looking for ways to address mental health issues in the construction industry and help more people find their recovery.”

Those articles from ConExpo-Con/AGG include:

ï Breaking Down the Stigma: Prioritizing Mental Health in Construction

ï Coping with Stress on the Jobsite

ï Take A STAND: Addressing Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry

ïAddressing Mental Health in Construction

ï How to Reduce Stress in Construction

ï Construction is Stressful: Here’s How to Manage Stress withYour Crew

ï VIDEO: Construction Workers Share their Struggles with Mental Health to Combat Suicide

ï Managing the Stress of Construction with Ryan Priestly

ï The Importance of Mental Health Awareness in Construction

ï Tips for How to Support Your Employees’ Mental Health

ï 7 Step Guide to Improving Mental Health in Construction

The suicide rate in the construction industry is four times higherthanthenationalaverage(andtheoverallnationalsuicide rate is trending back toward record highs). ConExpoCon/AGG recognizes the need for suicide prevention preparedness, to keep this vital workforce building a better world.

According to Kim MacDonald, CEO of 13 Factors for Business Growth and presenter on mental health in the constructionindustryatConExpo-Con/AGG,weneedtolookat the risk factors and hazards that exist in the work itself and address where possible, mitigate those risks.

“You don’t have to boil the ocean, you can find some minor changes that make a big impact,” said MacDonald. “Be the person who starts using the language daily. Be explicit and ask the question of what caused you the greatest stress today and start a discussion about it.”

Formoreinformation,visithttps://preventconstructionsui-

Four Ways toAddress Industry’s Technician Shortage

It’s no secret to anyone working in equipment manufacturing the ever-growing technician shortage is a problem poised to get a lot worse before it gets better.

According to a 2020 AED Foundation industry research report, the industry may need to fill as many as 73,500 heavy equipment technician positions by 2025. In addition, the report stated equipment manufacturing possesses a job opening rate three times higher than the national average.Among survey respondents, 95 percent agreed with the assertion there was a skills gap in the industry, while 89 percent reported a shortage of workers within the walls of their respective companies.

Now, I don't want to suggest the widespread technician shortage can be quickly addressed, let alone easily solved. However, equipment manufacturers can (and should) embrace and adopt a number of short-term and long-term strategies to set themselves up for sustained success as it relates to workforce development.

Let's examine four in detail:

Focus On Retention

So many pieces of the technician workforce puzzle can only be lightly influenced. However, one area companies can focus efforts to drive positive change as it relates to retention is workplace culture. Start by asking the following two questions:

Are exit interviews being conducted? -- Technicians leav-

ing an organization within the first six months could indicate an onboarding problem, while technicians leaving between 2.5 and 3.5 years could indicate a lack of development opportunities. With exit interviews, it's worthwhile to have both a manager and human resources representative conduct interviews separately, as each position is likely to elicit different responses from departing employee.

Are staying interviews being conducted? -- Talking with staff in key positions about their individual experiences can shed light on missed opportunities or future red flags. Engaging in staying interviews can be particularly helpful in the first 12 months to understand what it's like to be onboarded and how new employees experience the existing culture within the organization. Start by creating a culture check-in by surveying all employees. What changes can be made based off all the information learned? And remember, to those companies who aren't currently acting on employee feedback being received, asking for additional input can (and likely will) negatively impact culture moving forward.

Fill Talent Pipeline

There's really no overstating the importance of finding ways to fill an organizational talent pipeline. And while it takes time to secure a return on investments of time, effort and resources to do so, it's worth it to take proactive steps to ensure desired results.

Simply contacting the nearest local technical college once or twice a year isn't going to be enough to attract and acquire talent. Regularly engage with educational institutions. Be part of review committees. Get in front of students in classrooms. Donate equipment. More than anything else, do what it takes to be top of mind when these schools begin looking to place their best students. It will pay dividends over time.

In addition, it's important to connect with high schools feeding into technical college programs. One effective way to do so is to introduce the high schools to a free, available high school technician curriculum offered through Curriculum for Ag Science Education. It's not just an ag technician curriculum, but rather a program which introduces the technician career to a wide audience and enhances industry perception to parents, teachers and students. As a bonus, there is a built-in industry connection opportunity though the collection of used parts and by offering several class visits.

Organizations must be willing to shed light on the significant industry demand for qualified workers and worthwhile career opportunities, because chances are they aren't aware of the extent of the existing technician shortage. Technician program partnerships, apprenticeships, job shadowing or any other work-and-learn program are the most effective way to connect with new workers. And, ultimately, partnering with education is critical for retention, as technicians require ongoing training and development.

Diversify, Optimize Recruitment Strategies

Want to really move the needle when it comes to acquiring talent? Do the following:

Actively recruit women and minorities.

•Change the way job postings are written and where they are being posted.

•Check language in job postings via a gender decoder website to determine if it's overly masculine.

•Target locations and events where someone with the skills, interests, and hobbies of workers the organization wants to replicate might be out and see if the openings can be posted.

Collaborate With Others

Because the technician shortage is one of the industries biggest issues, AEM's Workforce Development Committee has created a technician taskforce. We'll be sharing examples of survey questions, stay interview questions and other practices being used by industry members to help move the needle in this space.

AEM also is partnering with, and supporting the work of, the AED Foundation. If you're not aware of the AED Foundation's work to accredit 100 colleges and recognize 150 high schools in heavy equipment technology programs, you can learn more about its Vision 2025 by visiting the AED Foundation website.

When it comes to understand the work being done to support the industry's need in this space, there are many associations that are trying to collaborate rather than duplicate efforts. Just as there's no one thing that a company can do to help ease the technician shortage, there's no one associate that can solve the challenge on their own.

With much work to be done and a new technician taskforce being formed, more information will be generated on this topic. In the meantime, make sure to visit AEM's Workforce Solutions Toolkit to access valuable resources.

For more information, visit www.aem.org.

The industry may need to fill as many as 73,500 heavy equipment technician positions by 2025.

Volvo Strengthens FIA Platform With New Partnerships

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) announced that Parker Hannifin, a global leader in motion and control technologies, will join the CE Dealer team (now renamed CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment) as a new partner for season two of the FIA World Rallycross (World RX) Championship.

The now renamed CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment is committed to working with likeminded partners including Parker Hannifin to continue to drive change in motorsport and the construction industry. This spirit for innovation also is demonstrated through the recent launch of the L120H Electric Conversion wheel loader — a 20-ton electric solution developed in partnership between Volvo CE and Parker.

Motivational Partnership

The CE Dealer team by Volvo Construction Equipment willseeVolvoCEplayamoreactiveroleinhelpingtoshape the team’s common goals towards a more diverse and sustainable future. Parker shares similar values with regards to bothsustainabilityanddiversityandbelievesthatelectromobility plays a key role in responding to our global climate challenge.

With more than 100 years’experience developing reliable and optimized solutions, Parker is accelerating the adoption of electrification and digitalization in vehicles.

The team’s race car also will benefit from an update, with afreshlookbringingitinlinewithanewmoderndesignlanguage forVolvo CE products, as shown on the L120 Electric Conversion wheel loader.

Excitement Grows for Season 2

The 2023 season began in Montalegre, Portugal, on June 3 and will continue with a packed schedule in some of the most renowned racing tracks across Norway, Sweden, UK, Benelux and Germany.World RX will then finish the season with new race locations in Cape Town, South Africa and Hong Kong, China.

Formoreinformation,visitfiaworldrallycross.com/worldrx/. 

The new look rallycross car with the L120 Electric Conversion by Volvo CE.

Palmetto Building $185M Line to Service VolvoAuto Plant

Palmetto Railways has started construction on a rail line that will service the Camp Hall Commerce Park and the Volvo factory in Berkeley County.

Palmetto Railways President and CEO Patrick McCrory said the nearly 23-mi. rail line will connect to an existing CSX line near the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station in Cross.

“This line is really intended to serve the U.S. domestic market — from here to New York and New Jersey, and from here across the country to LosAngeles and all [stops] in between,” he told Charleston’s WCSC-TV. “That’s kind of our focus for the volumes. It’s a main line used for any level of capacity.”

Camp Hall will soon be home to the largest investment in South Carolina history and include Redwood Materials, which unveiled plans for a $3.5 billion campus several months ago, and is the current home of Volvo’s automotive plant, where the company has been producing its S60 sedans since 2019.

The project will cost $185 million to build and has been in the works since 2016. McCrory added the rail line was included in the original negotiations to bring Volvo to the Lowcountry.

He said that as part of their agreement, Palmetto Railways, Volvo, CSX Corp., the state of South Carolina and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) each have invested in the new railway line.

“We anticipate roughly one train a day, five days a week,” McCrory said to WCSCTV. “Those are our initial estimates. That’s what’s tracking today. The train length is [around] 30 cars, give or take.”

Palmetto Railways plans to add railroad crossings at several roadways, including Volvo Car Drive, U.S. Highway 176, and Mudville Road as part of the line construction.

Officials believe the added infrastructure could entice more investment to Berkeley County and South Carolina.

The line, which federal railroad regulators approved in 2019, is expected to take about three years to complete.

“The addition of a rail line will be a great benefit to Volvo Cars and industries in the surrounding area,” noted Volvo spokesperson Katherine Bergmann in a statement. “This project represents a key investment in advancing industrial transportation capabilities, streamlining logistics and promoting economic growth.”

Rail Line to Better Serve Volvo’s Only United States Auto Plant

The 22.7-mi. track will run north and south through a swath of timberland between the Camp Hall business park near

Interstate 26 to an existing freight transfer site that CSX Corp. operates in the community of Cross, on Lake Moultrie, north of Charleston.

A legislative panel on May 16 authorized the state’s Commerce Department to draw $48.5 million from a special economic development fund for the long-delayed project, the Charleston Post and Courier reported May 16.

The first phase of construction began in April, according to documents provided to the state Joint Bond Review Committee, which approved the funding request.

South Carolina Commerce’s financial contribution is $144 million, or more than three-quarters of the total, and the agency cited “higher materials costs, construction costs and inflationary costs” for the increased price estimate, the newspaper noted. Volvo and CSX are chipping in $6 million and $10 million, respectively. A federal transportation grant awarded two years ago is expected to cover the rest.

The rail infrastructure was part of a 2015 incentive package that the state offered Volvo in exchange for picking South Carolina for its first and only U.S. manufacturing plant. A lack of money, however, has put the project on hold.

In a letter to the lawmakers, SC Commerce chief Harry Lightsey said the

four-year-old,$1.2billionVolvofactorynear Ridgeville is one of the state’s biggest economicdevelopmentvictoriesinrecentmemory.

He added that Volvo’s local rail service

“This has put an additional strain on I-26, which is already one of the more congested highways in our state,” he wrote. “And the problem will only worsen asVolvo increases its domestic production of finished vehicles and sourcing of automotive components from domestic suppliers.”

He noted that the CSX site in Cross directly feeds into a high-densitylinethatservestheentireEastern seaboard, from New England to Florida.

“These are many of Volvo’s domestic markets,” Lightsey told Post and Courier.

South Carolina Commerce said other companies opening in Camp Hall Commerce Park also will require rail service, including the $3.5 billion battery recycling plant that Redwood Materials is building at the Cross site.

needs are increasing as the carmaker transitions to building electric vehicles in South Carolina and looks to reduce its reliance “on international supply chains.”

The automaker has already negotiated deals with CSX to haul away from the plant as much as 75 percent of the cars that are made for the U.S. market, according to Lightsey. Right now, most are transported by trucks to a site near Columbia to be loaded onto rail cars.

State Rep. Gilda Cobb Hunter, DOrangeburg, recently asked Lightsey whether the new line would cut back on the number of trucks on I-26 between Charleston and Columbia, which she referred to as “that parking lot.”

Lightsey would not go that far, saying Camp Hall is not yet built out and likely is not a major source of congestion.

“I’m not sure we’ll see a reduction, but what I think we’ll see overall is significantly less truck traffic than we would otherwise have seen,” he replied.

The nearly 23-mi. rail line will connect to an existing CSX line near the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station in Cross.

“The addition of a rail line will be a great benefit to Volvo Cars and industries in the surrounding area.”

Katherine Bergmann Volvo

HYDRAULIC HAMMERS & PEDESTAL BREAKER SYSTEMS

Whether excavator or pedestal mounted, NPK’s rugged Hydraulic Hammers provide high production rates in all forms of concrete, as well as medium & hard material; making them ideal for many of your construction, demolition, quarry & mining needs!

PLEASE CONTACT

YOUR LOCAL DEALER:

allroadsequipment.com

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Rock Hill: 803-325-1555

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Arkadelphia: 870-246-8678

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NPK MANUFACTURES AND MARKETS THE GREATEST SELECTION OF:

BerlonIndustriesOffersWideVarietyofUniqueAttachments

By Katherine Petrik CEG EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Berlon Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of a variety of attachments, is on a mission to provide high-quality attachments by partnering with dealers and retailers and gathering input from customers. The company, headquartered in Hustisford, Wis., offers buckets, augers, trenchers, grapples and other tools for skid steers, mini-skid steers, tractor loaders, compact utility tractors, wheel loaders and telehandlers.

History

Berlon began creating attachments for

skid steers in 1995 by Lon Berndt. In 2012, Berlon was sold to Blackthorne Partners, the company’s current managing director. In 2020, Randy Schickert, current president and CEO, purchased a stake in the company and joined the board of directors.

In January 2022, Berlon purchased Lowe Manufacturing of Viola, Wis., maker of attachments for fencing, construction, landscaping, rental, contracting, utility and agricultural applications. Lowe was founded in 1971. Richard and Mary Lowe ran the business for the past 42 years. Richard retired after the sale and Mary remained with the business until February 2023, to help with the transition.

“We set out a new course of growth and we’ve doubled the size of Berlon Industries in the last three years,” said Schickert. “We have done well on the growth side. After the acquisition of Lowe, we doubled Berlon again. We are now four times the size we were just a little more than three years ago.”

