THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF NATIONAL PAVEMENT EXPO
On the Exhibit Floor at NPE 2020
MAINTENANCE & RECONSTRUCTION MARCH/APRIL 2020
2020
TOP CONTRACTOR SURVEY! (SEE PAGE 10)
MANUFACTURER INNOVATION Helps Morgan Pavement Improve Sealcoating Productivity
How
WALMART
Works with Sweeping Contractors
ASPHALT RESTORATION CO. Uncovers a New Use for Infrared
How
HOW TO PLAN A HIGH-PROFILE
SEALCOATING JOB
› › › www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Can Aid Hiring
Why You Need
SPRING TRAINING 3/10/20 11:43 AM
ON
blo the
Vol
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What’s Inside March/April 2020
PAVEMENT FEATURES 18
How to Plan for a High-profile Sealcoating Job
35
Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating earns “bragging rights” after sealcoating 1.5 million-sq.-ft. Kemper Lakes commercial property.
22
Uncovering a New Use for Infrared Pavement Equipment
40 Students Enter
3D Crosswalk in Contest
With the help of V & V Line Striping, three New Jersey highschoolers install 3D crosswalk to improve community safety.
Asphalt Restoration’s demonstration peels back asphalt from original brick pavement in Athens, AL.
42 Contractors’
Choice: Electric Vehicles
New Sealer Demands Custom Equipment Utah-based Morgan Pavement relies on Neal Manufacturing for engineering innovation.
Electrified construction equipment gaining momentum.
37
How Walmart Approaches its Sweeping Providers World Sweeping Association interviews Walmart’s senior manager of exterior services.
Top Contractor Deadline April 23
Page 10
ON THE COVER Seal-Rite used its 850-gal. SR-850 Extreme Trailer unit,, equipped with a 30-gal. Cleasby Melter, two Billy Goat blowers, a Billy Goat Grazer and assorted hand tools to sealcoat the Grand Prairie Baptist church parking lot in Auxvasse, MO, for the church’s 150th anniversary. Photo courtesy Seal-Rite, Auxvasse, MO.
Vol. 33, No. 3 March/April 2020
Published and copyrighted 2019 by AC Business Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
PAVEMENT
Subscription policy: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the U.S. only to pavement maintenance contractors, producers and government employees involved in paving or pavement maintenance; dealers, and distributors of pavement maintenance equipment or materials; and others with similar business activities. Complete the subscription form at www. forconstructionpros.com or use your company letterhead giving all the information requested. Publisher reserves the right to reject nonqualified subscribers. One year subscriptions for nonqualified individuals: $35.00 U.S.A., $60.00 Canada and Mexico, and $85.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available (prepaid only) $10.00 each (U.S., Canada & Mexico), $15.00 each (International). Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction (ISSN 1098-5875), is published eight times per year: January, February, March/April, May, June/July, August/ September, October/November, December by AC Business Media, 201 N. Main St., Fifth Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to Pavement, PO Box 3605, Northbrook, IL 60065-3605. Printed in the USA. PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE & RECONSTRUCTION is proudly supported by these associations:
www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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What’s Inside March/April 2020
DEPARTMENTS 6
Editorial Self-defense for Sealcoaters.
8
Hot Mix The Latest News in the Industry.
12
NPE Buzz On the Floor at NPE 2020.
16
Just In Select New Products and Upgrades.
24
Pavement Profit Center
44
Classified Ads
50
On the Job
50
How to Beat Asphalt Build-up. 51
From the Owner’s Desk Is There an Advantage to Seasonal Hiring? Yes!
52
Your Business Matters How Contractors Can Capitalize on Social Media to Attract Workers.
53
Technology Update How to Control Paving Costs with Material Management Tools.
54
52
NAPSA Report NPE 2020: What a Hit!
54
WSA Update Confirming the Excellence You Advertise.
55
PCTC Dispatch Put a Spring in Y our Sealcoating Step this Season.
56
53
Contractor Snapshot New York’s Luizzi Asphalt Services does its Work by the Book and Emphasizes Customer Service to Generate Repeat Business.
57
Index
58
Tailgate Talk
56
Get fast, relevant product information in the Buyers Guide at ForConstructionPros.com
The Cost of No Spring Training.
4
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March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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H Y
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Maintenance Vehicle’s high material output makes short work of large surface areas.
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3/10/20 11:44 AM
Editorial
Allan Heydorn, Editor
Self-defense for Sealcoaters IT’S EARLY MARCH and we’re already starting to hear about fly-by-night “sealcoating contractors” (and even “paving contractors”) scamming homeowners. Shame on them, and if they hit your town there’s nothing wrong with alerting local law enforcement. But it’s always better to be proactive, so here are a few suggestions that will help protect your business, protect the industry, and make it more difficult for fly-by-nights to succeed in your market.
• Reach out to local media now to provide “how to hire a contractor” tips. Spring is the perfect time to help homeowners and media are always on the lookout for local experts. • Update your website. Ask customers to visit your site and social media to post photos of your work and provide a reference. • Make sure your address, phone number, e-mail, website and social media contacts are printed on all bids and literature.
• Hand out business cards containing the same info. • Contact your sealer supplier for literature and hand it out. Stamp your company information on it. • Answer your phone, return calls promptly, and make follow-up calls. Fly-bynights won’t be doing that. • Provide information telling homeowners what to expect from the newly sealed or paved driveway, including tips to maintain it. • Participate in local home center shows.
• Support local organizations and sports teams. You get the idea. None of these ideas are expensive and none are time consuming. By establishing yourself as a reputable professional you will make it more difficult for scammers to do business, you will help define the industry as legitimate and professional… and you’ll likely get more work!
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Our additives will perform to the standards you have come to expect and trust from STAR ® branded products!
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Download the sealcoating contractors resource app
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March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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of nd
HAMM – The First Oscillation 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
sihe
INTRODUCING THE NEW 5 YEARS / 5,000 HOURS HAMM DRUM WARRANTY Maintenance-free, non-prorated warranty for oscillation drums, including drum shell, on HD+ series oscillation rollers.
CLOSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. 35 years ago, we presented an innovation in the form of oscillation compaction. Today, we offer this technology to our customers in more than 35 models for asphalt construction and earth work. Just like our experience, this is unique in the industry. Only available at HAMM. www.wirtgen-group.com/america
WIRTGEN AMERICA, INC. · 6030 Dana Way · Antioch, TN 37013 · Telephone: (615) 501-0600
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Hot Mix
Sweeping Corp of America Acquires Contract Sweepers & Equipment by Allan Heydorn Sweeping Corporation of America (SCA), Cleveland, OH, has acquired Columbus, OH-based Contract Sweepers & Equipment Company. The acquisition adds 105 employees and 110 frontline trucks in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton, OH, as well as Huntington, WV, giving SCA more than 900 employees over 40 locations throughout 15 eastern U.S. states.
"We are excited to have CSE join the SCA team,” said Christopher Valerian, SCA president and CEO. “Their associates bring extensive experience in the industry, as well as a history of providing quality service to their customers. This transaction significantly enhances SCA's service in the state of Ohio and is consistent with our strategy of buying best-in-class businesses." Recognized as Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction’s 2019 Contractor of the Year, Contract Sweepers & Equipment was founded in 1960 and became 100% employeeowned in 2004. It is a multi-faceted sweeping business that generates 80% of revenue from contract sweeping and 20% from its equipment dealership which involves the sale, renting and repair of sweeper trucks. At the time of its Contractor of the Year Award, parking lot sweeping accounted for 40% of sweeping work, construction sweeping accounted for 30%, municipal
sweeping accounted for 20% and the remainder was a mix of miscellaneous property services such as power washing, pothole repair, and graffiti removal. Contract Sweepers & Equipment was honored in part “because the management team believes in and pursues an openness and clarity of information provided to employees, including detailed bottom-line, dollars-and-cents figures the likes of which would make many owners cringe.” "Joining forces with SCA brings unmatched resources to our customers and associates,” said Gerry Kesselring, former president, who will take a leadership role with SCA, overseeing the combined Ohio sweeping operations.
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March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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Seal-Rite:
America’s Sealcoating Unit
ent SR-550 Skid
o e, ch SR-850 Extreme Trailer with Tools
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Call for a FREE Catalog! 573-387-4491 Visit: www.Seal-Rite.com E-Mail: sales@seal-rite.com PVM0320_08-9_HotMix_AH.indd 9
3/12/20 10:23 AM
PAVEMENT 2020 Top Contractor Survey WELCOME TO THE Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction survey of paving & pavement maintenance contractors. Our hope with this survey is to develop verifiable Top Contractor listings in each of five industry segments: Paving, Sealcoating, Striping, Sweeping and Pavement Repair. To do that we need to know: • Gross Sales Volume for your fiscal year 2019 (regardless of the date that fiscal year ended) • A breakdown by percentage of the type of work that generated those 2019 sales
• Third-party verification of that sales total (see additional explanation at the end of the survey) To determine whether a company qualifies for one (or more) of our five lists we will multiply your total 2019 sales dollars by the percentage of work done in each industry segment. For example, if a contractor reports $1 million in 2019 sales and generated 40% of those sales from striping, the number used to determine qualification for the Striping Top Contractor List would be $400,000 ($1 million x 40%).
Name & Title of Person Completing This Form *First ______________________ Last ______________________________
CONTRACTOR
TOP
2020
Top Contractor Survey
2019
TOP
CONTRACTOR
Note: No sales figures will be reported or published; sales figures will be used only internally for determining each list. Also, no contractor will be eligible for the list without third-party verification of your Fiscal Year 2019 Gross Sales Volume. There are 3 ways to complete and submit this form: • Online at https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/ TopContractor2020
• Complete a hard copy and mail it to: Allan Heydorn Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction, 2339 Stratford Avenue, Westchester, IL 60154. • Complete a hard copy, scan and e-mail to aheydorn@ ACBusinessMedia.com Thanks very much for your participation. We do appreciate it.
DEADLINE: April 23 5. * What percentage of your fiscal year 2019 Total Gross Sales is generated by working as a subcontractor for other contractors? __________________
E-mail ______________________ Phone ____________________________
6. * Do you self-perform more than 50% of your work?
*Company Information Company Name (as you would like it to appear on the magazine) ______________________________________________________________ Street Address _________________________________________________ City State Zip Code ____________________________________________ Phone Number with Area Code __________________________________ Website ______________________________________________________ Years in Business ______________________________________________
7. What was your overall company-wide profit margin in FY 2019? (Not for publication; results will be presented for the industry as a whole.) ______ Less than 3% ______ 5%-10% ______ More than 15% ______ 3%-5% ______ 10%-15%
Please indicate your number of employees at peak season (If employees fulfill more than one function please include them in the category they perform most often): ______ Management ______ Field Supervisors ______ Laborers ______ Office Staff ______ Sales May we contact Your Company by e-mail? ___Yes
___No
1.* What is your company’s Total Gross Sales for your Fiscal Year 2019?
___________________________________________________________
___Yes
___No
8. How many different customers did you work for in FY 2019? ______ Fewer than 100 ______ 151-200 ______ 301-400 ______ 101-150 ______ 201-300 ______ More than 400 9. How many different jobs did your company complete in FY 2019? ______ Fewer than 100 ______ 151-200 ______ 301-400 ______ 101-150 ______ 201-300 ______ More than 400 10. What is the estimated replacement value of your equipment fleet (including trucks)? ______ Less than $250,000 ______ $1 million - $2 million ______ $250,000 - $500,000 ______ More than $2 million ______ $500,000 - $1 million Signature _____________________________________________________ Title (please print) ______________________________________________
(This figure used internally for listing purposes only; it will not be published.) Please round to whole dollar amounts. (Example: 1,548,222; note: when entering online please omit commas.)
