KORT’S CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC.

KORT’S CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC.

Kort Wittich grew up thinking about starting his own business, but he pursued another career for several years before deciding to make his dream a reality.

Kort Wittich, Owner

“I was a paramedic and a firefighter, but being my own boss was always in the back of my mind,” stated Wittich. “In 2000, I decided to start a side business. I used a skid steer that I acquired from the equipment business my dad had. My earliest jobs were residential, mainly grading yards and doing some final grading for new construction.”

During the early days of Kort’s Construction Services Inc., Wittich worked alone. Using word-of-mouth referrals and advertising in local papers and bulletin boards, he continued to grow the business.

T.J. Lee, Senior Project Manager

“I built a reputation for good work and being able to get jobs done on time,” said Wittich. “That helped me develop some relationships and repeat customers. As the business grew, I started seeing some of the needs in the marketplace and made a conscious effort to transition toward filling those. Eventually, I outgrew the ability to do both my regular job and construction.”

In 2008, Wittich decided to give Kort’s Construction Services his full attention. He also acquired all the necessary licenses to bid on and perform public works projects.

“It was already solidly established, but that’s when things really took off,” recalled Wittich. “I scaled up from eight employees doing smaller jobs to adding multiple crews and project managers. We actually expanded during the downturn that happened around that time. A lot of really good people came on board, and I have to give them credit for our ability to take on bigger projects and get them done on time and on budget.”

Foreman Joshua Byers grades with a Komatsu D39PX-24 dozer equipped with a GPS system. “You can really see the blade with the slant-nose design, so you don’t have to rely on feel,” said Byers. “It makes me more efficient and productive because I can grade faster.”

ALL-INCLUSIVE SERVICES

Key individuals include Vice President Wayne Pontiff, Senior Project Manager T.J. Lee, and Project Manager Sky Foxworth, who all now have part ownership in the Covington, La., company. In total, Kort’s Construction Services has a staff of approximately 65 and works on projects within about a one-hour radius of its home base, including several in the New Orleans metro area.

“Heavy civil work is our main focus,” said Wittich. “That’s all-inclusive of clearing, putting in drainage, asphalt, concrete, earthwork and utilities. In most cases, we are the general contractor, and we self-perform about 60% of the project. We sub out specialty items such as electrical, striping and landscaping. In addition to public works, we offer our services to private contractors to build roads, driveways, parking lots, curb and gutter, and more.”

Joshua Byers, Foreman

Recently, Kort’s Construction Services completed drainage improvements and restoration on David Drive in the New Orleans area. Over the course of two years, crews removed existing concrete and drain lines and installed about 5,000 feet of main drain line as well as some cross lines. Pipe ranged in size from 15 inches to 36 inches. It also put down new pavement and widened the road to include a turning lane.

On another project, a crew completed a canal improvement for the Orleans Levee District. It involved reaching over a floodwall, removing muck from the degraded bank, and replacing it with heavy clay. Kort’s Construction Services personnel moved about 20,000 yards of material in total before putting down a geocell system and placing approximately 9,000 tons of base rock as well as about 1,000 tons of riprap.

Operator Walter Aguilar loads a truck with a Komatsu PC138USLC-11 excavator on the David Drive project in the New Orleans area. “It’s great because I have the power to get the job done even in high-traffic areas without worrying about the counterweight hanging out into the other lane,” said Aguilar.

USING THE PROPER EQUIPMENT

Kort’s Construction Services used a Komatsu D39PX-24 dozer equipped with an aftermarket GPS system to place the materials, which were fed to it with Komatsu PC138USLC-11 tight tail swing excavators and a Komatsu WA270 wheel loader.

“It was one of the most challenging jobs we have ever done. It would have been much easier if the floodwall wasn’t there,” explained Lee. “We had to lift the dozer over it with a crane. It was essential to have a dozer that was reliable because if it broke down there was no way to repair it without lifting it back over. That would have taken valuable time. The D39 performed great, and the GPS system was a real gamechanger for us. Its size allows us to push sizable loads while being small enough to maneuver on tight job sites, which are fairly common for us.

Walter Aguilar, Operator

“That’s why we like the tight tail swing excavators too,” Lee continued. “We use PC138s and the PC238 because they give us the power and reach we need with a counterweight that swings within the width of the tracks. That allows us to work in a lane of traffic and keep the one next to it open. On the canal project, we could get right up to the floodwall to cast materials over without worrying about the counterweight hitting it. If we get in open areas, we can use them or our PC290 with a conventional counterweight.”

The Komatsu equipment that Kort’s Construction Services uses is part of a second package of machines it purchased from H&E Equipment Services in 2020 with the help of Sales Representative Philip Derbins. Kort’s Construction Services purchased its first package of Komatsu machines in 2014, which has since been traded in.

Kort’s Construction Services Senior Project Manager T.J. Lee (left) talks with H&E Sales Representative Philip Derbins on a job site in New Orleans. “Philip and H&E are great to work with,” said Lee. “They know how to match equipment to our needs and back it with outstanding service.”

“Having the properly sized machines for the jobs we do is essential to production, and Philip and H&E know how to do that,” said Wittich. “More importantly, they provide us with good service. With Komatsu, we have rarely ever had an issue, but if we do, they are right there to help.”

Lee added, “We like that H&E monitors the new machines with Komtrax so that they can keep services up to date with Komatsu Care. H&E knows when they are due and often gets them done before we are even aware that they are needed. It keeps our uptime to a maximum.”

A Kort’s Construction Services operator breaks up pavement with a Komatsu PC238USLC-11 excavator equipped with an Okada breaker.

MAINTAINING CURRENT COURSE

Wittich doesn’t foresee major changes for Kort’s Construction Services.

“We are comfortable in the markets we serve, so we think the future holds much of the same,” said Wittich. “That means continuing to provide good service and delivering on our promises. We may expand some more into the private side, but for the most part, it’s about maintaining our current course and getting better at what we already do.”