Post acquisition, all sales and marketing were combined into one team led by Diane Salzman, director of sales. Today, there are approximately 80 employees — 60 in the shops and 20 office and management staff — combined in both locations.

Product Lineup

Salzman has been with the company for

17 years. She has seen the company’s product line evolve. She said walk-behind skid steers have become increasingly popular — and so have the attachments for these machines.

“Our array of products in that industry has been good for our growth strategy,” she said.

Berlon has a product range that includes buckets, grapples, mini-products, pallet fork frames, bale spear carriages, log splitters, land planes, trailer movers and bale handlers.

“One of our unique products in the industry is our material long bucket,” said Salzman. “It is used at quarries to clean

CEG photo

Berlon/Lowe sales department (L-R) Howie Krohn; Diane Salzman, director of sales; Cody Apfelbeck; and Kurt Kaeppel.

Berlon Industries photo Berlon’s newly redesigned bale spear carriages are available for skid steers.

CEG photo

Raw material is ready for production.

Berlon Industries photo

One of Berlon Industries’ popular products is the mini-grapple.

see BERLON page 78

Employment Rate Climbs Despite Worker Shortage

JOBS from page 1

“The number of unfulfilled construction positions is close to a monthly high,” said the association.

As a whole the industry likely would have added even more to its rolls if contractors could find more qualified workers.

“Contractors can’t find, reach, hire and train workers fast enough to keep pace with demand,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, association CEO. “The pool of qualified, available labor is the smallest the industry has ever seen for the month of April.”

How Numbers Shake Out

Construction employment rose fromApril 2022 to April 2023 in 42 states and the District of Columbia. While the numbers declined in seven states, they held their own in Hawaii. This from an AGC’s break-down of BLS statistics:

Texas added 28,000 jobs; New York, 13,400; Indiana, 11,200; and Florida 8,600. At 5,500 new jobs,Arkansas marked the largest increase by percentage, 9.8 percent. Rhode Island followed at 7.6 percent. California logged the highest number of jobs lost, at 5,100; Connecticut lost 1,900 jobs; and West Virginia dropped 1,200 jobs, minus 3.7 percent).

West Virginia had the largest percentage loss at 3.7 percent, according to the AGC analysis. Connecticut and Alaska lost 2.5 percent, or 400 jobs.

For the month of April 2023, construction employment increased in 24 states and D.C. Hiring declined in 26 states.Washington added the most jobs over the month, at 4,300; Illinois added 2,700; Wisconsin, 2,600; and California, 2,100.

The largest percentage gain occurred in South Dakota, at 2.7 percent. Wisconsin, Washington and Arkansas saw a 1.8 percent gain, with 1,100 new jobs.

Dropping 8,500 jobs, Texas lost the most in April; New York lost 4,000.Alaska had the largest percentage loss for the month at 4.2 percent and 700 jobs.

AGC tracked two construction labor reports, one of which noted total construction starts in current dollars fell 4 percent from March to April. That number is 7 percent year-to-date, according to Dodge Construction Network.

Nonbuilding starts increased 16 percent year-todate. Utility/gas plants are up 37 percent; miscellaneous nonbuilding starts, 36 percent.

Environmental public works projects are up 10 percent; and highway and bridge starts, 9 percent.

AGC analyzed a ConstructConnect report, which found that the value of construction starts in current dollars decreased 5.7 percent year-to-date.

Civil starts jumped 27 percent, seeing increases for all segments including roads, at 25 percent; and water/sewage, 23 percent.

Power and miscellaneous civil projects increased by 40 percent; bridges, 1.3 percent; dams/marine, 102 percent; and airports, 89 percent.

The pool of qualified, skilled trade workers seen this spring is among the smallest in the industry.

Employment numbers in the construction industry are on the upswing. But jobs are still open everywhere, and contractors are desperate to fill them. see JOBS page 92

Covenant Relies On Komatsu’s Reliability, Craftsmanship

COVENANT from page 8

“As we grow, however, we will probably have to widen that a little bit just to pick up more opportunities,” he said.

Currently, though, with the Nashville homebuilding market running red hot, Covenant primarily takes on residential projects, Walker said, but commercial building, retail projects and roadwork also fall under its scope. Its range of services include design and estimation, utilities installation, excavation and light demolition.

“Our typical residential project is $3 million to $5 million, although we do have some that are up over $20 million,” said Walker. “The largest one right now is [the Nexus Tennessee planned community] on 450 acres with 1,800 home lots, plus all the industrial, commercial and retail that comes with it, in Gallatin, Tenn.

“On the smaller end, we will do the sitework for five to 10 townhomes, some of which are 120 units,” he added. “Usually, our subdivision work ranges anywhere from 15 to 350 homesites.”

Within its residential projects, Covenant is responsible for performing all the clearing and grading, and very often the utility installations, Walker said, but none of the vertical construction itself.

“We are one of several different contractors and homebuilders on the Gallatin site,” he said. “Besides homes, there will also be a couple of hotels built, some industrial warehouses, and retail stores. It is a nine-phase residential project, and we are currently working in Phase Six.”

Covenant Concrete Fills Niche in Nashville

In April 2022, Walker started a new company called Covenant Concrete LLC to handle curb and gutter installations, sidewalks and structural work such as retaining walls, poured-in-place walls, podium structures for new buildings, and structural slabs for apartment complexes and most warehouse projects.

Walker explained that the concrete company was started because, just as with the formation of Covenant Constructors, he recognized an opportunity to bring in good people to fill a niche in the market.

“With so much construction in and around Nashville, there is a big need for concrete because there are not a lot of contractors doing it in the area,” he said. “We learned of the need mainly from our connections — clients we had worked with who were always asking if we knew any good concrete contractors. After it happened several times, I just thought, ‘Alright, there is apparently a hole in the market that needs to be filled.’”

As it turned out, Walker said, another contracting company was forced to close its

doors, and lay off its entire concrete division, “so we were presented with the perfect opportunity to hire those guys for our new company and not miss a beat.”

Covenant Concrete’s founding last spring enabled him to at once put the company to work on the Nexus development in Gallatin.

“The first work that they did for me there was to install the sidewalks, curbs and gutters,” Walker said. “We have a curb machine we run up there to put in a lot of curbing on our own jobs, but we use it to build a lot of curbs for other clients as well.”

Covenant Constructors and Covenant Concrete have each benefited from partnering with the Nashville branch of Power Equipment, a Southeast distributor of heavy construction machines.

In addition, Walker’s extensive career in the building trade taught him to appreciate

the craftsmanship and reliability of Komatsu machines, which, as it happens, is among the top OEMs sold and serviced by Knoxvillebased Power Equipment.

“When I first met Joe Tant, a Power Equipment salesman in Nashville, he was just really happy to be involved with what I was starting and made a lot of accommodations to get my business.”

That led to Covenant buying several Komatsu excavators, dozers and loaders from Power Equipment over the past six years. In addition, Walker has been bullish on the outstanding product support the fullservice dealership has provided for his companies in that time.

As a longtime proponent of using technology to improve Covenant’s efficiency and accuracy, he also believes Komatsu’s hightech equipment led him to make a commit-

ment to stock a modern fleet of Komatsu pieces outfitted with the latest GPS and artificial intelligence.

“I like their GPS grade control best, and it is integrated into all our dozers,” Walker said. “There is no set up to go through — it is already in the machine. After you install and calibrate the file, you are ready to go to work with it. Ideally, you just move the dirt one time, making it more efficient to run.”

The Komatsu excavators run by Covenant also are powered by GPS-guided systems, he added.

“We run Komatsu’s digital terrain models, or DTMs, too, so, when our guys are grading off the plans — whatever the grade is for those distinct plans — they can see where they are digging both horizontally and vertically, so they don’t over dig or under dig. DTMs both save money and increase production, and the substantial cost savings are passed on to the client. We would rather do that and help our clients out as much as we can than add more money into Covenant’s pocket.”

All this allows Covenant Constructors to take on civil projects of all sizes. In addition, Walker keeps his team at the top of their game by continually improving their skills with ongoing training and machine upgrades from Power Equipment as new advancements become available.

“I really appreciate Power Equipment for giving me an opportunity to partner with them and supplying us with excellent equipment and service as well as going above and beyond to make Covenant a successful company,” he said.

For more information, visit www.covenantconstructorsllc.com and www.PowerEquipCo.com.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide.All Rights Reserved.)

Tim Walker, president of Covenant Constructors, is busy at work on the next big project.

The Komatsu PC 292.0 intelligent machine control places another full load into the dump truck.

The Komatsu D61Pxi dozer clips the subgrade; after this portion, the stone will be placed.

Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse Spurs Call for Corrosion Checks

Investigators looking into the 2022 collapse of a Pittsburgh bridge want transportation officials nationwide to examine more than 10,000 other spans in the United States with similar construction to ensure they do not have the same kind of corrosion that was found on that city’s Fern Hollow Bridge.

TheNationalTransportationSafetyBoard (NTSB)saidinareportreleasedMay18that drainage problems on the weathered steel bridge that failed allowed the metal legs to deteriorate over time. It also found that for years maintenance needed to clear the debris, dirt and leaves that were causing the problem at the Fern Hollow Bridge site was not properly done, the Associated Press reported, even though inspectors noted the issue.

Rust that caused the deterioration of the Pittsburgh bridge’s steel legs and allowed holes to form in the structure was noted on every inspection done since 2005, including one completed just four months before the FernHollowBridgefellintoaravineonJan. 28, 2022.

Workwasdonein2009toclearthedebris clogging the bridge’s drainage system, but that was not repeated in the years since even after inspectors noted on all reports between 2011 and 2021 that the drains had become

clogged again.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spokesperson Alexis Campbell said in a statement that the agency is still reviewing the NTSB report, and the state will continue cooperating with the investigation. Last fall, PennDOTissued a safety bulletin focused on the maintenance issues with these steel bridges in response to the NTSB’s preliminary findings.

“Safe,reliableinfrastructureisa top priority of the [Gov. Josh] Shapiroadministration,andweare committed to ensuring Pennsylvanians and all motorists can travel across the Commonwealthsafely,”Campbell said. “To that end, PennDOT remains proactive in its review, analysis and maintenance of its bridges.”

Feds Urge States to Properly Maintain Steel Bridges

The Pittsburgh bridge span that fell last year dropped a bus and four cars some 100 ft. into a ravine, injuring several people just hoursbeforePresidentJoeBidenwassched-

uled to visit the city to promote his massive infrastructure law. The span carried Forbes Avenue over Frick Park, Fern Hollow Creek and Tranquil Trail.

A new bridge opened to traffic last

developing a protective patina that would have kept the corrosion at bay. The federal agency’s investigators looked at 10 other steel-framed bridges in Pennsylvania and found similar maintenance problems, although none were as severe as what was discovered at the Fern Hollow Bridge.

It is unclear how widespread these issues are nationwide, but the NTSB wanted to urgently call them to bridge owners’ attention even though it has not completed its investigation of the Pittsburgh bridge collapse.

TheNTSBsaidinitsreportthat it is critical for bridge owners — usuallycitiesandstates—toclear any “accumulation of water and debris on bridges with weathering steel components.”

December after its design and construction were fast-tracked.

The NTSB said that these types of steelframe bridges can last for decades if they are properly maintained.

In the Pittsburgh case, however, the drainage issues prevented the steel from

The agency wants the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)tohelpbridgeownersidentifysimilar problems and complete the needed bridge safety work. In addition, the FHWA willreviewtheNTSBrecommendationsand work with bridge owners to carefully study inspectionreportstodecidewhatneedstobe done. 

“Safe, reliable infrastructure is a top priority of the [Gov. Josh] Shapiro administration, and we are committed to ensuring Pennsylvanians and all motorists can travel across the Commonwealthsafely.”

Alexis Campbell Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Deere 210G, New engine installed by John Deere with only

Deere 544K, JRB quick disconnect w/ bucket & forks, New fuel pump & injectors,

VolvoUnveilsCompactAssistPackagesforSoilCompactors

Two entry-level packages for Volvo Construction Equipment’s (Volvo CE) intelligent compaction system Compact Assist have now been introduced to best match the varied demands of its customers on its line of Volvo soil compactors.

Designed for customers who need some of the existing system’s functionality — but not all of them — the new ‘Lite’and ‘Start’ packages unlock varying degrees of access to the core functions of Pass Mapping and Compaction Measurement Value (CMV) Mapping, all powered by the 10 in. Volvo Co-Pilot touchscreen.

With these tailored solutions, customers can now more easily unlock the benefits of intelligent compaction, receiving only the information that is most useful to them and in turn achieving optimum compaction results.

Packages to Fit Your Needs

Customers can now choose from three packages from Volvo CE’s suite of Compact Assist tools — whether they are looking for simple compaction measurements right through to complete tracking of both the coverage and compaction of the material — ensuring the most cost-effective and relevant solution, specific to their needs.

• Lite — The first of the two new bundles, this is the perfect option for those taking the first steps towards improving the quality of their compaction work. It integrates a simple compaction gauge and rear-view camera within the Volvo Co-Pilot monitor, allowing the operator to track the progress of current and recently completed compaction with full visibility behind the machine.

• Start — The other latest option combines all the functionality of the Lite package, plus the ability to see completed work across the entire job site. With increased functionality, it uses GPS data to provide the operator with a clear map of passes and CMV mapping.

• Compact Assist — Offering the fullest functionality of the existing Compact Assist solution, this option provides everything that the Start package boasts, as well as high accuracy location and data recording, enabling the creation of reports on the finished job and access to extensive detail on the performance of the roller.

Intelligent Compaction Made Simple

Since its launch, Volvo CE’s Compact Assist has been an industry standard when it comes to intelligent compaction tools.

The packages are designed for customers to choose their preferred levels of functionality.

The Lite package is practical for those taking the first steps in Compact Assist.

Compact Assist enables the creation of reports on the finished job.

The Start package offers increased functionality.