Date: ________________________________________________________
2. * What percentage of your fiscal 2019 Total Gross Sales is represented by each of the following areas (must total 100%):
IMPORTANT! SALES VOLUME VERIFICATION
______ Paving ______ Sealcoating ______ Striping ______ Sweeping ______ Other (explain) ____________________________
______ Pavement Repair ______ Concrete ______ Surface Treatments (Micro, Slurry, Chip, Fog, etc.) ______ Hot mix asphalt plant operation
3. * What percentage of your fiscal 2019 Total Gross Sales is generated from work done on each of the following (must total 100%): ______ Highways ______ Driveways ______ Streets/roads ______ Other (explain) ____________ ______ Parking lots 4. * What percentage of your fiscal 2019 Total Gross Sales is generated from each of the following types of customers (answers must total 100%). ______ Commercial/Industrial ______ Municipal (state/local agency) ______ Multi-family residential (apartments/condos/HOAs) ______ Single-family residential ______ Other (explain) _____________________________________
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To qualify to have your Top Contractor application considered, third-party verification of your FY 2019 Total Gross Sales is required from your company’s CPA, an independent CPA or your accounting firm, or a copy of the appropriate page from your tax return. Verification must be on the CPA or accounting firm letterhead (no photocopies) and must include a statement to the effect that “I have reviewed the company’s Top Contractor application, and the FY 2019 gross sales response to question Number 1 is accurate to the best of my knowledge.” The letter must be signed and dated and include the person’s name, title and telephone number. No financial information will be revealed; it will be used only internally to determine qualification for each listing. Send verification to:
aheydorn@ACBusinessMedia.com or Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction 2020 Top Contractor Application 201 N. Main Street, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 Attn. Jessica Lombardo Questions? Allan Heydorn, Editor; Phone: 920-542-1302; aheydorn@ACBusinessMedia.com
3/11/20 3:45 PM
OR
Achieve the Longest Pavement Service Life!
OR
n
ate it.
23
erated ______
ot for
15%
400
400
___ ___
___
l
Rout
Clean
Seal
Crafco has the industry-leading crack sealing tools to help you get the most from your efforts.
1 2 3 $
Prepare cracks with a Crafco Router When performed prior to use of our high-quality sealants, routing provides a solution proven to double sealant service life vs. non-routed and sealed cracks — making the most of your investment. Our Model 30 Pavement Router Self-Propelled with Dust ControlTM prepares cracks responsibly, reducing dust by 96% (EPA visible-emissions compliant). Clean Routed Cracks Using the Crafco Crack-VacTM Our Crack-Vac is the most powerful and effective in the industry. It disrupts and removes dirt and debris quickly with compressed air, ensuring proper preparation. Plus, it keeps workers safe from excessive dust and particulates. Melt and Apply Sealant with Crafco Melters Awarded ROADS & BRIDGES magazine’s “Contractor’s Choice” for 5 years running, the Crafco Super ShotTM melter is a model of quality, durability, safety, ease of use and productivity.
NON-ROUTED Simple Band-Aid Configuration
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ROUTED Standard Recessed Band-Aid
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*Data on file
___No
Crafco offers a number of financing options so you can get the equipment and materials that are right for your project without having to sacrifice quality or options. Ask your sales rep for details.
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3/12/20 10:33 AM
N
PE
BU
ZZ
On the Floor at
NPE 2020
New exhibitors, veteran exhibitors with new offerings, and exhibitors showcasing workhorse products draw crowds Allan Heydorn, Editor
SS TOUGHNE DY CASE STU
No.
78
KEY DETAILS
A FEW DAYS of seasonally chilly weather and cloudy gray skies didn't deter the thousands of hearty contractors that descended on Nashville for the 2020 National Pavement Expo, Jan. 29-Feb. 1. The annual paving and pavement maintenance industry event kicked off on Jan. 28 with a restructured Leadership Bootcamp that
featured a tag-team of presenters Brian Hess, Top Contractor School; Chris Hogan, Ramsey Solutions; and John Felkin and Cindy Kelley, EntreLeadership. Also new to 2020 were Innovation Alley, featuring some of the newest products in the industry, and a second night of free Industry Roundtables.
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Engineered for the demands of the commercial paving market. • • • • • •
Highway class conveyor chains, slats and bearings for extended life Screed mounted control panels provide convenient controls for screed operators 100 HP Cat® C3.4 Tier 4 engine provides clean, quiet power Thermostatically controlled screed heat for optimal mat quality Durable undercarriage delivers traction, stability and long-life performance Cat® dealer sales, service and support
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3/10/20 11:57 AM
N
PE
0 2
0 2
The 2020 NPE conference program provided plenty of opportunities for contractors to exchange information and get their questions answered.
Pavement Soft's "All-in-One Business Management Tool" offers mapping technology and integrates QuickBooks to speed preparing and e-mailing an estimate.
NPE's exhibit floor offered tools, materials, equipment and services for contractors involved in all aspects of the paving and pavement maintenance industry.
Case chose NPE to introduce its PT240D pneumatic roller, which features a unique tire configuration of four in front and four in the rear. With a working speed of up to 12 mph, the roller provides a compaction width of 78 in.
QPR's new Utilimax Black is a water-activated, fast-setting asphalt repair material designed for pavement repairs from thin to fulldepth and sets hard in 60 minutes.
The first of Weiler's new P395 model asphalt paver, which made it out of production just in time for NPE, features a 4,400-lb., 7-ft., 8-in. front-mounted screed. M-B Companies emphasized its broom attachments and replacement brushes. The company also produces pavement marking and repair equipment, A full slate of conference sessions filled many conference rooms throughout the five days of education. NPE's popular free Roundtable sessions were offered on two nights to accommodate more contractors.
14
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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LiquiTube's premium heavy duty tire sealant attracted attention from sweeper and nonsweepers alike.
am for and ed.
GemSeal's line of sealers and other pavement maintenance products kept company reps busy throughout the Expo. Located in NPE's new Innovation Alley, Axenox Construction Solutions introduced contractors to its Bullox modular screed plate system, featuring a one-time conductor plate install and an easy attach wear plate system, and its Surfaxe, which is designed to replace the traditional asphalt lute/rake.
LeeBoy's 8520B heavycommercial paver offers enhanced features including an increased fuel capacity, an above-deck generator, and front-adjustable conveyor chains designed to eliminate the need to lift conveyors to fine-tune tension. The 9-ton hopper feeds two 36-in. conveyors.
stry.
Nitehawk's Raptor II features an advanced hydraulic system to generate more power and a single-engine “Stealth Sweeping” System for quiet performance.
STAR highlighted its Triton line of "next generation" pavement sealers, including its Pro-Blend and Supreme parking lot pavement products and its Road-Guard sealer which is designed for medium-to-low traffic-bearing road surfaces.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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3/10/20 11:58 AM
Just In
Get fast, relevant product information in the Buyers Guide at ForConstructionPros.com 1
1
2
3
2
3
Street King 660 Sweeper
MM250DT Mastic Mixer
Schmidt Street King Available through M-B Companies, Schmidt’s Street King 660 truck-mounted vacuum sweeper features a towed sweeping unit that mounts to left or right side and integrates brush roller into suction shaft, enabling 15% faster sweeping. • Attaches to conventional 2-axle truck chassis in the 15-18 ton class • Pressurized water recirculation system enhances performance and extends usage time by up to 30% • 247-cu.-ft. hopper, 60º tipping angle • Intuitive operation through color touch screen
Marathon Equipment Inc. Designed specifically to melt mastic material, the MM250DT is an oil-jacketed melter featuring full-sweep agitation, with agitation blades positioned along a horizontal shaft, ensuring topto-bottom mixing action. • Low center of gravity provides superior rear visibility and makes the unit safe for towing • Safety features include reverse anti-splash loading doors, automatic temperature control with dual digital controls, electric brakes, breakaway kit • Available in 100-, 250-, 350gal. capacities • LED stop, turn and marker lights
ForConstructionPros.com/21116164
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P5110B Tracked and P5170B Wheeled Asphalt Pavers Volvo Construction Equipment The P5110B tracked and P5170B wheeled 8-ft. asphalt pavers are built for heavy commercial and light highway tasks. • 5000B series is powered by the Volvo D6 Tier 4 Final engine • Engine speed, torque and fuel consumption are optimized to provide the best performance and fuel efficiency, averaging 3.7 gal. per hour for the 5110B and 3.3 gal. per hour for the 5170B • UltiMat160 screed features extensions that can adjust paving width hydraulically from 8 ft. up to 16 ft. ForConstructionPros.com/21108632
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Sealcoating
Allan Heydorn, Editor
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How to Plan for a Highprofile Sealcoating Job
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Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating earns “bragging rights” after sealcoating 1.5 million-sq.-ft. Kemper Lakes commercial property KEMPER LAKES, LAKE County, IL, is a Class A commercial office campus, comprised of four buildings and 1.6 million sq. ft. of asphalt over 14 connected parking lots. It’s bordered by Kemper Lakes Golf Club and surrounded by two lakes, and in 2019 Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating, Plainfield, IL, cracksealed 30,000 linear feet and sealcoated and striped 1.5 million sq. ft. of pavement for the third time. And they did it over just four days. And it all comes down to planning. “Planning is what helps set us apart as a company,” says Paul Price, director of business development and marketing
manager at Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating. “It’s what defines us as a company. By planning like we do we give our crews a sense of ownership.” And planning for the Kemper Lakes job starting in 2018. “Lincoln Properties, which manages the Kemper Lakes site, follows a really tight schedule of preventive maintenance,” Price says. “We’re living in a budget-conscious world so it’s important to keep allocating money into preventive maintenance and Lincoln Properties understands that. They know that cracksealing protects the structure of the pavement and they know the
benefits of sealcoating, that it protects the pavement, too. “This work was scheduled for 2019 so we worked with them starting a year in advance when they were in their budgeting process to schedule and get it done with the least disruption.” Price says Maul planned and bid the work to be completed in four days in August 2019. Maul phased the job and used GoiPave to put together color-coded maps showing the phases. One month before they expected to start work, they presented the plans to the client for approval. Once the client signed off on
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Paul Price says a large, high-profile job such as Kemper Lakes affects clients, tenants, management, and of course or crew members. “A lot went into the planning and completion of this job and communication and planning was the key.”
the plan, Maul sent the map to the more than 3,500 tenants. Because Kemper Lakes is a 24-hour campus, Maul made a special effort to keep security in the loop. Maul provided the maps that were posted on all entryways throughout the complex. Dates of scheduled work were tentative and alternate dates were included.
Planning…for Other Maul Clients Price says that a month before the job was scheduled, Maul began looking at its own work schedule to make sure the Kemper Lakes job wouldn’t cause a problem for other customers. “When it’s August, our clients know it will be September/ October soon and that the sealcoating season is coming to a close and they need their pavement sealcoated. It really becomes a sealcoating-season frenzy,” he says. “We looked at what other jobs were on the books and we figured out how to use our manpower and equipment to make sure to not neglect our other clients.” Maul decided to dedicate 17 of its 70 employees to Kemper Lakes, which would enable them to complete the work in four days. “We reached out to all our clients who might have been affected to let them know what was going on, and we communicated with them regularly. That way when things happen, and planning gets complicated and schedules change a bit, they are aware in advance what is going on.” He says that while Maul’s customers had “desired dates in their head,” almost all were willing to adjust to accommodate Maul’s Kemper Lakes job. In some instances, Maul’s sealcoating crews even worked nights, beneath parking lot
lights, to accommodate its other clients. “While that put a real strain on the company, we were able to complete the Kemper Lakes job while doing our normal day-to-day operations and servicing all our other clients. We had no schedule disruptions while completing this job and that’s a credit to the planning we did and our employees who did the work.”
Planning, then “Go Time” Prior to cracksealing and sealcoating, other concrete and paving work was completed on the Kemper Lakes property. Maul kept in touch with the client and paid close attention to the weather
as the scheduled start date approached. “When we finally saw the opening, we said it’s ‘go time.’ The final call wasn’t made until the Friday before the Saturday we started work,” Price says. “We didn’t make the final call until the day before.” As soon as they knew they would be starting the job, Maul’s team checked in Paul Price says that protecting the two lakes was a challenge. “We watched the weather very closely,” Price says. “If a storm front came up out of nowhere there was the potential for an environmental material issue with the material running into the lake, so we were constantly aware of that and watching all the weather sites closely.”