The

2011 Etnyre Quad 10-20 ft extendable chip spreader, computerized, Cummins diesel eng, folding rear hopper, 4WD - $148,000

2011 Volvo PF4410 track paver, Ultimat 8-16 ft electric heated screed, power crown, slope & height, Deutz diesel eng, New auger liners, New tracks, New extension screed plates - $72,000

2018 Bomag BW11RH-5 rubber tire roller, 9 wheels, water system, Kubota 3307-T turbo diesel eng$44,000

2008 Volvo PT125R rubber tire roller, 9 wheels, water system, Cummins diesel engine - $32,000

New Marathon TPS250T tack distributor, gas eng, 18GPM pump, 250 gal, 6 ft spray bar, operator’s platform, propane burners, flushing system, electric brakes - $19,700 (also avail without spray bar - $17,500)

2014 Superior DT80-J broom, John Deere diesel engine, 8 ft broom, heat & a/c, water system, New tires, broom core 75%-80% - $35,000

2015 Hamm HD12VV double drum 47” vibratory roller, water system, Kubota diesel engine, 3 ton roller - $31,000

2009 Etnyre Centennial II distributor, 2000 gallons, BT-1 computer controls, 14 ft spray bar, propane burners, 2009 Ford F750XL, Cummins dsl eng, auto trans - $75,000

Efficiency and Productivity

Designed with safety and operator comfort in mind, the Shuttle Buggy® material transfer vehicle features adaptive cruise control, bright LED lighting, four-wheel steering for easy transport and ground-level maintenance access for added convenience. Operators can rely on clear sightlines and the ground operator is safely protected inside the structure of the machine. The Roadtec SB-3000 is the perfect blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. astecindustries.com

Charlotte-Based NonProfit Recognizes AscendumforMakingDreamsHappen

DREAM from page 12

“That, to me, was one of the coolest parts of the Dream On 3 story,” Brandon said. “I felt like God was calling me to step out and do this. Because I had no experience in doing this type of work, I reached out to the construction contacts that I had made during 20 years of working at Martin Marietta Materials [a supplier of aggregates and heavy building materials].

“I did not know how to get this thing off the ground,” he added. “So, I went to people like Martin Marietta,Ascendum Machinery, the noted construction equipment dealer here in Charlotte, and Hoopaugh Grading, a prominent local contractor, and asked them if they would help us put it together. Of course, they all stepped up to the plate.”

As a result, the success of Dream On 3 over the past 10 years has been built on the backs of the construction industry, he said.

“Very few people think about construction supporting nonprofit organizations; instead, most folks think of banks and other large corporations taking on that role,” Brandon said. “But there is no greater industry made up of so many people that care about serving, about investing back into the community, than construction. They have big hearts, and they want to help. One of the best things we did was to continue working with builders and equipment dealers. Now, in every community that we begin serving, we start by contacting local construction and related companies for assistance.”

Ascendum General Manager Kristin Parker added, “I think it is important for people to know that the construction industry’s day-to-day competition for market share is put aside when it comes to what matters most. Pulling together for great causes like Dream On 3 — regardless of what company logo we wear on our shirts — and helping realize the dreams of children, is our biggest thrill. Dream On 3 is about the kids, no matter the logos.”

Annual Dream Gala Honors Dreamers, Sponsors

After starting off small in 2013, Dream On 3 is quickly approaching its 200th Dream Experience. This core program is one of many that are now being offered across the organization’s footprint, which includes the nonprofit’s four current “communities,” or regions, encompassing the two Carolinas, Georgia, DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia), and Rocky Mountains (based in Denver, Colo.).

In addition, Dream On 3 is now offering programming on high school and college campuses across the country.

Each community works to identify eligible recipients and the partnerships necessary to carry out Dream On 3’s mission in that area.

None of the nonprofit’s expansion and new services would be possible, the Lindseys agreed, without the generous funding and support of the business community via their sponsorships and Dream On 3’s annual Dream Gala, held annually in Charlotte.

Brandon described the event as “Dream On 3’s Super Bowl, the biggest night of the year for us” because it allows the organization to honor not only the kids it has served, but also the various companies and groups, like Ascendum, that showed their support over the previous year.

“When we were planning our first Gala in 2014, I went to

our board of directors at the time and said, ‘I want to host a Dream on 3 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Charlotte, and it is going to cost us $50,000,’” he said. “Well, their jaws dropped because we did not have $50 at that time. But they agreed and we came up with that $50,000, turning it into $120,000 that first night in 2014, and the funding has grown every year since.”

Dream On 3 Names Ascendum 2022 Business of the Year

Ascendum sells and services heavy machines made by Volvo, LeeBoy, K-Tec and Bergmann Americas. Other lines include SENNEBOGEN, Sandvik, Doosan Portable Power and Gradall.

But Ascendum also is noted for its philanthropy, and earlier this year was named Dream On 3’s Queen City Business of the Year in 2022 from a field of several well-respected companies in the community. Brandon Lindsey noted that Ascendum was deserving of the honor because the equipment distributor engaged its team members last year to raise a total of $532,437 for the charity.

Combined with the efforts of other donors, Ascendum’s fundraising allowed Dream On 3 to bring in over $1.4 million through the 2022 competition and at the Dream Gala.

Parker said that her company was grateful both to all the folks within Ascendum, and those in other companies, that helped raise money for Dream On 3 in 2022.

“Your dedication and hard work have made a tremendous difference in the lives of many children and their families,” she said. “We appreciate your support and let’s continue to make a positive impact in our community.”

For Dream on 3’s 2023 Queen City Business of the Year event, Ascendum has nominated Lincolnton, N.C.-based LeeBoy, the manufacturer of a range of road and surface products including asphalt pavers, brooms, chip spreaders, distributors, force feed loaders, motor graders, patchers, road wideners and tack distributors.

For more information, visit www.dreamon3.org.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of ASCENDUM Machinery and Dream On 3.)

(844)

4 MY DOBBS

www.dobbsequipment.com

2730 Falkenburg Road HQ

Riverview, FL 33578

(813) 620-1000

4343 Northwest 77th Ave Miami, FL 33166

(305) 592-5740

3933 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd West Palm Beach, FL 33404 (561) 848-6618

4333 North John Young Pkwy Orlando, FL 32804

(407) 299-1212

3005 Hanson Street Fort Myers, FL 33916 (239) 334-3627

4618 Scarborough Drive Lutz, FL 33559

(813) 995-0841

1730 N. Nova Road Holly Hill, FL 32117

(407) 299-1212

2710 Falkenburg Road Riverview, FL 33578

(813) 621-4902 - Parts

1751 Copans Road, Unit 8 Pompano Beach, FL 33064 (954) 977-9541 - Parts

6265 E Sawgrass Road Sarasota, FL 34240 (941) 960-2004 - Parts

www.reynoldswarren.com

1945 Forest Parkway Lake City, GA 30260

(800) 875-5659

(404) 361-1593

180 Thunderbird Drive Richmond Hill, GA 31324

(912) 445-2880

www.richmondmachinery.com

1701 Roseneath Rd. Richmond, VA 23230 (804) 359-4048

Fly Ty, a local event host, comedian, tv personality and in-house hype professional for the Charlotte Hornets, honors Kristin Parker and her team at Ascendum Machinery for their support of Dream On 3.

150 Piper Lane Alabaster, AL 35007

(205) 621-2489

5336 Messer-Airport Hwy Birmingham, AL 35212

(205) 591-2131

800 Church St. N.E.

Decatur, AL 35601

(256) 355-0305

4307 Reeves Street Highway 431 North

Dothan, AL 36303

(334) 678-1832

243 South Jackson St. Grove Hill, AL 36451

(251) 275-4158

108 Skylab Drive NW Huntsville, AL 35806 (256) 851-2222

2100 East I-65 Service Rd. North Mobile, AL 36617 (251) 457-8991

3285 Selma Highway Montgomery, AL 36108

(334) 288-6580

309 Hamric Drive West Oxford, AL 36203

(256) 831-2440

3820 Greensboro Ave.

Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 (205) 752-0621

3305 Highway 77

Panama City, FL 32405

(850) 763-4654

9036 Pine Forest Rd. Pensacola, FL 32534

(850) 505-0550

SakaiAmericaAchieves RecordAsphalt, Soil Roller Production at Georgia Plant

Sakai America Inc. has just concluded its strongestever fiscal year despite the lingering supply chain challenges still affecting the equipment manufacturing industryasawhole.

Due to the hard-working men and women in Sakai’s Adairsville, Ga., manufacturing plant, domestic U.S. production of asphalt rollers and soil rollers increased by 11.4 percent over the previousrecordproductionyear.

Overall, including U.S. production and Japan imports, machine shipments set a company record with a 17.1 percent increase over theprevioushigh.

“Our manufacturing team has worked tirelessly to overcome supplier delays and increase manufacturing efficiencytodelivermoreof the quality compaction equipment our customers demand. With another soil model line shifting from Japan to U.S. production soon, we are gearing up for even higher domestic production figures in the coming year,” said Kevin McClain,VPofoperations.

“In addition to our talented folks building the machines,wecouldnothave accomplished this growth without our valuable dealer network,” said Brad Belvin, manager, Sales & Marketing.“Thislatestfiscal yearweincreasedourdealer networkwithsomephenomenal partnerships, strengthening nationwide representation of SAKAI compactionproducts.Demandis stronger than ever for dependable asphalt rollers and soil compactors, so we are confident in our dealers’ support to set new records yetagainthiscomingyear.”

For more information, visitSakaiAmerica.com. 

beardequipment.com

7566 W. Tennessee St. Tallahassee, FL 32304

(850) 575-5600

3033 US Hwy 27 E. Perry, FL 32348

(850) 584-9200

2578 SE Baya Drive Lake City, FL 32025

(386) 752-9544

6870 Phillips Highway Jacksonville, FL 32216

(904) 296-5000

356 N. Hwy 17 Palatka, FL 32177 (386) 326-6268

4539 NW 44th Avenue Ocala, FL 34482 (352) 732-4646

www.reynoldswarren.com

1945 Forest Parkway Lake City, GA 30260 (800) 875-5659

(404) 361-1593

180 Thunderbird Drive Richmond Hill, GA 31324 (912) 445-2880 www.richmondmachinery.com 1701 Roseneath Rd. Richmond, VA 23230 (804) 359-4048

Domestic U.S. production of asphalt rollers and soil rollers increased by 11.4 percent over the previous record production year.

150 Piper Lane Alabaster, AL 35007

(205) 621-2489

5336 Messer-Airport Hwy

Birmingham, AL 35212

(205) 591-2131

800 Church St. N.E. Decatur, AL 35601

(256) 355-0305

4307 Reeves Street Highway 431 North

Dothan, AL 36303

(334) 678-1832

www.tec1943.com

243 South Jackson St. Grove Hill, AL 36451

(251) 275-4158

108 Skylab Drive NW Huntsville, AL 35806

(256) 851-2222

2100 East I-65 Service Rd. North Mobile, AL 36617 (251) 457-8991

3285 Selma Highway Montgomery, AL 36108 (334) 288-6580

309 Hamric Drive West Oxford, AL 36203

(256) 831-2440

3820 Greensboro Ave.

Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

(205) 752-0621

3305 Highway 77

Panama City, FL 32405

(850) 763-4654

9036 Pine Forest Rd. Pensacola, FL 32534

(850) 505-0550

(844) 4 MY DOBBS

www.dobbsequipment.com

2730 Falkenburg Road HQ

Riverview, FL 33578

(813) 620-1000

4343 Northwest 77th Ave

Miami, FL 33166

(305) 592-5740

3933 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd West Palm Beach, FL 33404

(561) 848-6618

4333 North John Young Pkwy

Orlando, FL 32804

(407) 299-1212

3005 Hanson Street Fort Myers, FL 33916

(239) 334-3627

4618 Scarborough Drive Lutz, FL 33559

(813) 995-0841

1730 N. Nova Road

Holly Hill, FL 32117

(407) 299-1212

2710 Falkenburg Road

Riverview, FL 33578

(813) 621-4902 - Parts

1751 Copans Road, Unit 8

Pompano Beach, FL 33064

(954) 977-9541 - Parts

6265 E Sawgrass Road

Sarasota, FL 34240

(941) 960-2004 - Parts

CaterpillarAcquires Three-Dimensional Screed Plate System From Axenox Inc.

CAROLINAS

Charlotte, NC 704-228-0455

Clayton-Raleigh, NC 886-629-3784

Grimesland, NC 252-752-1500

Lexington, NC 866-629-3784

Columbia, SC 888-865-1002

Conway-Myrtle Beach, SC 800-968-0754

Piedmont-Greenville, SC 864-434-1154

Summerville-Charleston, SC 843-501-0566

GEORGIA

Richmond Hill-Savannah, GA 912-756-7854

Dallas-Atlanta, GA 770-445-9019

Under the agreement, three-dimensional screed plates and the modular screed plate fastening system will be available options exclusively for Cat asphalt paving customers.

As previously announced, Caterpillar Inc. has entered into an agreement with construction solutions supplier Axenox Inc. to acquire the intellectual properties of two of the company’s asphalt paving screed products.

Under the agreement, three-dimensional screed plates and the modular screed plate fastening system will be available options exclusively for Cat asphalt paving customers.

These new innovations are true market disrupters for the asphalt paving industry,” said Nate Just, marketing manager of Cat Paving Products. “The innovative three-dimensional screed plate design improves mat density and smoothness as well as density at the joint to reduce compaction expense and improve the chances of achieving bonus. The modular fastening system reduces the time required to replace screed plates by more than 80 percent to lower costs and maximize paver uptime availability.”

Brothers Michael and Stuart Frost, long-time paving contractors and owners of Axenox, invented the screed system to improve paving efficiency and quality for their paving operations.

“Basic screed design had never changed in our lifetime or our father’s, so my brother and I developed our own screed. We knew we had something special with this technology,” said Stuart Frost.

Michael Frost added, “We want to see this effect the industry in a positive way, just like it has for our paving operations. That’s why we chose Caterpillar and the second-tonone support offered by the Cat dealer network as the best way to carry out our vision.”

Increased Density, Smoothness

The Axenox screed plate design is a significant departure from industry standard. Whereas traditional plates are flat, these plates utilize a three-dimensional, angular design. This added dimension delivers lateral compaction confinement to asphalt material. The kneading action helps aggregate to interlock more efficiently than with flat screeds, increasing mat and joint density along with improving mat smoothness.

Densities reaching 91 percent have been measured behind pavers equipped with the three-dimensional screed plates, so there is less of a chance for material shoving and cracking with the roller. These high densities can reduce the number of passes, lowering compaction cost.

At the longitudinal joint, higher densities result in improved material containment during compaction to increase final density. Uniform mat temperatures gained by using the angular plates also help to reach specified densities more easily, helping contractors to meet bonus-level work.

The stiffer asphalt mat left behind the three-dimensional plates allow the breakdown roller to achieve higher densities before the mat reaches the tender zone. It produces a more stable unconfined edge that resists pushing and shoving by the breakdown roller, so consistent density readings are achieved across the entire mat width.

The three-dimensional cast plates are made with high strength chromium carbide, delivering high wear resistance and longer life in the field. Whereas traditional screed plates are run with an elevated front angle of attack, increasing wear, grooves at the front of these plates act as the angle of attack, so they run flat to wear more uniformly and reduce cost.

Fast Changes

A new way to secure the plate to the screed, the modular fastening system reduces screed plate change time from days to less than four hours, minimizing replacement costs for the paving contractor.

After a one-time installation of the insulated conductor plate, simple screed plate changes are completed using a unique lock-and-go system. This eliminates the time-consuming process of removing asphalt material from the screed to access the nuts and bolts holding the plates in place. Once normal screed set-up and adjustments are completed on the conductor plate, minimal adjustments are required on future screed plate changes.

For more information, visit www.cat.com. 

Douglas, GA 912-922-3232

Macon, GA 478-257-8300

www.nedealers.com

www.stoneequipmentco.com Montgomery, AL 844/786-6373

taylorconstructionequipment.com

Philadelphia, MS 601-650-9600

Richland, MS 601-922-4444

White House, TN 615-392-4803

LeeBoy Names Three Southeastern Dealers as Its Award Winners for 2022

LeeBoy recently announced the winners of its 2022 Dealer Awards.

Top five equipment sales:

1 — Stephenson Equipment Inc. (SEI)

2 — Alta Equipment Company of New England

3 — Ascendum

4 — McLean Equipment

5 — Reynolds-Warren Equipment Company

Top paver dealer — Stephenson Equipment Inc. (SEI)

Top grader dealer — ASCO

Top tack tank dealer — Alta Equipment Company of New England

Top maximizer dealer — Closner Equipment Company

Top FFL dealer — Rocky Mountain Equipment

Top RW dealer — Monroe Tractor

Top patcher dealer — Tractor & Equipment Company (TEC)

Top broom dealer — Reynolds-Warren Equipment Company

Volvo Makes Intelligent Compaction Simple With Its NewAssist Packages

VOLVO from page

Available on the company’s SD75B and SD115B soil compactors in North America, Europe and other selected International markets — and the larger SD135B and SD160B soil compactors available only in Europe and other selected international markets — it facilitates a more successful compaction process, helping operators understand where the ground has been adequately compacted and where more attention is needed – information that is especially useful when working on large job sites.

One of its essential features is Pass Mapping, where customers can visualize the whole job and keep track of where they have compacted, making it easy to see where work is still required and in turn saving time and money.

Another key tool is CMV mapping, whereby customers are given a complete image of the load bearing strength of the jobsite allowing them to identify a soil mixture that is too

wet, for example, or any buried infrastructure. This helps operators to identify areas which require additional compaction or further investigation.

Highest Standard of Compaction

With these new more-tailored packages, customers can better integrate the Compact Assist solution into the day-today work of their Volvo Soil Compactors, all the while assured of the same great compaction results.

While these packages have been created for Volvo Soil Compactors, Compact Assist also is available for Volvo asphalt compactors, including Pass Mapping, Temperature Mapping, as well as Density Mapping and Stiffness (CMV) Mapping tools.

These packages are available in select North American, European and international markets.

For more information, visit www.volvoce.com. 

BLANCHARD MACHINERY

www.blanchardmachinery.com/paving Columbia, SC 803-791-7100

Florence, SC 843.678.8520

Rock Hill, SC 803.324.9600

Simpsonville, SC 864.963.3645

Myrtle Beach, SC 843-399-2074

Summerville, SC 843.871.2001

Hilton Head, SC 843-784-6766

CAROLINA CAT

www.carolinacat.com

Charlotte, NC 704-596-6700

Asheville, NC 828-251-2500

Greensboro, NC 336-294-5240

Hickory, NC 828-464-7045

Monroe, NC 704-292-1555

Boone, NC 828-268-9992

Ascendum

Reynolds-Warren Equipment Company

Tractor & Equipment Company (TEC)

The Worldwide Leader in Concrete Paving Technology

GOMACO offers the full range of concrete slipform pavers, curb and gutter machines, trimmers, placer/spreaders, texture/cure machines and bridge/canal finishing equipment. GOMACO equipment features our exclusive and proprietary G+® control system, created in-house by our software engineers from the wants and needs of contractors paving in the field. At the heart of GOMACO equipment is our passion for concrete and our commitment to our customers. We look forward to visiting with you about your upcoming paving projects and your concrete paving equipment needs. Our worldwide distributor network and our corporate team always stand ready to serve and assist you.

Blanchard Machinery

BOMAGAmericas Raises Money for ConstructionAngels During ConExpo

BOMAG Americas raised more than $6,400 during the ConExpo-Con/AGG 2023 show to support Construction Angels, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization.

ConstructionAngels was founded by Kristi Gibbs and its mission is to provide immediate financial assistance and grief counseling to the children and spouse left behind when a construction worker has a fatality on the job site. ConstructionAngels offers construction scholarship opportunities to qualified applicants, and additional scholarships to surviving children of fallen workers. The organization also focuses on promoting job site safety awareness.

To support Construction Angels, BOMAG Americas dedicated a portion of its ConExpo 2023 booth space to run a t-shirt campaign. BOMAG asked attendees to give a minimum five-dollar donation in exchange for a BOMAGbranded t-shirt. There were five different t-shirt styles available, and they all featured the outline of a BOMAG machine or service icon on the front and a fun product- or

service-related saying on the back. Some of the sayings were “I Eat Asphalt for Lunch” (Mills), “Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’” (Asphalt Rollers) and “Who Needs a Manual?” (Service).

“BOMAG is excited to be partnering again with ConstructionAngels and looks forward to future campaigns as well. It’s amazing being able to represent such a great foundation on top of collecting over $6,400 in donations to help families of road construction workers who have lost their lives in work-related accidents. It’s a great cause and it reflects BOMAG’s core initiatives promoting jobsite safety awareness,” said Dena Jenkins, BOMAG manager, marketing & communications.

BOMAG plans to continue its relationship with Construction Angels.

For more information about the Construction Angels cause, visit www.constructionangels.us. 

Kelly Tractor

kellytractor.com

Miami,

BOMAG Americas dedicated a section of its ConExpo-ConAGG 2023 booth to a t-shirt campaign to raise money for Construction Angels where the company raised more than $6,400 for the non-profit organization.

(L-R) are Dena Jenkins, BOMAG manager, marketing & communications; Ethan Foley, BOMAG digital marketing specialist; Kelly Russo, Angel Ambassador; Kristi Gibbs, Construction Angels CEO & founder/national director; and Shannon Gaunt, Construction Angels Illinois representative.

Kiewit,MassmanatWorkOnArkansas’30CrossingProject

modernizing infrastructure and maintaining a state of good repair.”

The project, ARDOT’s first design-build effort, also will remove a structural bridge foundation obstruction from the center of the McClelland-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System channel, which affects river navigation by dividing the channel into two navigational spans, creating substandard horizontal clearance in both spans.

The I-30 corridor through the downtown areas currently accommodates 120,000 vehicles per day. I-30 serves state and regional traffic passing through Little Rock and North Little Rock, but also provides significant local access to the downtown areas. More than one third of the daily traffic consists of residents using the I-30 corridor to travel to destina-

tions within the project area. Daily truck traffic on I-30 at the Arkansas River Bridge is only 6 percent, due to the existing bypass route of Interstate 440.

“The I-30 Arkansas River Bridge provides one of three vehicular crossings in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock over the Arkansas River,” said Wylie. “The Arkansas River is an important shipping channel and is maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The United States Coast Guard is responsible for navigation in the Arkansas River and for permitting of bridges on the Arkansas River.”

Demolition of the existing I-30 bridge over the Arkansas River began in September 2022, with a three-phase traffic shift onto the newly constructed eastbound Arkansas River bridge. Once the traffic shift was complete, crews began demolishing the concrete bridge deck, beginning at both the north and south end bents.

After deck removal, the structural steel was dismantled and removed from the site. The existing bridge foundation was removed down to the water line and explosives were used via underwater detonation to demo the foundations below the surface of the riverbed.

Once all demo was complete, the contractor used underwater sonar mapping to ensure that all construction debris was removed from the Arkansas River. The demolition was completed in five months, which was ahead of the scheduled completion date.

KMC

KMC limited its demolition work to daytime hours to minimize noise for downtown residents. In addition, ARDOT worked with KMC to notify the public, residents

(Kiewit Massman Construction), a joint venture between Kiewit Infrastructure South and Massman Construction Company serves as the contractor.

ARDOT photo

Demolition of the existing I-30 bridge over the Arkansas River began in September 2022.

ARDOT photo Crews demolished the concrete bridge deck, beginning at both the north and south end bents.

CROSSING from page 1 see CROSSING page 70

ARDOT photo

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is overseeing phase one construction, a $633 million undertaking.

ARDOT photo

KMC (Kiewit Massman Construction), a joint venture between Kiewit Infrastructure South and Massman Construction Company, serves as the contractor.

FLORIDA

Bobcat of Palm Beach West Palm Beach 561-689-9880

www.sbequipment.com

Bobcat of Broward Pompano Beach 954-763-9880

www.sbequipment.com

Bobcat of Treasure Coast Fort Pierce 772-460-9998

www.sbequipment.com

GEORGIA

Bobcat of Savannah Bloomingdale 912-236-5588

www.gatewaydealer.com

NORTH CAROLINA

Bobcat of Asheville Arden 828-684-4403

www.gatewaydealer.com

R.S. Braswell Company Kannapolis 704-933-2269

www.rsbraswell.com

Bobcat of Charlotte Charlotte 704-343-9000

www.bobcatofcharlotte.com

Bobcat of Monroe Monroe 704-289-2200

www.bobcatofmonroe.com

Triangle Equipment Co., Inc. Morrisville 919-781-7910

www.triangleequipmentgroup.com

Bobcat of Johnston County Garner 919-661-1833

www.triangleequipmentgroup.com

Bobcat of Wilmington Wilmington 910-395-2050

www.triangleequipmentgroup.com

Bobcat of Wilson Wilson 252-206-0733

www.whitesequipmentco.com

Bobcat of New Bern New Bern 252-636-1837

www.whitesequipmentco.com

Bobcat of Winterville Winterville 252-756-4055

www.whitesequipmentco.com

Bobcat of Jacksonville Jacksonville 910-347-1646

www.whitesequipmentco.com

SOUTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE

Bobcat of Clarksville Clarksville 931-436-9555

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Nashville La Vergne 615-941-4000

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of McMinnville McMinnville 931-488-4767

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Maury County Columbia 931-981-9909

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Charleston North Charleston 843-725-6330

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Columbia Columbia 803-933-9996

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Greenville Piedmont 864-269-3600

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Spartanburg Spartanburg 864-342-9003

www.gatewaydealer.com

Bobcat of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach 843-236-4499

www.triangleequipmentgroup.com

Bobcat of Rock Hill Rock Hill 803-670-2003

www.BobcatofRockHill.com

With John Deere Connected Support™, your machines are constantly under the watchful eye of both John Deere and your local dealership. Together we can reduce, or even prevent, costly downtime. All of which keeps you up and running, so you can stay connected to your operation and the work you need to do.

Mobile, AL 251/456-1993

Pensacola, FL 850/476-0277

Freeport, FL 850/835-3337

Panama City, FL 850/769-4844

Tallahassee, FL 850/575-5600

Perry, FL 850/584-9200

Jacksonville, FL 904/296-5000

Lake City, FL 386/752-9544

Palatka, FL 386/325-6268

Ocala, FL 352/732-4646

Dobbs Equipment

www.dobbsequipment.com

Valdosta, GA 229/474-6680

Andrews, SC 843/221-4940

Aynor, SC 843/358-5688

Ladson, SC 843/572-0400

Simpsonville, SC 864/963-5835

Macon, GA

478/788-1586

Savannah, GA 912/964-7370

Walterboro, SC 843/539-1420

West Columbia, SC 803/794-9340

Crews Remove Obstruction to Enhance River Navigation

CROSSING from page 64

and business owners about the potential for construction noise during the duration of the demolition.

Wylie said the phased construction and urban environment have presented challenges, such as small/disjointed work areas, heavy traffic, night work and restrictions on lane closures. Currently, crews are focused on the westbound river bridge foundations and substructure, retaining walls, asphalt paving, traffic barrier, concrete flatwork and drainage. Work is already completed on the eastbound I-30 river bridge, as well as adjacent roadway improvements and demolition of the existing river bridge.

The teardown involved four phases, including deck removal using Cat 325 excavators with hammer attachments; structural steel removal using several cranes including a Manitowoc 4600 ringer and a Cat 390D with shear attachment; pier removal above the waterline using a Volvo EC750E HR with hammer attachment; and pier removal below the waterline using explosives and the Volvo EC750E HR for rubble retrieval.