Maul applied two coats of sealer to 1.5 million sq. ft. of pavement, meaning the crews actually sealcoated 3 million sq. ft. in four days.
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Sealcoating
with the Kemper Lakes client and again showed them the color-coded phase map, reminded them which areas would be involved on which days, asked them to make sure no cars were in the area they would be sealcoating (they still had to have 60 cars moved from one work zone), and reminded them to make sure to turn sprinklers off. They also got the names and phone numbers of all emergency contacts, including the engineer on site. “We always make sure we cover all bases, that we take care of everything in advance that we can,” Price says. “As big as a job like this is, and as great as it is for our company, a job this intense can ruin you in a second.” In addition to providing phase maps to the client and tenants, all Maul crew members involved in the job receive a copy of the phase map “so there’s no guessing,” and crew leaders have digital copies of everything as a backup. “We want to make sure that everyone on the job is familiar with the job. Everyone knows what’s going to be done on which days and where they’re going to start working,” Price says. Kemper Lakes’ golf course was open throughout the job, so Maul crews had to work around weekend golfers. “The shortest route from parking areas to the golf course wasn’t available during the work, so it was quite a challenge to make sure those visitors could access the golf course safely and without getting in the way of the work,” Price says. He says Maul crews altered the routes throughout the project as they moved from work zone to work zone. They relied on networks of extensive barricades and a significant amount of caution tape to create safe access to the golf course.
Sweeping Before Sealcoating Each workday started with a vacuum sweeper. Price met with the sweeper in advance “to set expectations” and the sweeper arrived before any crew members and swept that day’s section. “He hit all the curb lines and then did a patrol sweep
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of the entire parking lot,” Price says. There is a lot of landscaping throughout the parking lots, and with breezes coming across the two lakes there was constantly new debris blowing onto the pavement after the vacuum sweeper was done, so Maul’s crews blew away debris the sweeper couldn’t reach and just kept the pavement clean. “Keeping ahead of cracksealers was key,” Price says. Price says plans were to have each team follow closely on the heels of the team before them: sweepers followed by blowers, followed by the five-person cracksealing team, and finally the fiveperson sealcoating team. “We didn’t want one team to get too far ahead of the others,” he says. “It was a very productive operation.”
An Emphasis on Cracksealing The cracksealing team received a detailed description of what they would be doing each day. They cleaned the cracks with a mechanical blower and followed closely with hot pour rubberized sealer, eventually filling 30,000 liner ft. of cracks. Cracksealers started near the front of the buildings and worked their way out into the parking lot. “There was only a specified amount of cracksealing that could be done, budgetwise, and wanted it to be done by the entrances where it looks best for clients and buildings. We wanted to protect the pavement nearest the building where there’s more traffic and where more people see the pavement,” Price says. “We also want to protect the asphalt closer to the building because if we have to do a repair out in the parking lot, it’s easier to work out there than near the building and it‘s less disruptive.”
Sealcoating 1.5 million sq. ft. Price says once the cracksealing team had its head start, Maul hit the pavement with four sealer spray trucks. They also had squeegee machines on site that were used on the roadways. Crews set up a staging area on the site and SealMaster shipped a tanker of its pre-emulsified Ultra material.
“Having a tanker on site helped keep the work flowing because we didn’t have to send anyone to pick up sealer,” Price says. “When a truck ran out of sealer our crews just pulled over to the staging area and filled up and got right back out there. It meant we had sealer ready when we needed it and the people who would have been driving to get sealer were actually able to be on the job sealcoating.” Maul’s sealcoating crew sprayapplied two coats of sealer at a rate of 85-90 sq. ft./gal. and the squeegee machine applied material at 60-65 sq. ft. /gal. “Because this lot is sealcoated regularly the coverage rate did go up,” he says. In total Maul’s crews applied two coats of sealer to 1.5 million sq. ft. of pavement (meaning the crews actually sealcoated 3 million sq. ft. in four days).
Bragging Rights for Crew and Company “A job like this has everybody gunning for it,” Price says. “This is the type of work we do, the kind of work we go after and the kind of work we excel at. Jobs like this prequalify us for just about any job out there. Every customer who knows what we did on this job knows we’re legit and that we can handle their work. Also, it gives us a little bit of bragging rights.” He added that a high-profile job like Kemper Lakes is motivating for Maul’s crew. “Sealcoating is a tough, dirty job that you do in the summer when the weather is hot and everyone else is enjoying time off. It’s a tough job so giving employees a sense of ownership is important,” Price says. “Our crews have some sense of ownership in this kind of job. They ask us in the spring ‘Hey are we doing Kemper this year?’ Just that question shows how dedicated these guys are and how proud they are of pulling off this kind of project. We shared it on social media and had 15 guys on the crew share it as well. Guys are very proud of this work.”
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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Sealcoating
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Utah-based Morgan Pavement relies on Neal Manufacturing for engineering innovation
EVEN IN UTAH, which averages more than 14 hours of daylight in summer, asphalt maintenance contractors push their productivity to the max, making every hour in their 12-hour workdays count. Morgan Pavement, a full-service asphalt contractor providing earthwork, asphalt paving and asphalt maintenance services, relies on strict quality control and a proactive approach to tools and products that increase productivity key to optimize efficiency. From humble beginnings in 1983 as a Utah-based striping outfit to today’s multi-million-dollar company serving communities in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Texas, quality control has set Morgan Pavement apart. It was the driving factor in the company’s expansion into earthmoving, paving, and eventually manufacturing its own sealcoat and slurry seal oils to provide the quality solutions for customers from start to finish. That commitment to the best quality for its customers is the core value that keeps employees like Dean Garrett, current president and CEO, clocking in year after year, decade after decade. Morgan Pavement has never shied away from investing in the tools, resources, infrastructure and employees to ensure its customers receive solutions that are completed quicker and last longer.
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The focus on quality makes Morgan Pavement quick to embrace new technology when it benefits its customers. So, when a new product, Onyx, hit the market in 2012, the company quickly realized the frictional mastic surface treatment’s potential, giving Morgan Pavement the confidence to expand its application services into roadways knowing it could deliver on its commitment to quality. Garrett says the spray sealer has a unique ability to load significantly more aggregate than conventional materials, and the larger, harder aggregate also improves micro texture on the pavement surface for enhanced friction. "It has significantly higher loadings of unique polymers and catalysts that deliver the long-term performances a customer demands on parking lot roads,” Garrett says. He says the material is engineered to provide shortened dry times and extended long-term performance, increasing efficiency, durability and longevity. The only problem was, Morgan Pavement’s sealcoating equipment hadn’t caught up with surface treatment's unique properties, resulting in frequent clogs and slowing productivity – putting Morgan Pavement’s reputation and overall efficiency on the line. Ingevity, the owner of the Onyx formula, sourced the product through Morgan Pavement’s manufacturing affiliate, NuRock Asphalt Coatings. As part of the partnership, Morgan Pavement was tasked with perfecting the application of the material. The mixture’s
With clogs causing productivity problems, Morgan Pavement approached Neal Manufacturing for a custom solution pump and spray system for their high-volume truck.
thixotropic nature and high aggregate load made application a challenge for its current sealcoating equipment. “Onyx has an extreme load of polymer and aggregate, making it more difficult to pump with standard spray seal equipment,” Garrett says. “The machines we were using worked well with conventional sealcoats, but with the new aggregate-intensive compound, productivity was suffering.” Despite 12-hour days and six-day work weeks, Morgan Pavement saw limited productivity applying the new material due to frequent malfunctions. Clogs developed in the filtration system of their tank truck, causing the sevenperson crew to stop what they were doing, clear the clog, and go back and manually apply the product to cover gaps, a process that increased unscheduled downtime and cost money. “You can imagine you’re clipping down the road at six miles an hour and all of a sudden you have a clog for 20 ft.,” Garrett says. “That was happening several times an hour. It was very frustrating for the crews and for our customers.” Morgan Pavement knew they needed to do something to decrease the downtime brought on by the equipment mismatch.
A Custom Equipment Solution So, Morgan Pavement turned to Neal Manufacturing, a Division of Blastcrete
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Industry-wide, the edge work is a timeand labor-intensive burden, but with the DA-350, Morgan Pavement was able to efficiently complete high-quality edge work.
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Equipment LLC. It was the OEM’s experience with custom engineering that sealed the deal. Morgan Pavement presented their spray problem to Neal Manufacturing and within two months, their team had engineered a pump and spray system that virtually eliminated the clogging issues that were costing Morgan valuable daylight. With the retrofit, productivity increased immediately. “Before we struggled with multiple clogs an hour, now it was more like one a day,” Garrett says. “Reducing clogs added 10%, or an extra hour-and-a-half to our day. The retrofit also reduced cleaning time at the end of the day by 80% and saved 90% of the material we were wasting during clean up.” In that usable time, crews were able to increase application by 28%. Heightened productivity also meant jobs progressed quickly and efficiently, improving crew satisfaction and delighting customers. But the collaboration with Neal Manufacturing and the success of the refurbished system encouraged management to examine other areas where they could increase productivity.
Cutting Cutting-in Time Cutting-in edges had always been a time-consuming and efficiency-draining task. The tedious, manual process was always the limiting factor for efficiency on their sealcoating jobs. On roadways and city streets, edge work required a crew of seven and a significant amount of the time budgeted
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for each contract. While the main truck drove down the center of the street, two hose crews would cut in on either side — one person operating the hand wand and spraying the sealcoat, one protecting the curb and gutter with a guard, and one progressing the hose. On parking lot jobs, the process was slightly more efficient, but only because a single-hose crew was needed and there was less cutting in to do in general. Even with the improved pump and reduced clogs, cutting-in cut into their profits and limited their productivity on roadway jobs. It wasn’t as if they were the only applicators battling the drain on efficiency caused by edge work. Industrywide, the process is a time- and laborintensive burden, especially for companies with high-quality standards. Sloppy edge work, such as not getting close enough to the gutter or spraying material on the curb, will cause unplanned clean up and dissatisfied customers. As part of its dedication to providing the best solutions for customers, solutions their competitors couldn’t, Morgan Pavement wanted to find a way to do high-quality work faster. At National Pavement Expo, Morgan Pavement saw Neal Manufacturing's three-wheeled, self-propelled DA-350, a drivable, dual application sealer buggy, that featured AutoTrim, an optional baffle attachment for automatically cutting-in sealcoat materials while keeping curbs and edges clean. They recognized the impact the unit could have on productivity and immediately bought one. Soon after using the new unit, Garrett says, they ordered another because the AutoTrim option had the potential make cutting-in a quick, efficient process that could be completed expertly from the comfort of the DA-350’s driver
to Morgan Pavement recognized the potential of the optional AutoTrim attachment on Neal Manufacturing’s DA-350 to revolutionize cutting in from a time-consuming, labor-intensive chore to a quick, efficient process that would allow the completion of edge work in less than half the time.
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seat, allowing completion of edge work in less than half the time. “It took a crew of seven and reduced it down to one man on a DA-350 to do the edge work," Garrett says. "Those other crew members can be employed in other areas to get the job done faster — directing traffic, operating other machinery and cleaning up a jobsite. Overall, we’ve been able to significantly increase productivity while decreasing crew size to just five.” Now, the DA-350 sets Morgan Pavement’s pace. It precedes the main spraying truck, with the driver doing all the edge work on one road before moving on to the next. The machine’s ability to cut a radius while keeping a tight edge with the curb and gutter allows the driver to continue uninterrupted until it’s time to refill the tank. Nowhere has Morgan Pavement seen the benefits of the DA-350 more than in their work with one of Utah’s largest cities. This picturesque suburb of Salt Lake City hosted several events during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. For the past three years, Morgan Pavement contracted with the municipality to seal an increasing portion of city streets with Onyx. In 2017, the first year of their partnership, Morgan Pavement sprayed Onyx on over 1 million sq. ft. of roadway to gauge the performance of the sealcoat. The project lasted over two weeks with crews applying an average of 85,000 sq. ft. a day – 170,000 sq. ft. when factoring in Onyx’s doublecoat application. A year later, with the DA-350 and spray-truck modifications, they were able to increase productivity more than 53% a day, applying up to 130,000 sq. ft. (260,000 with double application). In just 11 days, they completed the 1.5 million sq. ft. of roadway and were on to the next job – and the next.