“There was a brief period in which the existing bridge demo was winding down, and foundation operations for the

new bridge were ramping up at separate headings,” said Wylie. “The new bridge will have virtually the same alignment as the previous bridge to tie into the adjacent lanes in both Little Rock and North Little Rock. This is a good plan because it enables us to open the westbound bridge faster.”

Construction on the project is more than two-thirds complete. Tasks remaining include the westbound I-30 river bridge foundations; substructure and superstructure; westbound I-30 to westbound 630 direct connector; I-30 to I-40 connector; and westbound Washington and Broadway bridges in North Little Rock.

As for the weather, periods of high water on theArkansas River can present unsafe working conditions that prevent normal barge/tug operations, while work in the winter and spring can be significantly slower than in summer and fall because of the colder temperatures and precipitation. Regarding excavation, at the I-30/I-40 interchange an existing sanitary

proposed embankment.

see CROSSING page 74

sewer line runs under the

ARDOT photo Main equipment includes Cat motor graders and excavators.

ARDOT photo Construction on the project is more than two-thirds complete.

ARDOT photo

The project requires 22,000 tons of structural steel; 155,000 sq. ft. of precast concrete panels; 140,000 tons of asphalt; 92,000 cu. yds. of concrete; 8,000 tons of rebar; 58,000 tons of aggregate base; and 26,000 linear ft. precast concrete drainage pipe.

ARDOT photo

The 30 Crossing project will make improvements to one of the most heavily trafficked corridors in the state.

ARDOT photo

The project, ARDOT’s first design-build effort, will remove a structural bridge foundation obstruction from the center of the McClelland-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System channel.

Crossing Project Involves I-30 Bridge Demolition, Embankment Excavation

CROSSING from page 70

“The project team was particularly concerned that the embankment could settle the utility,” said Wylie. “Various options were considered to protect the line. Ultimately, the contractor utilized an ultra-lightweight foam glass aggregate as backfill material over the sanitary line to minimize load. This is the first time ARDOT has used this product.”

Approximately 400,000 cu. yds. of excavation and 450,000 cu. yds. of embankment will be moved during construction.

Main equipment includes Cat motor graders (140); HPM & CZM drill rigs; Cat excavators (305 to 390); Tadano rough terrain cranes (GR-800XL); Manitowoc cranes (888 to 4600); Liebherr cranes (1200 to 1500) ; Cat loaders (938 to 966); JLG; Genie manlifts (60- to 125-ft.); HPSI, APE pile hammers; as well as various barges, tugboats and crew boats.

The project requires 22,000 tons of structural steel; 155,000 sq. ft. of precast concrete panels; 140,000 tons of asphalt; 92,000 cu. yds. of concrete; 8,000 tons of rebar; 58,000 tons of aggregate base; and 26,000 linear ft. precast concrete drainage pipe.

Wylie noted that roadway closures are minimized to the maximum extent possible. However, when construction requires a detour and/or closure, news releases and maps are widely distributed via email,ARDOT social media channels, news outlets, iDrive Arkansas and on the 30 Crossing webpage.

While the estimated completion date isn’t until 2025, Wylie said she’s pleased with the work already performed.

“It’s extremely rewarding to see a project of this size and magnitude come to life from a line of a piece of paper to now being 68 percent complete, and to progress with minimal issues and traffic disruptions. That speaks volumes to the contractors working on the project, the staff on the ground inspecting workday in and day out and our entire management team. Each person plays a crucial role in the success of the project.”  CEG

The project is due to complete in 2025.

ALABAMA

CAROLINAS

Stone Equipment Co., Inc.

1797-A Fulton Spring Rd. Alabaster, AL 35007 844-786-6373

210 West Blvd. Montgomery, AL 36108 844-786-6373

www.stoneequipmentco.com

MISSISSIPPI

Taylor Construction Equipment 3637 N. Church Avenue Louisville, MS 39339 833-773-3421

103 Industrial Park Road Philadelphia, MS 39350 833-773-3421

www.taylorconstructionequipment.com

TENNESSE

Charlotte, NC 704-228-0455

Clayton-Raleigh, NC 886-629-3784

Grimesland, NC 252-752-1500 Lexington, NC 866-629-3784

Columbia, SC 888-865-1002

Conway-Myrtle Beach, SC 800-968-0754

Piedmont-Greenville, SC 864-434-1154

Summerville-Charleston, SC 843-501-0566

www.nedealers.com

FLORIDA

Apopka-Orlando, FL 407-401-8956

Ft. Pierce, FL 772-212-4043

Tampa, FL 813-940-4405

www.nedealers.com

ARDOT photo

ARDOT photo

Currently, crews are focused on the westbound river bridge foundations and substructure, retaining walls, asphalt paving, traffic barrier, concrete flatwork and drainage.

Taylor Construction Equipment 104 Brickmill Commercial Dr. Maryville, TN 37801 865-444-0883

132 Industrial Dr. White House, TN 37188 615-392-4803

www.taylorconstructionequipment.com

GEORGIA

Richmond Hill-Savannah, GA 912-756-7854

Dallas-Atlanta, GA 770-445-9019

Douglas, GA 912-922-3232 Macon, GA 478-257-8300

www.nedealers.com

Tough to beat for performance, safety, comfort and easy of use.

Better? It’s something we all strive for. But to be better you must be efficient. Be productive. Be versatile. Be dependable. And you need equipment that supports you every step of the way, no matter how big or small the task. Because good enough is never good enough.

Check out our full line of JCB products at your local dealer or visit JCB.com today.

RJV KUBOTA www.rjvequipment.com Nashville 140 Charter Place LaVergne, TN 37086 615-793-7576 Knoxville

BROOKS SALES, INC.

www.brookssales.com 3144 Hwy 74 East Monroe, NC 28112 704-233-4242

JONESBORO TRACTOR SALES INC

www.jonesboro-tractor.com 5312 Stadium Blvd. Jonesboro, AR 72402

888-931-9151 870-935-9151

TYLER EQUIPMENT CO., INC.

www.tylerequipment company.com 2613 Main St. Conway, SC 29516 843-248-5294

CREEL TRACTOR CO.

www.creeltractor.com 3771 Palm Beach Blvd. Fort Myers, FL 33916 239-694-2185

MASON TRACTOR CO

www.masontractorco.com 1050 Appalachian Hwy Blue Ridge, GA 30513 706-632-3777

McDonough, GA 30253 770-957-3370

Cumming, GA 30040 770-887-6119 Perry, GA 31069 478-987-1173

Norcross, GA 30071 770-582-0377 Villa Rica, GA 30180 678-952-2037

Attachment Producer Grows Exponentially in Four Years

BERLON from page 38

underneath conveyors. We also make a material pusher that expands from 48 inches out to 96 inches long that is used to push that material out from under the pulley.”

Berlon had these items on display at ConExpo-Con/AGG this past March and according to Salzman, people were very intrigued by it.

Lowe’s product line-up includes auger drives, auger bits, trenchers and grapples.

“We offer our BP-Series planetary auger drives and the Classic Series chain auger drives, which Lowe built their business on and is a niche in the industry.”

Snow Removal Tools

Berlon also manufactures snow removal equipment.

“Our fourth quarter, which is our largest in our corporation, includes the normal demand of our traditional products in both divisions, but when we add in the snow products, it puts us over the top,” said Schickert.

In addition to the company’s line of blades, pushers and salt spreaders, Berlon makes a unique tool to clear snow.

“The Snowgrr is a unique attachment that windrows 16 feet all into one area,” said Schickert. “The main usage is in distribution centers. It is usually mounted to a skid steer and goes underneath the trailers that are backed up to the dock doors. The Snowgrr pulls all that snow out from underneath the

nose of the trailers and put it into a nice windrow.”

Mount System

Berlon and Lowe attachments are made for a variety of manufacturers’ equipment and can be outfitted with either universal or custom mounts.

“There are so many mounts we can put on our product, including the old Gehl and New Holland machines that are not universal,” said Salzman. “We can make all those old mounts and put them on any one of our attachments, which makes us unique in the industry.”

Distribution

Berlon has approximately 1,600 distributors — construction, agricultural and rental dealers — throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. The company has added new dealers, new OEM customers and a cross-customer base through the Lowe acquisition.

“The acquisition of Lowe certainly allowed us to grow as a company,” said Schickert. “We are actively looking at other avenues to allow us to continue to grow.”

New Products

To keep growing, Berlon Industries continues to develop new products each year.

“We have recently introduced the new root rake grapple that is doing extremely well both on the mini- and full-sized skid

Jeff Martin Makes Donation to Special ForcesAssociation

The purpose of Jeff Martin Auctioneers Inc. is to support veterans.

In keeping with the lofty goals and to honor the men and women that have bravely served the country, Jeff and Kellie Martin and Jeff Martin Auctioneers team were honored to present to the Special Forces Association — Chapter 32-50 Oklahoma a sound system for it to use during its monthly meetings and other functions.

Butch Graham, who is part of the Jeff MartinAuctioneers sales team, and this Elite Green Beret Troop members were on hand to accept the gift. The chapter expressed gratitude for the system and how it will improve their meetings as they work to support veterans from all U.S. conflicts.

“These brave men and women sacrificed all they loved so we can do what we love daily,” said Jeff Martin, president and CEO. “Because of theseAmerican heroes past and present, our family-owned auction company has the opportunity to grow and thrive. Kellie and I are thankful that we have the means and opportunity to give back.” 

steers,” said Schickert. “We really have expanded our ability in the snow, especially with the mini-snow products such as snow pushers and snow blades. We’ve also developed a new bale spear carriage. So, some of our sales growth in doubling the size of Berlon has come from these new product introductions.”

Production

Expanding capabilities of manufacturing operations also is an important part of the company’s growth strategy. Automated saws, CNC break presses and robotic welding have been added to streamline production and increase capacity and productivity. Due to the increased demand, additional pro-

duction shifts also have been added.

Plans for Future Growth

Berlon Industries is currently experiencing a high growth pattern, and all indications are for that pattern to continue.

“I believe we are going to continue to grow through our dealer network, rental market, OEM relationships, regional expansion, new products and through acquisitions,” said Schickert. “This will lead to significant growth that we have planned here at Berlon. So, the future here looks very bright.”

For more information, visit berlon.com.  CEG

(L-R) are Sergeant First Class ER “Butch” Graham; Sergeant Rafael Elias; Command Sergeant Major Ray Williams; and Major Charles Watts.

Berlon Industries photo A robot welds pallet fork frames.

Step up to our 3.5-ton class mini excavator and you’ll find the perfect balance of power, capability, comfort, and efficiency to work all-day and increase your bottom line. With a true zero tail swing design ready to work in tight environments, you can add even more capability with available auto-shifting 2-speed travel to quickly move between work areas; blade float functionality for back blading and leveling; and 4-way blade control. And with Tier 4 Final power under the cowl, you’ll not only appreciate our legendary and incredibly quiet work-tough performance, but greater operational efficiency as well. With standard ECO mode and Auto Deceleration, you’ll enjoy up to 20% less fuel consumption than previous models.

DISCOVER YANMAR

EXCAVATORS

AT YOUR LOCAL DEALER:

Heavymachinesllc.com

3926 East Raines Road Memphis, TN 38118 901-260-2200

2115 N Thompson Lane Murfreesboro, TN 37129 629-335-3077

364 Bob Jobe Road Gray, TN 37615 423-282-5462

5200 Hollywood Avenue Shreveport, LA 71109 318-621-0854

10110 Roberts Way Covington, GA 30014 770-788-0888

7651 Theodore Dawes Road Theodore, AL 36582 251-653-5955

825 31st Street North Birmingham, AL 35203 205-323-6108

Now Open 314 Beltline Road NW Decatur, AL 35061 256-898-0550

Coming Soon Knoxville, TN 37914 888-366-9028

www.stoneequipmentco.com

210 West Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36108 334-625-6585

2950 Pinson Valley Pkwy. Birmingham, AL 35217 205-841-9895

1060 West Industrial Ave. Boynton Beach, FL 33426 561-742-7400

2965 McEver Road Buford, GA 30518 470-238-5900

12785 44th St. North Clearwater, FL 33762 727-299-9207

VermeerSoutheast.com

2231 Flint Dr. Ft. Myers, FL 33916 239-337-5900

11550 Philips Hwy. Jacksonville, FL 32256 904-262-4400

1320 Gresham Rd. Marietta, GA 30062 770-973-8811

7970 NW 64th St Miami, FL 33166 786-410-9680

428 Ocoee Apopka Road Ocoee, FL 34761 407-295-2020

6691 Mobile Highway Pensacola, FL 32526 850-944-8110

65 Chandler Street Richmond Hill, GA 31324 912-238-1300

© 2023 Yanmar Compact Equipment North America. YANMAR has a corporate policy of continuous product improvement and development; therefore data, specifications, and warranty are subject to change without any advance notice. There may be differences between the specifications and illustrations contained in this publication and the actual equipment. Equipment components produced by other manufacturers may be shown in photographs in this publication for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as an endorsement of that particular equipment or its suitability. Inspect equipment before using it and be sure it is operating properly. The product depictions are not meant to be used or relied upon as a substitute for the safety and use information that is published in the respective operator’s manual. Before operating a machine, read, understand, and follow all instructions of the manual and on the machine. YANMAR disclaims all representations, express or implied, or any liability from the use of this publication.