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Infrared
Uncovering a New Use for
INFRARED PAVEMENT EQUIPMENT
Milling was one option considered to expose the old bricks, but because no one was certain of the asphalt depth throughout the area the city could never be certain if the milling depth was safe for the bricks.
Asphalt Restoration’s demonstration peels back asphalt from original brick pavement in Athens, AL AS INFRARED PAVEMENT repair has become more commonplace, more and more uses have been discovered for this pavement repair process. Asphalt Restoration Co., Tuscaloosa, AL, recently added another use to the infrared list: removing surface asphalt to reveal decades-old brick pavement. “That was a pretty unique job,” says Asphalt Restoration Co.’s Miller Spivey. “We were pretty stoked about it and we talked with other contractors who said
they’d never heard of anybody trying to use infrared that way.” Spivey graduated high school in 2011 and while attending community college, worked part time on an asphalt crew doing infrared repair. By 2014 he and his father, Mike, decided they wanted to start their own infrared repair company – one of the few in Alabama. “We understood the infrared repair process and thought it was time to bring a different approach to traditional pothole repair to this area,” Spivey says. Five years ago Spivey’s aunt and uncle, Allison and Scott Becraft, invested in the company and Asphalt Restoration bought their first infrared unit, a Freightliner truck equipped with HDE
infrared equipment, a 3-ton hot box and room for tools and rollers. “Everything you could possibly need is on the truck and if there’s no base failure you can get a really nice repair quickly,” he says. Spivey and his father handle sales, estimating, bidding and doing the work in the field while Allison Becraft handles the books. Spivey says most of their work is repairing utility cuts, and potholes, but they also do a good amount of business constructing infrared patches on parking lots, and they are a subcontractor for sealcoaters who want areas of pavement repaired before they seal and stripe a parking lot. In addition, 15% of their work is for paving contractors. “If they have a job they just completed that’s holding water – bird baths are probably the main issue – we can go out there, heat it up, level it out, tie it back in with the existing asphalt and it looks just like new,” he says. “They also use us when they’re paving a parking lot, for example, if they’ve got a cold joint they have to deal with.”
Discovering a New Use for Infrared Machines The job removing several inches of asphalt over old bricks was a demonstration in Athens, AL. Some locals thought that returning the town square to its former brick pavement would make it a destination and would attract visitors and generate shopping dollars. The city was certain there were bricks
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Infrared
The Asphalt Restorations team (from left) Left to right: Miller Spivey, Mike Spivey, Jacob Hixon, Allison Becraft, Scott Becraft.
beneath the asphalt – the question was how to expose them. “We got a call asking if we could come down and talk with the city and do a demonstration of how we could use our infrared machine to uncover bricks in a city street,” Spivey says. The area the city had chosen for the test was a two-lane street, and city officials and public works directors were gathered around to watch the process. Spivey says that over much of the area the pavement was 2 in. thick and that was heated in 10-12 minutes. In other areas, however, the pavement was more than 5 in. thick and that took longer to heat, slowing the process. “We treated it just like any infrared job,” Spivey says. “We pulled up and started heating one section at a time. When that section was heated, we moved the truck and heated the next section while we worked on the heated area.” But instead of following the normal infrared process – scarifying the patch, adding fresh or recycled mix, spraying a rejuvenator and recompacting it – they shoveled the heated asphalt pavement off the area, exposing the brick. “We just stuck the shovel under the asphalt all the way to the brick and pulled the heated pavement out,” he says. “Those areas that were 5 or 6 inches thick actually came up easier once they were heated than the 2-inch-thick areas. That’s because for some reason the 2-inch areas had a tack coat where the thicker areas didn’t. The areas that had a tack coat applied to the bricks made it a little more difficult to remove the hot mix.”
Spivey says milling was considered but there was concern because no one was certain how thick the asphalt was and people were afraid the mill could damage the bricks, defeating the purpose of the whole project. “Removing the asphalt from the bricks with a shovel didn’t do any harm to them whatsoever,” he says. “It would have been ideal to have a skid-steer on hand to help speed the process up, even that wouldn’t have damaged the bricks. Those were tough old bricks. “It only took us 90 minutes to demonstrate the infrared process to them. After seeing how easily it was to remove the asphalt from the bricks, it had their minds racing.”
A Small but Growing Contractor At this point Asphalt Restorations is an infrared repair-focused company. Spivey says they handle small concrete jobs themselves but sub out sealcoating, cracksealing, striping, and most paving. “There seems to be a higher demand for paving around here than there is for patching work, so we’ve got to have several different niches to grow. We have built good relationships with many different paving contractors whom we sub larger scale paving jobs to and they do the same for us with the calls they receive about smaller jobs.” They recently acquired a small paver and in late 2019 completed their first small paving job. “We’re trying to start doing a little more paving without stepping on the toes of other paving contractors who give us work,” Spivey says. Spivey says that Athens officials haven’t decided if the city will pursue uncovering all the bricks – it would be a costly process and some of the bricks would need to be cleaned of their tack – but Spivey says the demonstration provided another example of the variety of uses to which they can put their infrared unit. And that, he says, is just part of the process of a small, young company trying to carve out its niche.
Demonstrations: The Best Infrared Marketing Miller Spivey says much of the work Asphalt Restorations has done has been educating potential customers about the infrared process. “The infrared process is really effective and really convenient, but people don’t really understand it,” he says. “Down here the infrared process is still somewhat new, so we keep pushing, advertising, and informing people about the infrared machine. We continue to work and get the infrared name out there.” He says their most effective educational tool has been setting up demonstrations, much like the one they did in Athens, AL. They have a contract with Tupelo, MS, that Spivey says took a while to get. He says they were persistent with emails and phone calls and the deal was sealed once the city allowed them to demonstrate the infrared pavement repair process. “A demonstration really shows what infrared can do and how it’s done. People watch us and they really are amazed and it’s easy to understand once someone sees it done in person,” he says. “Many people, and municipalities need our infrared services; they just don’t know that they need it.”
Over much of the area the pavement was 2 in. thick and that was heated in 10-12 minutes. In other areas, however, the pavement was more than 5 in. thick and that took longer to heat, slowing the process.
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s-cphoto/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
Ranger Kidwell-Ross
Sweeping
How Walmart Approaches its Sweeping Providers World Sweeping Association Interviews Walmart’s Senior Manager of Exterior Services On August 30, 2019, the World Sweeping Association was contacted by one of its members about a new third-party vendor, CBRE, which had taken over oversight of the member’s Walmart accounts. The WSA member was concerned about two changes CBRE presented: • CBRE was requiring vendors to pay $425 for what that company termed a “background check,” even though the contractor had long been an established vendor for Walmart • CBRE could take up to 60 days to pay for completed sweeping work, up from the current, industry standard, 30-day payment time period. (This particular contractor said they usually received payment within 14 days). WSA contacted both Walmart and CBRE. WSA took the position that the $425 background check was onerous given that a contract was already in place with the affected sweeping contractors. Assuming each contractor sweeps 10 Walmart locations, and further assuming a charge of $45 per sweep, WSA argued that, should Walmart contract with CBRE throughout the country, a payment change from the current 30-day average to a 60-day payment schedule would double the line of credit/financing burden to contractors around the country to meet CBRE’s requirements. While to-date CBRE has not responded to WSA, Dale Brantley, Walmart Senior Manager of Exterior Services did reach out and following is a transcript of his conversation with Ranger Kidwell-Ross, WSA director. Brantley, who is responsible for sweeping, landscaping and snow removal/abatement for Walmart properties, said he had called to provide direct information about the various issues raised by WSA.
WSA: First off, Dale, thank you very much for giving us a call to explain Walmart’s corporate thinking on the issues we brought up. Brantley/Walmart: You’re welcome. I must say I wish all of our vendor groups had an association like WSA that would notify us about issues they see with doing work for Walmart. As our first topic, allow me to discuss the recent change to sweeping frequency. In our contract, Walmart specifies that sweeping frequency may be changed as long as we give our providers at least a seven-day notice. One concern I recall WSA had in that frequency reduction was that there was no contract re-bidding, or included increase in price-per-sweep. Although it is entirely within our right to change frequency, in such a situation a contractor is welcome to ask for a reasonable price increase per sweep. For example, we did not turn down anyone
who asked for a $10/sweep increase or less. However, on the other end of the scale, if a contractor notified us that they wanted to make up the entire amount, our response was to give them a 15-day notice. My point is that we are willing to work with our contractors with any reasonable request. On the topic of CBRE: It is their requirement to charge each sweeping contractor a $425 fee, per company, to get them set up in their system. My understanding is that reimburses them for doing some sort of check on the company and I’m not sure what else. Those are CBRE’s requirements: if a vendor chose not to pay it then they were terminated. BTW, I think this is a yearly charge by CBRE. As for the issue of extending payment to contractors out to as much as 60 days: The payment time period is based on when a provider invoices. This can be done within 72 hours of when
service has been provided, which is the time it takes to go through our ServiceChannel check-and-balance routine with our store managers; CBRE can be invoiced weekly. Walmart’s week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday. Including the three days referenced above, that means a contractor’s time can be billed and confirmed within 10 days after a given work week starts. CBRE is on a net 30-payment schedule with Walmart. For that reason, we suggest that vendors invoice on Wednesday. As part of our Walmart protocol, the store managers get an e-mail that provides them with an opportunity to mark the work done as unsatisfactory. If that’s the case, the vendor is contacted to work the situation out. WSA: What can you say about the situation where Walmart says in its RFP that it prefers working directly with contractors; yet, when a contractor has been working for a third party provider (for this example we will use the third party vendor, Divisions, whose contracts are known to have such a clause), the contractor/Divisions contract disallows the contractor to take on the work directly? If you want to make sure Walmart can work with contractors directly, why not require Divisions and other third party vendors to maintain a contractor contract that does not have such a clause? Brantley/Walmart: As long as they are a registered vendor with us then an individual contractor can take over the Walmart accounts it’s been sweeping; however, that’s only in the case the third party vendor (again, using Divisions
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Sweeping
as the example) has been fired. But we don’t just terminate; there’s an escalation process that we go through. We call Divisions, as well as any direct service providers with us, and we say “We have a problem.” We then e-mail them with an invitation to fix the problem. If the problem can’t be solved at that point, then we terminate the provider for that location. Then we can, in turn, hire that same sweeping service provider — provided that company’s poor work habits were not the reason the third party vendor was terminated. If it was, then as you might imagine we don’t want them on a direct basis, either. In our bid process, though, Divisions has the contractor right where they wanted them (via the contract language) because Divisions wasn’t getting fired. Rather, they were getting underbid by the contractor. The problem that happens there (with an RFP where the contractor is bidding on work currently held by Divisions) is the contractor knows what they’re getting paid per sweep today, so they know Divisions must be getting paid more. This allows the contractor to bid so as to just undercut Divisions. That’s why the NDA clause in Divisions’ contract is there. Again, if Divisions gets terminated for quality and the escalation process is followed then we can absolutely hire another provider. I cannot turn around and have the store manager tell me that Company A is currently doing the work for Divisions and they want to fire Divisions and hire Company A. That’s not fair to Divisions, as well as gets Company A in trouble, and so we won’t do that. WSA: When a contractor bids on the accounts where they have been providing sweeping services to Walmart, but they’ve been doing the work through Divisions, they don’t actually know what Divisions has been getting paid. They just know what they’re getting paid and that Divisions must be getting something out of the deal, as well. However, if they bid on the account directly — as contractors were encouraged to do in Walmart’s last RFP — they
actually have no path to being able to sweep the stores directly is what I hear you saying, since Divisions hasn’t been fired, just underbid. Brantley/Walmart: That’s correct. Let me put the example another way: Let’s say you’ve been getting paid $50 a sweep. You don’t know what Divisions is getting paid, just what you’re getting. In your mind, you might well figure that Divisions is getting, just throwing numbers out there, $60. So you can bid a little more than you’re now getting, knowing what Divisions has been paying you to sweep. You’re able to undercut Divisions solely based on knowing what they paid you to sweep the parking lot. That’s when you get into trouble with Divisions.
“
I believe in taking care of our providers 100% because that’s where it starts. – Dale Brantley
“
WSA: Our push back on that is: Walmart puts out an RFP for certain stores in an area where Company A is currently sweeping for Divisions. The Walmart RFP emphasizes that the company would prefer working directly with contractors. So, Company A bids the work. However, Divisions has contract clauses that act, in essence, as a noncompete (NDA): The upshot is that any contractor now doing work for Divisions — again just using Divisions as an example — is unable to service the account on a direct basis no matter how long they’ve been doing a good job sweeping the Walmart location. Our point is that we believe Walmart would be better served not to allow such NDAs between contractors and third party vendors. Because of the NDAs, the only sweeping companies you can
solicit with a ‘contractor preferred RFP’ are ones not currently sweeping through a third party provider. Brantley/Walmart: That could be. I want to make it clear, however, that we don’t reach out to everyone for a Walmart bid. We only do so for companies with a Walmart Tender Number; to receive one of those, a contractor must meet a number of required criteria. There are probably hundreds or thousands of parking lot sweeping contractors that don’t want to meet our requirements, that don’t want to carry our required umbrella amount for insurance, etc. Some local providers work for Divisions because they don’t have to carry the amount of insurance that Divisions carries on their behalf. Again, though, I would much rather hire somebody who self-performs, where I can deal with them on a oneon-one basis. However, I can tell you that Divisions gets it done cheaper. They hire self-performers at a rate where, if I hire them on my own based upon them having to carry the insurance as well as meet our other requirements, their costs typically end up being higher than what we pay with Divisions. And, when a contractor underbids Divisions, who they’re currently working for, it all goes back to whatever NDA (non-compete) the contractor and the third party vendor have with each other. I probably can’t hire a contractor who underbids Divisions, or other third parties, in that scenario because they typically have an NDA that prohibits such a switch from occurring. If a company wins the bid directly and hasn’t worked for Divisions, I would definitely hire the contractor on a direct basis. For us, it’s about building a partnership. I’ve worked for Walmart for 31 years. How do you think providers think of Dale Brantley, the face of Walmart’s sweeping program, when he makes a change? My goal is to be as transparent as possible. That said, I understand where you’re coming from and I’m glad that people out there belonging to WSA
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have a voice like yours. But understand, I have a business to run and I have to sometimes make decisions that don’t make people happy. How many organizations do you think I terminated through the bid process? When we announced the bid, we started out with 892 providers; when we got done, we had reduced that to around 500. WSA: That statistic shows you meant what you said about moving to selfperformers. However, none of the companies now self-performing for Walmart in those areas are the ones that used to sweep for a third party that had the account. They couldn’t, given their NDA. Brantley/Walmart: You’re right. Basically, we did a survey with our store managers. We built a system we call ‘Go,’ which contains up to seven stores in a 35-mile radius. Here’s what we looked at: If Divisions had five out
of the seven stores and Company A had the other two, if Company A was competitive I’d kick Divisions to the curb and give the other five stores to Company A, as well. I looked at every store, every zone, line-by-line. It took me almost two weeks of working 80 hours a week — and I’m not exaggerating — when I say I had to do that in order to go through all 3,442 stores where contracts were awarded. I looked at every zone, whether the zone had one store like in North Dakota or in Chicago where the zone had seven stores. A thirty-five mile radius is what we feel is the optimal range for one sweeper truck. That one sweeper should be able to sweep as many as seven stores per night and still give us the quality we’re looking for. WSA: Thank you; this is excellent information for sweeping contractors to know. We very much appreciate your
time and look forward to a continuing relationship going forward. Brantley/Walmart: Our goal is for everyone to have a better understanding of Walmart. I do believe in partnerships; I believe in taking care of our stores; and, I believe in taking care of our providers 100% because that’s where it starts. If the stores are happy then the providers are going to be happy. Ranger KidwellRoss has been providing information to the power sweeping industry since 1988. He is editor of WorldSweeper.com, an information resource for power sweeping, as well as founder and executive director of World Sweeping Association. For more information about WSA visit www.WorldSweepingPros.org or contact him at director@worldsweepingpros.org.
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Striping
Allan Heydorn, Editor
Students Enter 3D Crosswalk in Contest With the help of V & V Line Striping, three New Jersey high-schoolers install 3D crosswalk in project to improve community safety
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The three student designers are (from left) Ryan Winters, George Gillen and Dillon Fleksher.
IN MAY 2018, Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction published a step-by-step “how to” article outlining a method to stripe crosswalks that appear three dimensional to approaching drivers. The idea is that drivers are likely to slow down when faced with a three-dimensional object. The article was based on an approach by Gautur Ívar Halldórsson, co-owner of GÍH Vegamálun, a striping company in northwest Iceland. Three enterprising 14-year-old students from the Smoke Rise gated community in Kinnelon, NJ, relied on the article to tackle their own 3D crosswalk. With guidance from their team advisor, Jemi Gillen-Ruth, and assistance from V & V Line Striping, Boonton, NJ, they completed the project in November. The brainchild of high-schoolers Dillon Fleksher, George Gillen and Ryan Winters, the crosswalk has been entered in eCybermission, a national scientific method/engineering competition that focuses on students solving community issues using science or engineering principles. Entries will be judged in March. Gillen-Ruth says the boys have known each other since middle school.
This year Dillon and Ryan attend Kinnelon High School, and George attends the Environmental Science Academy at Morris County School of Technology at Jefferson Township High School. “The boys don’t see each other as much as they did in middle school. The team was formed so they could hang out, and they all want to work on a community project that will put them in contention for the national prize of $9,000 in savings bonds per student.” She says the boys considered several ideas and decided to do something to make streets in the town safer. “Kinnelon is suburban bordering on rural. We don’t have many sidewalks and many people complain on social media that pedestrians, joggers, and dog walkers never have a safe place to walk and drivers are too fast,” GillenRuth says. “We stumbled across an image of a 3D crosswalk in Iceland and the boys thought it looked different and innovative and something that would stand out for drivers to see pedestrians.” The team proposed a 3D crosswalk in front of the Smoke Rise Inn restaurant. Gillen-Ruth says the road in front
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Because Smoke Rise is a private community, all roads are considered private and the boys learned that state or national road marking laws do not apply. They asked John Ruckstuhl, president of the Smoke Rise Board of Governors, what he thought about the idea. “He was enthusiastic about it and said he would endorse it as long as the town’s safety officer approved.” The safety officer said he had no objections if the Smoke Rise engineer, Tom Donoghue, Donoghue Engineering, signed off. Donoghue was familiar with 3D crosswalks and reviewed the concept with the Kinnelon borough engineer. Gillen-Ruth says the two engineers consulted state and local regulations and determined that in New Jersey, 3D crosswalks are not recommended for public roads “because the few studies that are out there show that some drivers may swerve to avoid the crosswalk and it may cause more accidents than it prevents.” But they agreed the crosswalk could be installed behind the restaurant “to see how it worked before putting it on a busier road in front of the Inn.” “The short road behind the Inn connects the back door to the rear parking lot. Cars are already driving slowly and while it wasn’t what we originally wanted, it was still a yes, so we took it,” she says. “The rear road had no markings for pedestrians, so it was ideal to create a safer area for restaurant patrons.”
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Robert Liga and Roberto Toth, V & V Line Striping, were able to fit the striping job into their schedule just as the season was ending.
The team submitted the crosswalk plans to the Smoke Rise engineer, then put together a PowerPoint presentation for the homeowners’ association board, which gave its official approval.
Learning Some Layout “We started looking for ways to actually draw a 3D crosswalk because it wasn’t obvious just from the picture of the finished crosswalk how to make it happen. That’s when we found the article laying out the steps,” Gillen-Ruth says. She also reached out on behalf of the team to Holdórsson via Facebook since none of the students are on Facebook. “He was very helpful and when I told him the location of the crosswalk, and he suggested we use the mirror image crosswalk design he had completed in Iceland instead of the one-way crosswalk, since the road has two-way traffic.” The boys learned what’s involved in striping layout, taking more measurements so they could determine how many stripes were needed and where the focal points should be. “The one day they were all available the weather was raining, and it was hard to get measurements,” Gillen-Ruth says. “The back door and steps across the street leading to the parking lot weren’t parallel, so the crosswalk needed to straddle both to be safe. It took several attempts to hand draw the crosswalk based on the measurements. The article in Pavement was invaluable.”
“The students have been very pleased with the results of their work,” GillenRuth says. “The competition only requires teams to submit a mock-up of their solution to a community need. The boys went above and beyond and made it a reality. This is a huge win for pedestrians who want safer streets in the community.” And they learned more than just striping layout. “We discussed how new or radical ideas are often met with ridicule and resistance and that it’s important to keep going,” she says. “Fortunately, every single community leader we spoke with was willing to try something new. The team has already scored a win by making the roads safer. The boys really want to raise visibility of pedestrian safety with more 3D crosswalks, make it easier for other communities to install similar crosswalks, and save lives. They are off to a good start.”
V & V Line Striping Steps Up The one stipulation from the homeowners’ association was that the road be painted by professionals, so the next step was to find a contractor who would stripe the road and be the first to create a 3D crosswalk in New Jersey. “We were nearing the end of November and the weather was staying cold and turning rainy and icy. It was also the end of roadwork season and the companies were very busy with last-minute jobs,” Gillen-Ruth says. “We had to race against the clock to beat the bad weather.” Andrew Muller, co-owner of V&V Line Striping, had seen 3D crosswalks online and liked the idea of helping the students. “I said we would be interested especially with kids involved, kids who are using their minds and thinking outside the box to get something done for their community,” Muller says. “They asked what it would cost, and I just said no charge, that we’d be happy to help them out. That we’d be able to take care of it for them.” V & V painted a test crosswalk at their facility before coming on November 14 to paint. “When the crews came back and saw it, they were like ‘what the heck is that?’” Gillen-Ruth says the team shared the Pavement article with V&V, who used it as a guide, along with the team’s handdrawn mirror image crosswalk to know the exact dimensions and location. www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020 41
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Contractors ’ Choice: Electronic Vehicles
Sara Jensen, Contributing Editor
Electrified Construction Equipment Gaining
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MOMENTUM More manufacturers are developing electric powered construction equipment to meet increasing emissions regulations and provide efficiency improvements ELECTRIFICATION HAS BEEN increasing in most market segments as of late, including the construction equipment industry. This has been due to the necessary technologies becoming more mature and affordable — aided by their development and use in the on-road segment — as well as increasing emissions regulations. Several cities around the world have announced they will ban the use of diesel within city limits, impacting not only roadway vehicles but also the equipment working in those cities. Because of this, many manufacturers have already developed, or are in the process of developing, electric construction equipment. Doing so ensures the equipment will be ready and available for customers in time for the implementation of the regulations. While much of the talk regarding electrification has revolved around onroad vehicles, a report from IDTechEx Research shows off-road electric vehicles may be a more dominate marketplace. By 2029, the report says the majority of CAM (construction, agriculture and mining) vehicles sold will be electrically powered. Electrification was one of the major trends at bauma in 2019, with companies including Volvo Construction Equipment (CE), Mecalac and Wacker Neuson introducing electric powered equipment. According to a Messe
Munchen press release on the subject, smaller equipment is where much of the initial focus is being placed for construction equipment, as well as hybrids which use electric power for lighter work and a combustion engine for maximum power. Volvo CE says it sees diesel remaining as the most appropriate power source for larger equipment but electric propulsion and battery technology suiting smaller machines due to the lower power demands. “The technology we have been developing is now sufficiently robust and this, together with changes in customer behavior and a heightened regulatory environment, means that now is the right time to commit to electromobility in our compact equipment ranges in the future,” said Volvo CE President, Melker Jernberg, in a press release announcing the launch of its first electric machines. Volvo’s new ECR25 electric compact excavator and L25 electric compact wheel loader are operated by lithiumion batteries which replace the combustion engine. In the ECR25, the batteries are paired with an electric motor which powers the hydraulics. The batteries are capable of storing enough energy to power the machine for eight hours in most applications. The L25’s batteries also enable a full 8-hour work day on a single charge. Two electric motors are included on the wheel loader, one for the drivetrain and one for the hydraulics, to help power the machine. The company’s Electric Site project has played an important part in its electrification developments. Over the course of 10 weeks, several battery electric and electric hybrid machines were put to work in a customer’s quarry near Gothenburg, Sweden. The aim was to
Ch Electric powered machines operating at Volvo's Electric Site in Sweden. Volvo Construction Equipment
electrify each transport stage in a quarry to reduce emissions as well as create a safer, more efficient jobsite. This was achieved through use of autonomous prototype Volvo CE machines, new work methods and site management systems. Initial test results showed a 98% reduction in carbon emissions, 70% reduction in energy cost and 40% reduction in operator cost.