CLM EQUIPMENT CO., INC. www.clmequipment.com

Lafayette, LA • 337-837-6693

Lake Charles, LA • 337-625-5942

Houston, TX • 281-598-2500

GSE GREAT SOUTHERN EQUIPMENT COMPANY www.gsequipment.com

Tampa, FL • 866-586-8956

Pompano Beach, FL • 954-327-8808

Ft. Myers, FL • 239-334-6063

Tallahassee, FL • 850-574-0892

Orlando, FL • 407-859-9160

Jacksonville, FL • 904-268-4400

HEAVY MACHINES INC. www.heavymachinesinc.com

Dealer Imprint Arreea

Memphis, TN • 800-432-8902 Shreveport, LA • 800-548-3458

Gray, TN • 855-201-7453 825 31st Street North Birmingham, AL 205-323-6108 • 844-344-8658

LINK-BELT MID ATLANTIC www.link-beltmidatlantic.com

Ashland, VA • 866-955-6071

Chesapeake, VA • 800-342-3248

HILLS MACHINERY www.hillsmachinery.com

Charlotte, NC • 704-208-5564 Mills River, NC • 828-820-5265

Greensboro, NC • 336-308-3045

Raleigh, NC • 919-746-7938

Greenville, NC • 252-752-7145

Leland, NC • 910-800-2070

Columbia, SC • 803-658-0200 North Charleston, SC • 843-225-9377

Greenville, SC • 864-546-5208

Savannah, GA • 866-830-7577

RELIABLE AND READY TO WORK

RT-65 COMPACT TRACK LOADER

Built with next-generation MAX-Series features and patented Posi-Track® technology, the RT-65 is a premium mid-size loader that features maximum power, comfort and serviceability—which leads to more productivity. Its turbocharged 67-horsepower Deutz TCD 2.2 T4-liter diesel engine produces 184.4 foot-pounds of torque that the drive motors transfer to ASV’s patented internal-drive sprockets. With ASV’s patented Posi-Track® undercarriage, this machine is built for digging and ground engagement work in construction, excavation, landscaping and snow-clearing applications. And with next-generation MAX-Series features, the RT-65 offers plenty of creature comforts that let operators work more comfortably for longer periods of time: more all-around space, improved ergonomics, an upgraded HVAC system for better circulation and defrosting, and an optional all-weather pressurized cab for a cleaner operator environment.

DISCOVER THE ASV LINE-UP OF TRACK LOADERS AND SKID STEERS AT

Heavy Machines Inc.

www.heavymachinesinc.com

Murfreesboro, TN 629-335-3077

Memphis, TN 901-260-2310

Birmingham,

Shreveport,

WANTED (US): ANY MANUFACTURER, ALL MODELS CRAWLER DOZERSLOOKING TO BUY JOHN DEERE 650KLGP WITH WINCH OR 550KLGP WITH WINCH, ENCL. CAB, UNDER 3500 HOURS, UNDERCARRIAGE NEAR NEW.

EMAIL: JEANMAURICEBOUTIN@ VIDEOTRON.CA;

PHONE: 450-346-8975

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (TX): ALL MODELS, CATERPILLAR BACKHOE LOADERS. WE ARE LOOKING FOR BACKHOES CASE 580 N/M/SM/SN AND CAT 416-420 F/E/D/C, WITH ANY HOURS & ANY CONDITION.

EMAIL: JANDWINS@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (TX): CATERPILLAR MODEL

14H MOTOR GRADER.

EMAIL: NORTHHEAVYEQUIPMENTS@ GMAIL.COM; PHONE: 2816945478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (TX): KOMATSU PC3000

EXCAVATOR – LOOKING FOR A KOMATSU PC3000 ENGINE.

EMAIL: EQUIPMENTDESTINY@GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: 832-244-1897

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): JOHN DEERE 550K LGP

CRAWLER DOZER - WANT TO BUY

BULLDOZER 550KLGP JOHN DEERE

ENC CAB WITH WINCH UNDER 500 HOURS REAL HOURS METER AND FRAME 2018 AND UP FROM REPOSSESSION BANK OR SUCCESSION, NEAR VERMONT OR NEW YORK.

EMAIL: JEANMAURICEBOUTIN@

VIDEOTRON.CA;

PHONE: 450-346-8975

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CLARK M371 SKID

STEER LOADER

EMAIL:ANDYGRANGER30@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): WANTED FOR A JCB

RUBBER TIRE BACKHOE LOADER 214

– A QUICK DISCONNECT DETACHABLE

ADAPTOR FOR A SET OF FORKS. CAN NEED REPAIR. EMAIL DEANDRS@VERIZON.NET OR CALL 610-417-5123

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): ALL MODELS ALLMAND BACKHOE LOADERS.

EMAIL: SCRIBEDM@ZOOMINTERNET.NET ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): VOLVO EC480DL EXCAVATOR

EMAIL: AHMED@IUKANDCO.COM; PHONE: +923003695360

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): WANT TO BUY BULL-

DOZER 650LGP CASE – ENC CAB SIX

WAY 27 INCH PADS UNDER REAL

HOURS METER AND FRAME 600

HOURS 2015 AND UP.

EMAIL: JEANMAURICEBOUTIN@ VIDEOTRON.CA

PHONE: 1 450 346 8975

WANTED (OK): INTERNATIONAL H100C

WHEEL LOADER - I HAVE A 1978

GREEN ARMY HUFF MODEL#H100C

WHEEL LOADER VIN#IH2073. LOOKING FOR A COMPLETE 6 CYLINDER TURBO

DIESEL INTERNATIONAL ENGINE DT466.

EMAIL: CELMORE@RONSPBS.COM

PHONE: 918-385-1623

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 340

EXCAVATORS - NEED TO LOCATE CAT EXCAVATORS 320, 330, 345, 365, 385, AND 390. IF ANY OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

EMAIL: EDDIE.SIDDIQUI3@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 420D

BACKHOE LOADERS – WE ARE LOOKING TO BUY FOR THE FOLLOWING

BACKHOES: CASE (580K, L, M, SK, SL) CAT (416, 420 C/D/E/F), DEERE (310E, G, SE) AND JCB (214 SERIES 3).

EMAIL:

EQUIPMENTDESTINY@GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: +1 832-244-1897

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 12G

MOTOR GRADERS – N NEED TO BUY A USED CAT MOTOR GRADER 140G, 14G, 12G, AND 14H. IF ANY OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE PLEASE SEND ME THE INFORMATION THANKS.

EMAIL: IKCEQUIPMENTS@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): VOLVO EXCAVATORS - LOOKING TO BUY USED VOLVO 480DL EXCAVATORS.

EMAIL: USEDEQUIPMENT

STRADINGLLC@GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: +1-281-694-5478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EXCAVATORS, MODELS EX 400 AND EX 450.

EMAIL: AHMED@IUKANDCO.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (MI): WACKER NEUSON WL30

WHEEL LOADERS - LOOKING FOR ANY

WHEEL LOADERS IN MICHIGAN UNDER 10,000 POUNDS & LESS THAN $15,000

EMAIL: CRAIGBERENS944@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 616-813-3642

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): LOOKING FOR MULITIPLE UNITS OF CATERPILLAR D7G CRAWLER DOZERS IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION.

EMAIL: ILYAS.MTCPK@GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: +923322489350

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EXCAVATORS

– NEED TO PURCHASE HITACHI EXCAVATOR EX-400, EX-450, AND EX 270. IF ANY OF THEM AVAILABLE DO LET ME KNOW. THANKS IN ADVANCE.

EMAIL: NORTHHEAVYEQUIPMENTS@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 281-694-5478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI ZX200-E EXCAVATOR. EMAIL: IUKANDCO@GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: +923331234598

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 926E WHEEL LOADERS; LOOKING TO BUY CAT 936, 926 & 916. IF ANY OF THEM AVAILABLE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

THANKS.

EMAIL: EDDIE.SIDDIQUI3@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED: INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER T4 CRAWLER TRACK CHAINS. NEED A GOOD SET OF TRACK CHAINS TO COMPLETE A 1960 IH T4 RESTORATION. THE SAME STYLE OF CHAINS WEAS USED ON IH T4, T5, TD5, T340 & TD340 CRAWLERS. THEY HAVE A 6.00 PITCH. I CAN SUPPLY ORIGINAL PART NUMBERS. THANKS FOR ANY ASSISTANCE.

EMAIL: FARMBOYKJ@HOTMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (AL): LOOKING TO PURCHASE CAT WHEEL LOADER 936, 950B, 966F AND 980F FOR OUR INVENTORY. IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

EMAIL: AHMED@IUKANDCO.COM; PHONE: +923003695360

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED: CATERPILLAR M320 EXCAVATOR. LOOKING FOR A MOBILE EXCAVATOR CATERPILLAR M320DSINGLE BOOM, IN WORKING CONDITION, FOR IMMEDIATE PURCHASE. PLEASE SEND ALL INFO AND PRICE.

EMAIL: RENATO.NASCIMENTO@ ELEBBRE.COM; PHONE: +5511994602266

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): CATERPILLAR CAT D10N / D10R CRAWLER DOZER.

EMAIL:

USEDEQUIPMENTSOURCING@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 281-694-5478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): LOOKING FOR EITHER A USED, OR NEW GRAPPLE BUCKET, DEMOLITION BUCKET, FORKS WITH GRAPPLE, OR A STANDARD GP BUCKET TO FIT A NEW 2022 CAT 980-14A (OLD MODEL = 980-M) RUBBER TIRED WHEEL LOADER. IT CAN EITHER BE "DIRECT PIN" OR TO FIT A FUSION COUPLER. OUR NEED IS IMMEDIATE. EMAIL:BSCHAAB@AMERICANDND.COM

PHONE: 716-984-7566

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EX400 EXCAVATOR – LOOKING FOR A USED HITACHI EXCAVATOR EX-400 & EX 450 TO PURCHASE ASAP. (RUNNING OR NON-RUNNING MACHINES).

EMAIL: IKCEQUIPMENTS@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (TX): JOHN DEERE WHEEL LOADERS – LOOKING FOR A JOHN DEERE 544K & 644K TO PURCHASE ASAP WITH HOURS 5000 OR LESS.

EMAIL: NORTHHEAVYEQUIPMENTS @GMAIL.COM;

PHONE: 281-694-5478

WANTED (US): HYUNDAI HL757-9A WHEEL LOADER – LOOKING TO BUY 2012-2013 WHEEL LOADER OF APPROX. 200 HP (EX:HL757-9A)WITH HOURS LESS THAN 6000.

EMAIL: BERTRANDLAZURE @CHARETTETRANSPORT.COM; PHONE: 1-450-691-5151

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (NY): CASE 721F WHEEL LOADER – LOOKING TO BUY 2012-2013 WHEEL LOADER OF APPROX. 200 HP (EX:CASE 721F)WITH HOURS LESS THAN 6000.

EMAIL: BERT@MEXUSCAN.COM;

PHONE: 1-514-233-5151

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR EXCAVATORS, ALL MODELS. LOOKING TO PURCHASE ANY HEAVY EQUIPMENT LOGGING AGGREGATE TRUCKS IN THE USA

EMAIL:EQUIPMENTPRO22@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 570-423-7631

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): WACKER NEUSON WL30 WHEEL LOADERS - LOOKING FOR RUNNING WACKER NEUSON WL30. EMAIL: CRAIGBERENS944@GMAIL.COM; PHONE: 616/8I3/3642

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

\WANTED (WORLDWIDE): DOOSAN DX480 EXCAVATORS - WANTED TO BUY USED DOOSAN EXCAVATORS DX480 - DX520 4000-5000HRS.

EMAIL: AMERICAUSEDEQUIPMENT@ GMAIL.COM; PHONE: +1-657-236-7399

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EX220 EXCAVATORS – WANT TO BUY USED HITACHI EXCAVATORS EX-220, EX-270, EX-400, AND EX450, ANY CONDITION. EMAIL: EDDIE.SIDDIQUI3@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EX450 EXCAVATORS - LOOKING TO BUY OLD USED HITACHI EX 450 EXCAVATORS.

EMAIL: IKRAMKHAN@IUKANDCO.COM; PHONE: +923331234598

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): HITACHI EX450 EXCAVATORS - NEED TO BUY HITACHI, JOHN DEERE, KOMATSU 300, 400, AND 450 SIZES EXCAVATORS. OFFER ME RUNNING OR NON-RUNNING EXCAVATORS.

EMAIL: USEDEQUIPMENTSOURCING@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 281-694-5478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): LOOKING TO BUY HITACHI EXCAVATORS EX330LC-5, EX450LC-5, EX400LC AND JOHN DEERE 495D, 595D.

EMAIL: INFO@IUKANDCO.COM;

PHONE: +923331234598

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): KUBOTA B7300HSD

TRACTOR W/ 60 INCH MOWER DECK.

EMAIL: PRONCALLO@AOL.COM; PHONE: 845-225-7504

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): ACS INDUSTRIES –BUCKETS, ALL MODELS

EMAIL: BEBOMOR2003@YAHOO.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): KOMATSU

WA30-2 WHEEL LOADER - LOOKING TO BUY A REAR AXLE FOR A KOMATSU WA30-2. IF YOU HAVE A REAR AXLE PLEASE CONTACT ME @ 6I6/8I3/3642. ALSO INTERESTED IN BUYING COMPLETE RUNNING KOMATSU LOADERS WA40 OR SMALLER.

EMAIL:CRAIGBERENS944@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 6I6-813-3642

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

MANUFACTURER: MEC 3391RT AERIAL LIFT - CONTROL BOX FOR A MEC 3391RT YEAR 2000 PART NO. 20783. DOUBLE FUEL GAS/PROPANE. NO OUTRIGGER.

EMAIL: TAVAKE08@ICLOUD.COM;

PHONE: 415-748-8079

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR WHEEL LOADERS, ALL MODELS - NEED CATERPILLAR WHEEL LOADERS 950B, 950E, 966F, 966FII, 980F AND CATERPILAR MOTOR GRADERS 140G.

EMAIL: NAQIB_KHAN73@YAHOO.COM;

PHONE: +923333298751

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): HITACHI EXCAVATORS, ALL MODELS - LOOKING TO BUY HITACHI EXCAVATORS EX270LC, EX330LC-5, EX450LC-5, EX400LC AND JOHN DEERE 495D, 595D.

EMAIL:

NAQIB_KHANINTRCO@HOTMAIL.COM;

PHONE: +923332316587

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): CATERPILLAR 140G MOTOR GRADERS – CAT USED MOTOR GRADER 140G AND 140H FOR OWN STOCK.