More than Emissions Reduction Electrification can offer many benefits beyond reducing emissions. Minimizing or completely eliminating the use of an engine in electrified equipment enables a reduction in noise levels, leading to improved comfort and safety for operators and others on the jobsite. This also allows the equipment to be used inside buildings, inner-city worksites and other noise-sensitive areas. Hidromek, which launched its HMK 70W electric excavator at bauma, notes the reduction in fuel consumption — leading to lower operating costs — as well as lower maintenance costs as additional benefits electric construction equipment can provide. Using the engine less, or not at all, means the customer purchases and uses less fuel. The electric components used in machines such as this tend to be more efficient, and at times take the place of those used in traditional equipment, aiding
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the reduction in maintenance costs. Volvo CE’s LX1 prototype electric hybrid wheel loader used in its Electric Site project is capable of providing a 50% increase in fuel efficiency. The machine is a series hybrid incorporating a driveline composed of electric drive motors mounted at the wheels, electric-driven hydraulics, an energy storage system, a smaller diesel engine and new machine architecture. This combination enables the electrified machine to provide such a large improvement in fuel efficiency, says the company.
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As with on-highway vehicles, length of charge and how a machine will be recharged are areas of concern for electric construction equipment. Manufacturers have, of course, taken these factors into account, knowing customers will not purchase machines incapable of easily being recharged or lasting through a whole work day. For its electric wheel loaders, Wacker Neuson includes an integrated onboard charging unit for the battery which allows the machines to be plugged into a standard outlet instead of needing fixed charging stations on site. The wheel loaders are also able to work up to eight hours on a single charge. For its e12 electric compact wheeled excavator, Mecalac chose to use LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery technology to provide an 8-hour working range and service life that is three times longer than classic batteries. Doing so ensures customer productivity will not be compromised. “Any electric engine must meet three major challenges: range, performance and compactness. The Mecalac e12 is the first 100% electric excavator that does not compromise on any of those three criteria. The key to our machine’s range and performance is in its very architecture. The power source — which is separate from the upper structure — means we can install a record capacity of 146 kWh, which results in an unrivaled range of eight hours,” explained Patrick Brehmer, Head of Design and Product Management in a press release announcing the machine’s launch at Intermat 2018.
Cummins has partnered with Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) to develop an electric powered mini excavator. The machine is powered by Cummins’ BM4.4E flexible battery modules; a total of eight modules The MT 1335 will are connected together in a series to profeature a hybrid vide total energy of 35.2 kWh. Operation driveline with a for a full 8-hour shift is possible with this 55 kW DEUTZ design. TCD 2.2 engine and a 20 kW "As electric vehicles continue to expand electric motor. their share in the automotive market, we are simultaneously seeing the electrification DEUTZ AG of commercial power systems being pursued by many as both an environmentally friendly and economically sustainable solution for construction equipment," said D. S. Kim, HCE Senior Executive Vice President & CTO, in a press release announcing the partnership. "HCE anticipates mini excavators, which operate in urban workplaces close to residential areas, will be a prime candidate to electrify to meet zero-emission and low noise requirements in the near future."
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Electric Powertrains Engine manufacturers such as Cummins and Deutz are developing electric powertrain systems, as well. Both companies have developed hybrid systems which combine a smaller combustion engine with electric motor, battery and other electronics. The companies are also developing full electric and other alternative power options to give manufacturers solutions which will best fit their needs. In 2018, DEUTZ AG announced it was providing Manitou Group with its prototype electric drives; Manitou has equipped one telehandler with a hybrid drive and another with a full-electric drive. DEUTZ says the goal is to enable a significant increase in efficiency to reduce overall running costs, fuel consumption and emissions.
Have your insurance agent contact us directly! Scott Cerosky, Principal, has been serving the Pavement Maintenance Industry for over 30 years with risk management, loss control, and insurance services. Scott is a founding member of NAPSA. In 2016, Scott received the Alan Curtis Industry Service Award and was inducted into the Pavement Hall of Fame. Exclusive Insurance Partner
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www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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Find us on Twitter and Facebook www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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46 March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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On The Job
Jessica Lombardo, Contributing Editor
How to Beat Asphalt
BUILD-UP
Release agents can help reduce costs and increase performance
WHEN HAULING HOT mix in a dump truck to a paving site, what’s left behind in the bed after a dump has the potential to create problems. Once build-up starts on a truck bed, it will continue to grow on subsequent loadings, making it more difficult to release the load throughout the day. As the build-up intensifies throughout the day, the bed becomes more and more difficult to clean at the end of the job. In addition to problems with the dump and the bed, build-up that remains in the truck bed will cool and cure. If portions break off during the following haul, this partially cooled and set mix is not consistent with the new load. An inconsistent mix could lead to sections of pavement with varying properties. Finally, trucks with severe buildup have reduced payload as the stuck asphalt takes up space in the bed, thus reducing the volume that can be loaded on subsequent hauls.
Clean and Prevent Many companies have historically used diesel fuel to prevent asphalt from sticking to their trucks, but many states have regulations that prohibit the use of diesel fuel for this purpose. Not only is this option costly, it’s not environmentally friendly to waste diesel fuel as a release agent. In addition to environmental and cost considerations, performance and quality issues arise. While diesel fuel does prevent sticking, it also breaks down the asphalt binder in the hot mix, which can cause problems with the new pavement. So what’s the answer? Asphalt release agents.
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Silicone emulsion technology is used in these agents to form a thin temporary coating, which prevents the asphalt from sticking. These agents can be applied with a standard garden sprayer, but are often either diluted on site into tote bins, or used with a proportioning system that draws the appropriate mix of water and chemical from the plant’s water system and the drum.
Not Just for Truck Beds While the primary market for asphalt release agents is at the HMA plants, the secondary market is paving crews for use on their equipment and tools. Paver Paving crews will sometimes use a release agent on the paver bin and screed to prevent asphalt form sticking. Compactor Asphalt will stick to the compactor rollers or tires, especially when the compactor is cold, such as start-up in the morning or if sitting idle for an extended period. It is important to differentiate between compactors that have steel rollers and those that have pneumatic rollers. A steel roller
In addition to problems with the dump and the bed, build-up that remains in the truck bed will cool and cure. If portions break off during the following haul, this partially cooled and set mix is not consistent with the new load. An inconsistent mix could lead to sections of pavement with varying properties.
can usually just be sprayed with water and asphalt will not stick. However, pneumatic rollers will require a release agent. If crews are using diesel, soy or orange-based released agents, they run the risk of damaging these tires and could see premature wear. Adding a soap-based release agent will not harm the tires, but they generally are not effective for tacky mixes. Tools Tools such as shovels, screeds, and rakes will also benefit from an asphalt release agent as it will prevent sticking on the tool surface as the asphalt mix is spread and worked. It is much easier to prevent sticking in the first place by applying a release agent than it is to clean the tool after it has become soiled.
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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Nick Howell
From the Owner’s Desk
Is There an Advantage to Seasonal Hiring?
YES!
AS EMPLOYERS, MOST of us are in a seasonal-type situation where we need to hire a crew, then eventually need to lay them off for a few months over the winter. Not that some of us have any choice, but is there even a small benefit to a seasonal layoff – to employer and employee? And how can we retain our best workers, despite the seasonal nature of the work, while properly managing our company in a seasonal environment? Hiring seasonal workers is tough, but it might not be as difficult as it sometimes seems. Why? Because during your “on season” you can tap into workers that might be in their “off season” with jobs such as those in the ski resort industry or schoolteachers. Many of those people are looking for work that is seasonal. But for those not looking for seasonal work, we owners need to do a better job of marketing seasonal employment. There are actually advantages to seasonal work, but you have to look closely. The biggest advantage, in my eyes, is that seasonal employment offers the employee a much-needed break -- and if you can get them to return the next spring, they are as refreshed as ever. The biggest benefit to the company is that hiring seasonal workers saves payroll money and reduces liabilities over the winter. If you can trim costs while your revenue has stopped, you are taking another step to success.
Retaining for the Season As we hire new crews, we know that training will be involved. Some companies, such as airlines, spend thousands in training (I’m glad that’s not this industry!), but I’m well aware it still costs time and some money to bring staff on.
Although seasonal hiring puts us owners in situations where we need to accept any applicant come spring, there are considerations we should factor in when hiring. The basics for most operations would be a drug-free, hardworking individual – and hopefully one with a driver’s license. After picking the best candidates, we conduct interviews and pre-employment screenings, then invite the selected candidates on board for the season. When it comes to getting them to stay for the whole season, there’s no magic answer. But you can – and should – try. After all, you’ve already invested time and money in their training, so if they are a quality worker (or sometimes even an acceptable worker), you want to keep them on. But the newer generation of workers will tend to up and leave if they aren’t happy. I’ve noticed the last few years that today’s applicants want to dictate demands more than employers do! This is odd to me as it used to be that the employer posted the job and pay rate, and away things went. It represents a greater challenge to the HR side of things.
Relate to your Workers
management to employees. We also try unconventional but simple approaches to retaining employees. For example, we provide lunch on large jobs, and we provide bottled water and sports drinks as well. A friend of mine and co-Pavement Advisory Board member actually built a kitchen in his office to ensure his crews are well fed every morning. Does this help? It seems to be working for him, and so far, our lunch offerings and pallets of Costco water seem to make guys happy. But I’ve also learned that when they are done, they are done. There’s little you can do to keep employees once they’ve made up their mind to leave – and in most cases you probably don’t want to try. All in all, communicating the benefits of seasonal work and creating a positive work environment seem to be the key to successful hires and to retaining workers – at least through the season. But you also have to understand that turnover is part of the game. As an owner you can’t take it personally, and you have to keep moving forward – just bring in the next candidate! Let me know how you handle today’s workforce.
To try to keep workers for the season and beyond, I’ve taken the approach to treat our people well in hopes they will enjoy their job. I’m a firm believer that happy employees create a better product and happy customers. We let them know we understand they are doing a job that’s tough, dirty, in hot conditions and often long hours. But even just relating to them can make a huge difference. I think problems start when there appears to be a disconnect from
Nick Howell, president of T & N Asphalt Services, Salt Lake City, UT, has been a regular presenter at National Pavement Expo since 2008 and a member of the Pavement Advisory Board since 2007. Let him know your thoughts on “From the Owner’s Desk,” and if you have a question or topic you’d like covered – let him know that too! You can reach Nick at nick@tnasphaltservices.com.
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Your Business Matters Kevin Dobbs
How Contractors Can Capitalize on Social Media to Attract Workers
HIRING SKILLED WORKERS is increasingly difficult in an era of ultralow unemployment. The construction industry is no exception. The national jobless rate dropped to 3.6% in January. At the same time, building activity is robust and contractors are “experiencing significant demand” for their services, said Anirban Basu, Associated Builders & Contractors’ chief economist. Against that backdrop, contractors across the country are struggling to keep jobsites fully staffed. “The primary issue” for contractors is “an ongoing and worsening shortage of skilled workers available to meet contractual requirements.” Aaron Witt, president of Buildwitt Media Group, says that employers once competed within their industries for talent. Now they are competing across all sectors, with construction companies recruiting in the same pools as Amazon, Home Depot, UPS, and more.
Social Media is the Solution But Witt has a solution: Using social media he has helped numerous construction companies do what they were challenged to do on their own — attract new employees. His firm does this by sharing companies’ unique stories and featuring their strengths via
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platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube — media that attract eyeballs across younger generations. Witt, who at just 24 years old is attune to the interests of younger workers, said contractors can conquer social media on their own — and at little cost. After all, social media is free to use, and contractors of all stripes have compelling stories to tell, he said. Employers simply need to identify those stories and someone within the company who is savvy with social media to share them. From there, it is really just a matter of getting— and staying — active while keeping target audiences top of mind. That is, craft posts that will interest potential workers — and that will impress them enough to inquire about job openings. “This is the way the world has gone; we need to go with it,” Witt said.
What Should you Share on Social Media? “There are brilliant stories on every single jobsite every single day,” Witt said. Contractors can’t control the depths of hiring pools. “But what we do have control over is our story and how we share it.” The social media posts he creates for clients feature stories about unique projects and the people working those projects. Witt said construction workers take pride in their jobs, and when projects are completed they have tangible evidence of their work. Sharing stories about not just interesting sites but also the satisfaction construction workers get on the job drives an abundance of social media traffic and helps attract new hires, he said.
“It all comes down to people,” he said. Social media also helps with retention, he added. When employers share the stories of talented workers with the world, those workers embrace the recognition. “If people are appreciated where they are, they aren’t going to leave.” Of course, pictures and videos of eyepopping new equipment and vehicles, as well as impressive infrastructure work, do not hurt the cause either, he said. But he cautioned against random posts. Make sure, for example, that pictures on Facebook are not just visually appealing but also relevant and of value to your target audience.
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This is the way the world has gone; we need to go with it.
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Getty Images
“I don’t want to waste people’s time,” Witt said. And that should not be a problem for contractors, he said, because “society could not function without us.” The world relies upon the vital infrastructure that contractors build. Witt said they should tout that more, and in doing so, their stories will attract the attention of skilled workers. “There are so many stories to be told,” he said. “And it doesn’t require anything special. Don’t hire me. You can do it yourself.”
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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Jessica Lombardo, Contributing Editor
Tech Update
How to Control Paving Costs with Material Management Tools Technology like the Mat Manager can help contractors better understand their hot mix needs in real time MANAGING YOUR MATERIAL costs is one of the most important things you can do to manage expenses and material overruns that can make or break your profit margin. While accurately calculating your yield in advance is essential, technology today is enabling contractors to manage how much material they’re using in real time so adjustments can be made to prevent costly overruns. “One of the most important elements of the entire paving process is the one that is rarely openly discussed, yield control,” says John Hood, owner of MultiFit LLC. “Sure a tremendous amount of information has been discussed and made available regarding quality in pavements, from the design of the mixes, best practices regarding the paving and compaction processes and ways to address segregation of the mixes, but rarely do we see any information regarding control of the amount of material utilized on a project. “Frankly, material usage is one of the most important elements of any paving project for the sustainability of the paving company. Specification and smoothness bonuses are nice, but a company can directly address project costs, profitability and long-term sustainability of the organization by controlling material usage.” Therefore Hood, an asphalt industry veteran, recognized the potential and secured exclusive U.S. distribution
rights for the Mat Manager from TF Technologies of Fredensborg, Denmark. The Mat Manager System tracks planned material usage compared to actual material usage at every step of the project and displays the usage on the screen throughout the project. The system is connected to the machine via a hard-wired network of sensors that feed pertinent information to the Mat Manager operating display. The paving crew compares the two for a real -time evaluation throughout the job. The crew knows exactly where the material consumption is throughout the process via the Mat Manager display home screen. The information displayed on the home screen allows the paving crew to address any material consumption issues during the paving process, greatly reducing excess material usage during the project and providing the ability to control planned material costs on the job.
Benefits of Real-Time Data With the material usage information displayed throughout the job, the crew can make corrections to the process that might otherwise go unnoticed. “If the plan of the project were to pave a lane 12 ft. wide and 2 in. thick, yet the actual pavement was being placed at 12 ft., 2 in. wide and 2-1/8 in. thick, a substantial amount of material over the planned amount would be used,” Hood says. “Actually nearly 60 tons of material over the planned amount would be used per lane mile at these simple overages. Based on the costs involved of materials and trucking alone the project costs can get out of control quickly.”
Not only is the information available on the Mat Manager display in real time, the data is available to upload to the online Mat Wiser Analytical software system. The Mat Wiser provides a user interface to view the project data in a summary as well as multiple additional analytical reports including full statistics regarding the entire paving operation. All project criteria are available to view via the summary. Key information such as paving speed and trucking requirements are recorded and displayed in the Mat Wiser. Information such as a map of the project is also available to review which shows loads, stops and GPS locations for validation and verification purposes. “One very effective element of the analytics is that an efficient paving time and overall efficiency of the operation is provided,” Hood says. “These are key visuals to address improvement of the operation, not just the paving crew but trucking, material logistics, stops, etc. “The best way to improve the process in to accurately measure it and overall operating efficiency can be improved by reviewing this data.”
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NAPSA
NPE 2020: What a Hit! As you may know, National Pavement Expo 2020 was held at Music City Center, Nashville, TN. NPE brought together over 200 leading brands from the paving and pavement maintenance sector and dozens of conference sessions. As usual, NAPSA hosted and promoted its own niche conference program in conjunction with the larger event focused at the power sweeping industry. NAPSA’s program included a session on non-competes, nondisclosures, and exit strategies and a presentation on recovering vehicles following not-at-fault accidents among others. NAPSA members had four free training sessions. NAPSA always has a Best Practices session and the 2020 topics included: • Navigating 3rd Party Provider Waters (including getting paid) • Route Optimization and Employee Scheduling • Leadership: Dictator or Held Hostage by Employees • Streamlining Operations and Processes (Complaints, Management, Scheduling, QC, and Technology) • Quality Control Management • Getting Safety Messages Across • Key Performance Indicators: Not Just for Banking • Deposition Skills. You can bet that any problem you’re having is something someone else has dealt with before, which is why these sessions are held. This is where you learn from others' hard-won experience and wisdom so plan on attending Best Practices 2021! Thursday evening saw more than 300 members and friends at the NAPSA social event of the year: Sweepers Night Out. This is THE place to be for networking.
Friday morning’s sweeper session featured keynote speaker David Freeman. He discussed practical and sustainable ways to build a high-performing culture. In case you haven’t figured it out, NAPSA always has a fantastic keynote covering concepts that affect your business with devastating consequences if not correctly managed. In addition to a program pertinent to every NAPSA member, the association relaunched the updated Certified Sweeper Company program and two brand new programs: Certified Sweeper Manager (CSM) and Key Fundamentals, Fleet Basics. The CSM designation focus’ on training on the Power Sweeping Standard. Fleet Fundamentals targets all industry employees who are not intended to operate power sweepers, giving them the knowledge necessary to understand basic and important aspects of the industry and how they fit within it. These are in addition to our Certified Sweeper Operator programs which has been taken by hundreds of operators to date. The overwhelming comments have been that these are positive game changing education courses and worth the effort. These courses are found at www.SweeperSchool.com or can also be accessed at www. PowerSweeping.org.
The North American Power Sweeping Association (NAPSA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to providing beneficial support to the membership and enhancing services to the sweeping industry. For more information visit www.powersweeping.org or call (888) 757-0130.
WSA
Confirming the Excellence You Advertise by Ranger Kidwell-Ross I recently constructed several of the "mini web pages" that are one of the benefits our WSA members receive at WorldSweeper.com's Contractor Locator as part of their membership. Using the new members' actual websites to get information, I was struck by how similar their info was to each other. All the sites assured the reader that, should they choose to use that sweeping company, only professional, well-trained employees would be on their properties sweeping their parking lots. That’s what every parking lot sweeping customer wants, right? After all, those employees will likely be on the property when the customers are fast asleep in their beds. I wondered, though, what kind of follow-up was being done by these contractors — or most contractors — to ensure that was the case. This reminded me of one of the ideas that surfaced during this year’s Contractors’ Roundtable at the National Pavement Expo. Specifically, a long-time contractor mentioned that he gives a $1/hour bonus to any of his operators that: 1. arrive at work on time or before 2. finish their sweeper inspection and leave the yard within 15 minutes
3. don’t damage their sweeper all week 4. receive no service complaints from any customers all week There was general agreement that this was a good idea. I thought so, too. However, I then wondered what it would be like if such a plan were implemented without telling the operators the first week… Not knowing there was a $1/hour bonus in it for them, what percentage of the "professional, well-trained" workforce would just naturally do all of the above? How many wouldn’t arrive even a minute late and would then do an outstanding job all week in the other areas, all on their own? Everyone wants to proclaim their excellence in all regards. Are your team members actually producing it?
WSA contributor Ranger Kidwell-Ross has been providing information to the power sweeping industry since 1988. He is editor of WorldSweeper.com, an information resource for power sweeping, as well as founder and executive director of the World Sweeping Association. For more information about WSA visit www.WorldSweepingPros.org or contact Kidwell-Ross at director@ worldsweepingpros.org.
54 March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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PCTC
Put a Spring in Sealcoating Springtime brings a flurry of activity for pavement maintenance professionals. Best management practices (BMPs) require temperatures to reach 50°F and rising prior to sealcoating and contractors are often eager to kick their season into high gear as soon as winter begins to thaw. These recommendations will help you hit the ground running this spring. CONNECT WITH YOUR PERSONNEL Set your employees up for success by preparing them with the tools and information necessary for a job well done. Start by pinpointing a target date for spring startup and connecting with personnel to check their availability to begin at that time. Schedule a company-wide meeting prior to the startup date to confirm that all applicators are up-to-speed on the latest BMPs, safety protocols and product
information. This is also a great time to deliver any training you may have identified as important for a successful season. Remember, employees are a company’s greatest asset and investing in the team often leads to stronger business results in the long run. THOROUGHLY CHECK ALL EQUIPMENT Before committing to the first project of the season, clean and test sealcoating equipment to help prevent mistakes or safety hazards from occurring on site. If equipment requires any reassembling, take extra care to ensure all parts are operating as expected. Don’t forget to stock work trucks with essential pavement maintenance resources as well. Safety Data Sheets, BMP requirements, registrations, insurance cards and other safety guides should be supplied in advance.
For more about PCTC visit www.pavementcouncil.org.