EMAIL: EDDIE.SIDDIQUI3@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): CONCRETE

PUMPS: SCHWING, PUTZMEISTER, ALLIANCE, ELBA, CONCORD, PUMPSTAR, ETC. ALL MODELS, BRANDS, & SIZES, OLD OR NEW! BOOM PUMPS, TRAILER & TRUCK MOUNTED CITY PUMPS PURCHASED. OLD, RETIRED, NO LONGER USED AND PARTS & PUMPS NEEDING REPAIRS. INSTANT PAYMENT GUARANTEED.

EMAIL: BBENEDETTO@COMCAST.NET

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): HITACHI

EX330-5 EXCAVATORS – WE ARE LOOKING TO BUY A COUPLE OF UNITS OF HITACHI EXCAVATORS EX 330-5 & EX 450-5.

EMAIL: IKCEQUIPMENTS@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): CATERPILLAR 988B WHEEL LOADER– WE NEED TO BUY A CAT USED WHEEL LOADER 936, 988B/F & 950B.

EMAIL: NORTHHEAVYEQUIPMENTS@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): JOHN DEERE 992D EXCAVATORS – NEED TO LOCATE JOHN DEERE'S EXCAVATORS SIZES 190E, 200, 210, 230, 270, 300, 400.

EMAIL: USEDEQUIPMENTS

TRADINGLLC@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 281-694-5478

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): EZ SCREEN 1200XLS SCREENING – ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE LIKE A 1200 OR1200 XLS.

EMAIL:

MAIERLANDSCAPING@GMAIL.COM

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (WORLDWIDE): CATERPILLAR BACKHOE LOADERS, ALL MODELS – NEED TO BUY USED CAT WHEEL LOADERS, BACKHOES, EXCAVATORS, HIGHWAY TRUCK.

EMAIL: SEARCHT930@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: 657-236-7399

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED: CHAINS AND SPROCKETS FOR KOBELCO 400IV OR 480 EXCAVATOR, NEW OR USED.

EMAIL: FJS-1@ATT.NET

PHONE: 724-535-7722

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED: BUCKET FOR JOHN DEERE 644H WITH CUTTING EDGE OR TEETH 4.25 YARD.

EMAIL: FJS-1@ATT.NET

PHONE: 724-535-7722

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (PA): JOHN DEERE BUCKETS, ALL MODELS; LOOKING FOR BUCKET FOR JOHN DEERE 644H WITH CUTTING EDGE OR TEETH 4.25 YARD.

EMAIL: FJS-1@ATT.NET

PHONE: 724-535-7722

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR DUMP

TRUCKS - CAT 725-745'S 10,000 HOURS OR LESS, WILL BUY IN GROUPS.

EMAIL: ANDREWL@BLACKSTARACA.COM

PHONE: 312-898-5355

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US); TEREX BUCKET

TRUCKS, ALL MODELS - 55 FT & 60 FT 4-5 YEARS OLD, PREFERABLY PREFER TEREX 5TC-55 & ALTEC AA55E PREFER FREIGHTLINER CHASSIS.

EMAIL: ZACHZ@BLACKSTARACA.COM;

PHONE: 815-575-6797

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 916

WHEEL LOADERS; RUNNING OR NON-RUNNING UNITS REQUIRED.

EMAIL: IMPERIALMACHINERYTRADER@GMAIL.COM; PHONE: 281-694-5478 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (US): CATERPILLAR 966F II WHEEL LOADERS EMAIL: ILYAS.MTCPK@GMAIL.COM; PHONE: +923322489350 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

WANTED (NJ): CASE BACKHOE

LOADERS: 580SK, 580L, 580SL, 580LII, 580SLII, 580M, 580MII, 580MIII, 580SM, 580SM+, 580SMII, 580SMIII, 580N EP, 580N, 580SN, 580SN WT EMAIL: FRANKHORAN@ GROFFTRACTOR.COM

PHONE: 800-654-USED ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Beard Equipment Company

beardequipment.com

Mobile, AL 36617

251/456-1993

Pensacola, FL 32534

850/476-0277

Freeport, FL 32439

850/835-3337

Panama City, FL 32404

850/769-4844

Tallahassee, FL 32304

850/575-5600

Perry, FL 32348

850/584-9200

Jacksonville, FL 32216

904/296-5000

Lake City, FL 32025

386/752-9544

Palatka, FL 32177

386/325-6268

Ocala, FL 34482 352/732-4646

Dobbs Equipment www.dobbsequipment.com

Dothan, AL 334/794-8691

Troy, AL 334/566-4181

Riverview, FL (HQ) 813/620-1000 Miami, FL 305/592-5740

West Palm Beach, FL 561/848-6618

Orlando, FL 407/299-1212

Fort Myers, FL 239/334-3627

Lutz, FL 813/995-0841

Daytona, FL 407/299-1212

Riverview, FL 813/621-4902

Pompano Beach, FL 954/977-9541

Sarasota, FL 941/960-2004

Adairsville, GA 770/773-9857

Albany, GA 229/888-1212

Atlanta, GA 404/691-9445

Braselton, GA 770/965-1889

Brunswick, GA 912/264-6161

Columbus, GA 706/687-3344

Grovetown, GA 706/855-5440

Macon, GA 478/788-1586

Savannah, GA 912/964-7370

Valdosta, GA 229/474-6680 Andrews, SC 843/221-4940

Aynor, SC 843/358-5688

Ladson, SC 843/572-0400

Simpsonville, SC 864/963-5835

Walterboro, SC 843/539-1420

West Columbia, SC 803/794-9340

Deanco Holds Successful Philadelphia, Miss., Sale

Agreat turnout of bidders for Deanco’s Philadelphia, Miss., sale helped to make the May 24 auction a success. The sale featured a huge selection of pickups and over the road trucks and a good-looking line-up of construction equipment, compact machines, attachments and all kinds of miscellaneous support equipment.

Deanco’s next Philadelphia, Miss., auction is scheduled for July 19, 2023.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide.All Rights Reserved.)

Looking over some of the

in

was looking good at this sale.

Operating

considering the purchase of a

Sometimes you just need to step away and find a quiet place to study the auction catalogue.

Test operating some machines of interest are Evan Williams (in cab) and Walker

of Peachtree Outdoors, a hardscaping business based in Athens, Ga.

If the price is right, this Ingersoll-Rand DD110 asphalt compactor might be working full-time on a private airstrip in Carthage, Miss., for owner Tony Jolly, who opened up the machine and is giving it a good once over before the bidding begun.

Five new AGT Industrial QH12 mini excavators caught the attention of Rodney Tullos (L) of Tullos Trucking, Batesville, Miss., and Damon Plummer, a homebuilder, also based in Batesville, Miss.

The featured trucks line the entry road of all the Deanco –Philadelphia, Miss. auctions.

and

Cat 304e2 mini excavator are John Cameron (in cab) and Daniel Cameron of Cameron’s Quail Preserve, Aliceville, Ala.

Deere dozers

the sale lineup are Marty Wardlaw (L) and his son, Craig Wardlaw of Pattsville Farms, Warren, Ark. These guys also do some contract dirt work.

Hawks

The small Cat dozer lineup

Maddon Harbour (L) and his grandfather, Shot Harbour of Custom Metal Work, Dekalb, Miss., were interested in this Komatsu PC60 excavator.

The Easy Way To Advertise Your Equipment

Here's how the BARGAIN ADS Work:

• Supply us with a photo of a machine (one machine per Bargain Ad) and a maximum 17 word description, plus contact and phone number.

• Either email your copy & photo to: production@cegltd.com, or mail to: Construction Equipment Guide, 470 Maryland Drive, Ft Washington, PA 19034.

• Cost is $135 per ad, $60 additional for color.

• Your ad will run for two consecutive issues in 1 region.

Your Ad Will Be Seen By Over 20,033 Construction Equipment Buyers in the Southeast States.

For more information, call Construction Equipment Guide today at 800/523-2200

Cemen Tech Celebrates Its 5,000thProductionMilestone

Cemen Tech announced the production and delivery of its 5,000th volumetric concrete mixer this past January from the company’s manufacturing facility in Indianola, Iowa.

The Cemen Tech C Series was ordered by Bauman Landscape and Construction based out of San Francisco, Calif., and is the latest to join a fleet of Cemen Tech mixers working across the world.

“This milestone is a true testament to the growing use of volumetric concrete mixers and how much value they add to a construction business,” said President and CEO Connor Deering.

“For decades, Cemen Tech has held a reputation for building the industry’s most accurate, durable, long-lasting volumetric concrete mixers and forming enduring relationships with customers. We carry this mission forward with the pride and dedication of our employees in designing and building equipment that exceeds customer expectations through cutting-edge technology, customizable products, and superior support.”

Cemen Tech is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of volumetric concrete technology. Its C Series, a bestselling fully automated volumetric concrete mixer, allows jobs to be batched, measured, mixed, poured, recorded and analyzed all in one unit.

Each C Series mixer is equipped with an electronic touch interface, AUTO-STOW and AUTO-WASHOUT for a fully automated concrete production solution. This means electronic mix designs will be accurate for exact mixtures on every pour.

The C Series also isACCU-POUR ready, a Cemen Tech proprietary technology that allows an operator in the field to track when a unit was in operation, how much concrete was poured, the mix design used for each job and many additional features. The information displays on a digital readout and shows the exact amount of aggregate, sand, water and cement used for the specific pour. Contractors can expand the profitability of their business with this technology. For more information, visit cementech.com/c-series/. 

Sold Auctions Conducts June Sale in Blacksburg, S.C.

The auction featured these excavators, which were in good condition and were all sold to the same contractor in Greenville, S.C.

This

Sold Auction Company held another successful auction June 3, 2023, in Blacksburg, S.C.

The well-attended auction attracted 1,096 online bidders and more than 1,200 who attended the auction on site. There were 188 lots that included a Peterson grinder as well as Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere excavators and dozers. Bidders came from 42 U.S. States, Canada and Mexico.  CEG

(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2023 Construction Equipment Guide.All Rights Reserved.)

The auction featured a wide selection of trucks, including dump trucks, military surplus and highway tractors.

Scott Thomas of North Georgia Truck Center looks over this service truck and noted that after a few repairs, it would work well for a customer.

Bryson Thain, a junior at Blythewood High School, tagged along with his grandfather, Rick Thain of Southern Quality Trucks & Equipment in Lexington, S.C.

Looking over the Cat dozers are Shane Hill (L), Ricksha Inc. in Concord, N.C., and Benny Orr of K&B Land Clearing in Robbinsville, N.C.

Stephania and Bevin Williams, both of G & W Equipment in Charlotte, track prices of material handling equipment.

A.J. (L) and Alan Barfield, both of Garfield Grading in Ft. Mill, S.C., inspect the undercarriage of a Cat D8R. They needed a machine like this for a current project.

Looking for a bargain (L-R) are Roger West, K&B Land Clearing in Robbinsville, N.C.; David Simmons, Simmons & Simmons Land Clearing & Grinding in Clinton, N.C.; and Kevin Spinler, Steadfast Services in Talmo, Ga.

equipment was sold to a logging business in Greenville, N.C.

Colin Thain of Sold Auction Company catches and confirms the high bid.

Case Previews New Electrified Compact Wheel Loader

Once thought of as a product category with limited interest in NorthAmerica, Case Construction Equipment has showcased the power and versatility of compact wheel loaders for applications as wide ranging as landscaping yards to snow removal and everything in between. Since the introduction of the first Case F Series compact wheel loaders in 2014, the market has grown significantly and Case has continued to innovate the product category — and that trend continued at ConExpo-Con/AGG 2023 with a sneak peek of the all-new electrified CL36EV electrified compact wheel loader, and enhancements to its compact wheel loader line.

The CL36EV compact wheel loader is designed to deliver all the benefits of electrification in a machine with a small footprint that will excel in applications such as supply yards, large-scale building renovations and construction where indoor operation may be required, and any other operation that may require less noise and no emissions. The dynamic compact loader will help simplify maintenance and lower lifetime total cost of ownership through the elimination of the diesel engine.

“A loader of this footprint, especially one used in yard applications where it stays

Business Calendar

To view our Business Calendar online, go to www.constructionequipmentguide.com.

For information on CRANE SAFETY COURSES: cranesafe@gmail.com 800/654-5640

Address: 224 W. Central Parkway, Suite 1024 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS (AGC)

AGC Events Calendar:

All AGC Web-Eds are scheduled in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Conferences are scheduled using the local time zone where the event takes place.

• AGC EDGE Lean Construction Education Program, 2nd edition (https://training.agc.org/course/vlea230701/)

Date: Mon, July 10, 2023 – 11 AM – Wed, July 26, 2023 – 3 PM

ONLINE, VIRTUAL

Training/Professional Development

• AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/vpmd230701/)

Date: Wed, July 12, 2023 – 9 AM – Fri, July 28, 2023 – 2 PM

ONLINE, VIRTUAL

Training/Professional Development

• AGC EDGE Project Manager Development Program (https://training.agc.org/course/project-manager-development-program/)

Date: Mon, August 14, 2023 – 9 AM – Fri, August 18, 2023 – 5 PM

ONLINE, VIRTUAL

Training/Professional Development

For further information, contact AGC: Phone: 703/548-3118

Email: info@agc.org

AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE (ACI)

Always advancing – The American Concrete Institute is a leading global authority for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensusbased standards, technical resources, and educational, training and certification programs. Founded in 1904, ACI is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

• 71st BOAF Annual Education & Trade Expo – BOAF 2023

Dates: June 11 – June 15, 2023

Start Time:9:00 AM EST End Time: 5:00 PM EST

Place:Renaissance Orlando at Sea World

6677 Sea Harbor Drive • Orlando, FL USA

Sponsor(s):Building Officials Association of Florida

Description: The BOAF 2023 Annual Conference & Expo promises to be an

there and has regular access to primary power, is the perfect application for electrification,” said Andrew Dargatz, product manager, CASE Construction Equipment.