EXPAND INDUSTRY EXPERTISE By brushing up on the latest tips, tricks and trends in the sealcoating industry, contractors will head into the busiest season of the year armed with the skills necessary to succeed. Attending local and national trade shows can help contractors build upon their knowledge and hear new perspectives from fellow professionals in the field. Looking to sharpen industry expertise on an ongoing basis as well? Set up regular information sessions with suppliers to keep a pulse on advancements and safety requirements year-round. Preparation is key for a smooth and successful sealcoating season. Professionals who implement employee trainings, execute equipment tests and obtain industry learnings position themselves best for the year ahead.
www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020
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Allan Heydorn, Editor
Creating a Comfort Level for Customers New York’s Luizzi Asphalt Services does its work by the book and emphasizes customer service to generate repeat business “MY PHONE NEVER stops ringing,” says Bryant Luizzi, owner of Luizzi Asphalt Services, Albany, NY. Well, that’s just what happens when you give your number out to 1500 driveway owners and the hundreds of parking lot property managers you work for. Not that Luizzi is complaining. “I personally try to talk at least once with every single person I do business with. That goes a long way to customer satisfaction,” he says. “I know it goes a long way when they talk with the owner because as a consumer of other services, I know how I feel when I can talk with the owner. It gives people a sense of comfort that they can get ahold of me if they have any questions or any issues.”
A Focus on Residential Work At a very young age Luizzi started working for his father’s company, which was started in 1952 by his grandfather, Peter Luizzi, as Peter Luizzi & Bros. Contracting Inc. As that business grew and began to focus on commercial paving, road construction and general construction, it became clear there was an opportunity for Bryant to start his own pavement maintenance business. At the age of 16, encouraged by his father, he started Luizzi Brothers Sealcoating & Striping, changing the name in
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2018 to Luizzi Asphalt Services. Today Luizzi Asphalt Services employs 35 people in peak season, dwindling to 10 in the winter when they plow snow. In addition to sealcoating 1500 driveways a year, Luizzi Asphalt’s crews pave between 300 and 500 driveways. Luizzi generates 50% of its revenue from paving, 40% from sealcoating, and 10% from striping and other services. Residential work accounts for 65% of sales while commercial work accounts for 35%. Crews travel in New England for commercial work. And it’s all done without marketing. In the past, Luizzi Asphalt Services relied on flyers, radio ads, billboards, direct-mail marketing and more to generate sales. His 2018 marketing budget was $35,000 but in 2019 that money was redirected to other areas of the business – including the bottom line. “I took it down to zero because we just don’t need to market,” he says. “I haven’t done one piece of marketing this year [2019] other than yard signs. Word of mouth seems to have gone further this year than our past years’ marketing campaigns had. In the middle of the season we were getting between 30 and 50 brand new phone calls each day.” Luizzi attributes the company’s success partly to the company name – “We’ve been in this area for 60 years, so people
just know the name and that Bryant Lu izzi really helps” – add to the fact Luizzi’s crews “produce a quality job and We remind everyone do good-looking work.” that if the customer is at home “A lot of companies doing at the time, whether it’s a residential blacktop just want to residential or commercial job, get in and get out so they can we want to walk the job with get on to the next job. But we them because that way we can follow a textbook way of paving make sure that they’re happy driveways with 4-6 in. of stone, and if there’s something we 2½-3 in. of binder and 1½ in. of need to fix we can fix it right a surface course for every resithen,” Luizzi says. “These are dential driveway we pave. That basic protocols which we go way I can guarantee it’s going to over and over and over because last like it’s supposed to.” they’re so important. And because we constantly go over Reinforcing them our crews follow them. Company Policy “My hat’s off to our employThe foremen meet first at ees and I tell them that,” Luizzi weekly Monday morning meetsays. “We tell them ‘if it’s good ings to review the details of for me it’s good for you’ and each job scheduled for the they take that to heart.” week, “making sure coordinaTo encourage employees tion is on point.” They then to take that to heart, Luizzi bring in the rest of the employAsphalt Services provides a ees and cover policies the com10% commission on any work pany wants to follow on all an employee sells outside the jobs, such as completing day company. logs, wearing safety vests and “It happens all the time,” following safety procedures, Luizzi says. “It gives them more keeping every receipt (and writincentive because they’re making on the back what they’re ing more money and it reinfor), and cleaning the site forces that ‘if it’s good for me before the crew leaves it. it’s good for you’. It also gives “At every meeting we incentive to the people around emphasize providing good them who see they are making customer service,” Luizzi says. more money. And when every“We want to notify customers body makes money, everybody the day before a job starts and is happy.” then again after we’re done.
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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PAVEMENT Published by AC Business Media.
201 N. Main Street | Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 800.538-5544 • www.ACBusinessMedia.com www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement Editorial Office: Allan Heydorn, 2339 Stratford, Westchester, IL 60154 (920)-542-1302 | Fax: (920) 542-1133 | aheydorn@ACBusinessMedia.com PUBLICATION STAFF: Publisher: Amy Schwandt Associate Publisher: Cathy Somers Editor/Conference Manager: Allan Heydorn Art Director: April Van Etten Ad Production Manager: Patti Brown Sr. Audience Development Manager: Wendy Chady Audience Development Manager: Angela Franks ADVERTISING SALES: (800) 538-5544 Tom Lutzke, Eric Servais, Sean Dunphy, Amy Schwandt, Erica Finger, Denise Singsime, Kris Flitcroft FORCONSTRUCTIONPROS.COM WEBSITE: Digital Operations Manager: Nick Raether Director of Digital Strategy: Joel Franke Editor: Larry Stewart Managing Editor: Kimberly Hegeman CHANGE OF ADDRESS & SUBSCRIPTIONS PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257, Phone: (877) 201-3915 Fax: 847-291-4816 • circ.pavement@omeda.com REPRINTS Denise Singsime at (800) 538-5544 ext. 1245 dsingsime@ACBusinessMedia.com. LIST RENTAL Jeff Moriarty, SVP, Business & Media Solutions, Infogroup Phone: (518) 339-4511 • Email: jeff.moriarty@infogroup.com AC BUSINESS MEDIA INC.: Chief Executive Officer: Barry Lovette Chief Financial Officer: JoAnn Breuchel Chief Digital Officer: Kris Heineman Chief Revenue Officer: Amy Schwandt Group Content Director: Jon Minnick Director of Digital Operations & IT: Nick Raether Director of Digital Strategy: Joel Franke ADVISORY BOARD: Agua Trucks Inc., Wickenburg, AZ, Scott Duscher Asphalt Contractors Inc., Union Grove, WI: Robert Kordus Asphalt Restoration Technology Systems, Orlando, FL: Connie Lorenz Brahney Paving, Hillsborough, NJ: Steven Brahney Eosso Brothers Paving; Hazlet, NJ: Tom Eosso Maul Paving/Concrete/Sealcoating, PLainfield, IL: Chris Maul Pacific Sweeping, San Marcos, CA: Lee Miller Parking Lot Maintenance, Lake St. Louis, MO: Todd Bruening Petra Paving, Hampstead, NH: Chris Tammany Pioneer Paving, Albuquerque, NM: Don Rooney Robert Liles Parking Lot Service, Tyler, TX: Robert Liles Roberts Traffic, Hollywood, FL: Lisa Birchfield Roccie’s Asphalt Paving, Stamford, CT: Vincent Engongoro Show Striping Inc. (SSI), Wisconsin Dells, WI: Amber Showalter T&N Asphalt Services, Salt Lake City, UT: Nick Howell The Rabine Group, Schaumburg, IL: Gary Rabine Young Sealcoating Inc, Lynchburg, VA: Steve Young
Index Advertiser Index
PAGE
B & E Seal Coat Products Inc.
24
Basic Equipment
34
Buffalo Turbine
25
Calculated Industries
41
Carlson an Astec Industries Company
59
Cimline
55
Crafco Inc.
11
Diamond Shield Fortifier
34
Epic Solutions
32
EZ Liner
28
Go I Pave
8
Gorman-Rupp Pumps
12
Graco
21
Keystone
29
Keystone Engineering
26
LaserLine Manufacturing Inc.
26
Lee Boy
17
Limntech Scientific Inc.
30
Mesabi Asphalt Tools
26
MRL Equipment Company Inc.
33
Mystic Washer Cleaning Systems
32
Neal A Division of Blastcrete Equipment
5
Neyra
27
N. I. Wilson Mfg. Co. Inc.
28
Paynes Lines and Designs
30
RAE Products & Chemicals Corporation
24
Rubberform Recycled Products LLC
16
Schwarze Industries
2
Seal-Rite
9
Sealtite
28
SealMaster
60
Soft Heat LLC
29
Southern Emulsions Inc.
39
Spaulding Manufacturing Inc.
32
Star
6
Unique Paving Materials Corp.
31
Weiler
13
World Insurance Associates LLC
43
Wirtgen America Inc.
7
Get fast, relevant product information in the Buyers Guide at
ForConstructionPros.com
ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVES: Pavement Coatings Technology Council: Anne LeHuray, Executive Director
www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement • PAVEMENT • March/April 2020 57
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Tailgate Talk | Brad Humphrey
The Cost of No
SPRING TRAINING fstop123/ iStock / Getty Images Plus
HAVING VISITED A spring training baseball location for Major League Baseball (MLB), I was amazed how many fans show up to watch practice or a practice spring game. But after experiencing a game, I can see why spring training is such a draw for fans. You can get up closer to the players, even interact with them at times, and at a ticket price that is cheaper than watching them play during the season. While any pavement maintenance contractor would find it challenging to sell tickets to the public – and have any takers – the strategy of spring training is actually a good one, something that we might learn from as contractors. For even the 12-months-ayear contractor, conducting a spring training for workers is wise and will always produce improvements. Bring the crews and leaders together and go back over your company’s processes and procedures, remind them what you expect from them and their work, and always emphasize your commitment to safety and quality. All of this should be brought back into focus before you launch your season for a new year. If you need an agenda for your spring training event, consider the items listed below. • General overview of company, including your vision
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for the company • Share the goals for 2020 • Review policies/processes that impact employees, including: a. Compensation: Payroll, time cards, insurance, vacation, retirement etc. b. Company-specific expectations: Uniforms, behavior, conduct etc. • Vehicles, equipment, tool handling and maintenance • "How our company completes..." procedures for paving, sealcoating etc. • Expectations and training on team building, problem solving etc. Depending on how many new employees you may be starting off with, you may want to conduct some handson training to insure they know how to tack the edges before paving, use a squeegee to trim out the perimeter of a sealcoat site, or how to lay out stencils prior to striping. There's plenty to train on. Let me briefly address one more item, in fact, it’s the primary reason for the article. If you do not conduct a spring training with your workers, it could cost you during the season. Why? Because at spring training you can: • Set the bar high on what you expect from each leader and crew. • Discuss how to prevent mistakes from happening...that is what the spring training is all about. • Discuss Lean Construction’s
“7 Wastes,” their impact on construction, and more importantly, you can have your crews problem-solve how to prevent mistakes in the first place. Also you can discuss if a mistake is made, how to resolve it quickly, safely, and with as low of costs as possible. Integrating this sort of commitment will return to you better performance and profitability earlier than later. Take one to two full days, plan out the training and presentations, bring in some food for your crews, and totally focus on all the issues that can make them better this coming season. Training, and more training, is going to become the norm for most contractors. Just the number of young Millennials, and now “Generation Z” workers, are making their way into our companies…and they have little-to-no knowledge about construction. So, you'd better brush up on your training and coaching skills, because we all will need them moving forward.
The cost to put on a spring training experience is nothing compared to not doing it and then watching your crews take weeks, maybe months, to get their groove and perform in a productive and profitable manner. The old adage, “You got to spend money to make money” is really right in our topic today. Spending a few days of wages, along with some donuts, pizza, and soft drinks, can bring some financial returns, earlier than normal, to your business this year. Here’s to a holding a great spring training with your employees!
Brad Humphrey, Pavecon’s Vice President of Human Resources & Employee Development, is known throughout the industry as The Contractor’s Best Friend. In addition to reading Brad’s articles and subscribing to his e-newsletter, be sure to listen to The Contractor’s Best Friend podcasts, sponsored by Caterpillar and AC Business Media at www. forconstructionpros.com.
March/April 2020 • PAVEMENT • www.ForConstructionPros.com/Pavement
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