“The CL36EV delivers the same power and performance as comparably sized dieselpowered loaders and can be matched with a full range of attachments for additional versatility.”

The CL36EV is a 3.6 metric ton machine with a hinge pin height of over 10 ft. Additional product information and com-

exceptional experience, providing you with the face-to-face experience that so many of us are ready to get back to. This is the premier conference for code compliance and building industry professionals. Whether you are overseeing a department, bringing new hires up-to-speed, taking on new duties, or juggling multiple responsibilities, there are education sessions and networking opportunities that will help you find the solutions you need.

For more information, contact: American Concrete Institute, 38800 Country Club Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48331. http://concrete.org/codeadvocacy

Email: steve.szoke@concrete.org Phone: 248/848-3147

ASSOCIATION

OF WOMEN CONTRACTORS (AWC)

Our Mission: The Association of Women Contractors provides advocacy, collaboration, and industry leadership to support and enrich women-owned companies in the construction industry.

• AWC Scholarship Fundraiser Golf Event

Date:Friday, June 16, 2023 – 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM (CDT)

Place: Majestic Oaks Golf Course 701 Bunker Lake Boulevard NE Ham Lake/Blaine, MN 55304

About AWC Scholarships

At the Association of Women Contractors, we believe that our future women business owners start out in the industry in the field, in trades and managing projects. With the mission to drive equity in the construction industry, each year we offer financial support in the form of scholarships to female students and apprentices who are pursuing careers in the construction industry. Through these scholarships, we aim to assist recipients in affording their education, connecting with members, and developing a strong support system. AWC provides two (2) types of scholarships for outstanding FEMALES: Academic and Apprentice.

Fundraiser Golf Event

We hope you can join us for our annual Scholarship Fundraiser Golf Event on Friday, June 16, 2023, at the Majestic Oaks Golf Club. This event fills up quickly, so get registered soon! All recipients are encouraged to attend the Award Ceremony and to help with assistance at our Fundraiser Golf Event.

For more information, contact AWC: Phone: 651/489-2221.

NATIONAL ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION (NAPA)

NAPA 2023 MIDYEAR MEETING

Dates:July 9 – 12, 2023

Location:Loews Kansas City Hotel 1515 Wyandotte Street • Kansas City, MO 64108

Phone: 816/897-7070

The NAPA Midyear Meeting is three comprehensive days of committee meetings and educational sessions focused on advancing the asphalt pavement industry. Throughout this meeting, NAPA leadership gathers input, makes decisions, and reaffirms the strategic direction of our industry, members, and stakeholders.

ABOUT NAPA: NAPA’s Mission: To advance the asphalt pavement industry through leadership, stewardship, and member engagement. NAPA’s Vision: Sustainable transportation infrastructure that paves the way for thriving communities and commerce. NAPA & Industry Fast Facts: NAPA exclusively represents the interests of the asphalt producer/contractor on the national level with Congress, government agencies, and other national trade and business organizations. NAPA supports an active research program designed to improve the quality of asphalt pavements and paving techniques used in the

mercial availability at Case dealers in North America for the CL36EV will be announced at a later date.

Also on display at ConExpo 2023 was a newly enhanced 321F compact wheel loader with an all-new 7-in. display, updated electro-hydraulic controls that perform and react with more of the premium settings and functionality that you see in Case full-sized wheel loaders, and new axles that allow for travel speeds up to 25 mph for easy roading.

A new Smart Mode also provides better

construction of roads, parking lots, airports, and recreational facilities. The association provides technical, educational, and marketing materials to its members; and offers educational opportunities. Founded in 1955, the association counts more than 1,100 companies as members. Why Join NAPA? NAPA membership gives you and every employee in your organization access to best practices, emerging research, and innovative business solutions…AND MORE!

For more information on this event, contact: NAPA, 6406 Ivy Lane, Suite 350, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1441 Phone: 301/731-4748 Toll Free: 888/468-6499 Fax: 301/731-4621

MICHIGAN AGGREGATES ASSOCIATION (MAA)

2023 SUMMER CONFERENCE

SUMMER MEETING 2023

Dates:July 20 – 23, 2023

Place:Crystal Mountain Thompsonville Village, Michigan

The 2023 MAA Summer Conference (scheduled for July 20 – 23, 2023) will take place at the beautiful Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville Village, Michigan.

MAA 2023 SUMMER CONFERENCE REGISTRATION is OPEN!

Sponsorship Opportunities are Available for the Summer Conference! Make sure to sign up today as a SPONSOR and have your company recognized as one of the Official MAA Summer Conference Sponsors. Thank you for helping to ensure that this year’s Conference is a huge success!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the MAA Office at 517/381-1732.

ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA, INC. (AGC)

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more than 27,000 firms, including over 6,500 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 9,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 10,500 service providers and suppliers are also associated with AGC, all through a nationwide network of chapters.

• Construction Safety, Health & Environmental Conference 2023 (https://shec.agc.org/)

Dates: July 25, 2023 (7:00AM) to July 27, 2023 (12:00PM)

Conference ends at 12 Noon Thurs, July 27, 2023

Open Forum Discussion and Meeting Wrap-Up

Place: Renaissance Nashville Hotel 611 Commerce Street • Nashville, TN 37203

Find Out What the Future Holds for Your Industry Whether your goal is protecting the safety and health of the people working in construction or protecting the environment during the construction process - this conference is tailored for you!

About the Conference This conference is geared towards corporate, regional and project safety and health and/or environmental staff representing construction firms of all sizes and who perform various types of construction work. For more information, contact Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): Address: 2300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703/548-3118. Email: meetings@agc.org.

• AGC Annual Golf Tournament

Dates:Friday, August 4, 2023

fuel economy without impacting productivity.

The updates also include all-new collaborative fleet management capabilities with the introduction of the Case SiteConnect Module. That module is being integrated into many Case products to enhance the overall fleet management experience. It improves telematics data transfer, and allows for remote access and software uploads to bring together fleet managers, their Case dealer, and Case HQ for optimal proactive equipment management and service to prevent downtime.

These updates to Case compact wheel loaders will be introduced later in 2023.

“The enhancements improve the operator experience with greater adjustability and customization from within the cab, and they will experience greater performance with faster travel speeds — all while reducing fuel use,” said Dargatz. “And the addition of the Case SiteConnect Module brings big fleet management capabilities to one of the most dynamic compact wheel loaders on the market today — helping operators get even more out of an already extremely productive and efficient machine.”

For more information, visit CaseCE.com.

Times:7:00 AM – 2:00 PM CDT

Location:Meadow Wood Golf Course 24501 E. Valley Way Avenue, Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Location:Liberty Lake Golf Course 24403 E. Sprague Avenue, Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Description: The Inland Northwest AGC Summer Golf Tournament is our biggest social event of the year! Playing both Meadow Wood and Liberty Lake Golf Courses with over 275 players, 50 sponsors and dozens of contests, is a great way for members to get involved with the AGC. Networking opportunities do not get any better than this! Whether you bring a group of clients to play in the tournament, host an activity on the course or simply take advantage of one of the many sponsorship opportunities, the AGC Tournament offers everyone a way to gain exposure and promote their business.

We look forward to making this the best tournament yet and hope to see everyone out on the course!

For more information on the AGC Annual Golf Tournament, contact: Inland Northwest AGC/NWAGC, 4935 E. Trent Avenue, Spokane, WA 99212. Telephone: 509/535-0391. Email: info@nwagc.org.

For General Information, contact: AGC of America, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22201.

Telephone: 703/548-3118. Fax: 703/548-3119. Email: info@agc.org.

Website: www.agc.org.

SCRAP EXPO - A Live Demonstration Event!

Place:Kentucky Exposition Center Louisville, KENTUCKY

Dates:September 12 – 13, 2023

Registration is now open for Scrap Expo!

The industry’s first live demonstration event, Scrap Expo, is BACK, returning to Louisville, Kentucky! Taking place September 12 – 13, 2023, this one-ofa-kind event officially has opened registration. Register today and take advantage of super early bird registration rates!

Scrap Expo is a unique event designed especially for scrap metal dealers and processors, auto dismantlers and others handling and preparing ferrous and nonferrous scrap.

It’s a hands-on event that allows attendees to operate equipment and see live demonstrations. You will get to grab the joystick and feel how the equipment responds.

You will also be able to explore our indoor exhibit hall and outdoor demo area, where you will be able to test-drive, move, cut, and prepare scrap in real time!

See live demonstrations of baling, logging, and shearing equipment. Our educational program includes sessions that will provide insights you need to understand what scrap buyers want.

The event also will include technical training sessions covering machine maintenance and operation as well as informative sessions on scrap identification and markets.

For more information on this Event, Email: conference@gie.net. Phone: 216/393-0300 and Phone: 216/525-0515.

The CL36EV compact wheel loader is designed to deliver all the benefits of electrification in a machine with a small footprint.

AssociationsContinueEfforttoRecruitWorkerstoIndustry

Picture Looks Bright, Bleak

In tracking the construction jobless rate over the past year, the AGC found a decline from 4.6 percent inApril 2022 to 4.1 percent in 2023. Interesting in itself, that represents the lowestApril rate in the 23-year history of the data.

At the end of March, the association noted, openings totaled 355,000, just shy of the all-time high for March of 359,000.

The construction sector shed 9,000 jobs that month, the first decrease since January 2022. This happened even as the sector’s unemployment rate fell and total number of job openings in the sector hit a near-record high, according to AGC.

Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in construction jumped by 6.7 percent over the year to $33.94 per hour.

“Despite a small dip in headcount, construction firms continued to post a high level of job openings and raised pay more than other industries,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist.

Those are two signs contractors still want to hire more workers, he said. “But the pool of unemployed, experienced jobseekers keeps shrinking.”

Construction employment in March totaled 7,888,000, a dip of 9,000 or 0.1 percent from the record high in February. It was the first decrease in 14 months.

Nonresidential firms shed 1,800 employees in March. Employment at residential building and specialty trade contractors slipped by 7,000 or 0.2 percent.

The AGC reported the unemployment rate among jobseekers with construction experienced declined from 6.0 percent in March 2022 to 5.6 percent. That figure represents the second-lowest March rate in the 23-year history of the data.

“Exposing students and other future workers to construction will signal that it should be among the career paths worth considering,” said Sandherr.

Construction firms in April provided a wage “premium” of nearly 19 percent compared with all private-sector production employees.

The industry is struggling to recruit workers while the federal government spends money to encourage students to go to college. These grads are encouraged to work in service sector professions for every dollar the government invests in career and technical education.

The AGC urged public officials to boost funding for construction education and training, and to explore short-term measures to address severe labor shortages.

“Federal officials are making massive investments in infrastructure while their

funding policies discourage future workers from considering construction,” Sandherr said. “They don’t seem to want our citizens to work in construction even while they block people from other countries from lawfully entering the profession.”

In March,AGC reported that many member firms need more workers but struggle to find enough qualified hires. The association called on the feds to boost investments in construction training and education programs to close the five-to-one gap.

“One of the biggest obstacles to hiring is the federal government’s enormous campaign to urge students to pursue office-based service sector jobs,” Sandherr said.

Those types of professions, in particular, require expensive four-year college degrees, he said.

“If the feds spent half as much encouraging students to pursue high-paying careers in fields like construction, our industry would have more workers and young adults would have less college debt.”

A state-by-state analysis of BLS data released theABC found that in March of this year, 31 states had lower construction jobless rates than March 2019 (pre-pandemic).

Over the same four-year period, 18 states had higher rates and Utah’s rate was the same.

“High interest rates are creating headwinds for nonresidential construction projects,” said Bernard Markstein, Markstein Advisors.

President and chief economist of the firm, Markstein conducted the analysis for the association.

“Until recently, construction employment continued to grow as builders worked on

their backlog of projects,” he said. “The March construction employment numbers were the first indication that employment growth in construction may be turning negative.”

The increase of funds flowing from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to states and localities will partially offset the downward pressure in the residential sector. That, in turn, will provide opportunities for some unemployed workers and companies, said Markstein. The challenge remains in connecting the two groups.

ABC tracking models indicate that in 2023 about 546,000 more workers will be needed, beyond the “normal” pace of hiring, to meet the demand for labor.

“The construction industry must recruit hundreds of thousands of qualified, skilled professionals each year,” said Michael Bellaman, association president. “Filling these roles with skilled craft professionals is vital to America’s economy and infrastructure rebuilding initiatives.”

This increased demand adds to the current level of above-average job openings. The association’s model notes projected retirements, shifts to other industries and other anticipated separations are part of the computations.

The construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022. That’s the highest level on record, and the industry unemployment rate of 4.6 percent in 2022 was the second lowest on record, according toABC data.

That figure is higher than only the 4.5 percent unemployment rate observed in 2019.

National payroll construction employment was 231,000 higher in December 2022

than in December 2021.

“Despite sharp increases in interest rates over the past year, the shortage will not disappear in the near future,” said Anirban Basu, ABC chief economist. “Contractors continue to experience substantial demand from a growing number of mega-projects associated with chip manufacturing plants, clean energy facilities and infrastructure.”

Basu said too few younger workers are entering the skilled trades, which makes it not only a construction labor shortage but also a skills shortage.

“With nearly one in four construction workers older than 55, retirements will continue to whittle away at the construction workforce,” he added. “Many of these older construction workers are also the most productive, refining their skills over time.”

The number of construction laborers, the most entry-level occupational title, has accounted for nearly four out of every 10 new construction workers since 2012. Meanwhile, said Basu, the number of skilled workers has grown at a much slower pace or, in the case of certain occupations like carpenter, declined.

Next year, the association said, the industry will need to bring in more than 342,000 new workers on top of normal hiring to meet industry demand.That’s presuming that construction spending growth slows significantly next year, according to AGC.

“To fill these important roles, ABC is working hard to recruit, educate and upskill the construction workforce,” said Bellaman.

The construction sector lost 9,000 jobs in March.