lonergan & son inc. unique services
Workers perform site-preparation and excavation services at Canterbury Farms.
We just try to keep everything we do in-house. That’s one reason we’ve been successful. —Mickey Lonergan, President
four different-priced neighborhoods in there,” Mickey says. “We’re doing a complete site job for this.” In addition, Lonergan & Son is completing work in The Pines, a subdivision with about 45 lots in South Carolina. With such extensive projects as these, it is necessary for Lonergan & Son to own, rather than lease, its own fleet of trucks and equipment, with employees performing the day-to-day maintenance. Mickey, who is proud of this self-sufficiency, estimates that he owns about $1.5 million worth of mini-tractors, large direct movers, and off-road trucks. “We just try to keep everything we do in-house,” he says. “We try to do as much of the work ourselves—that’s one reason we’ve been successful. When weather or a job creates a problem, we can make changes quicker when we’re not dealing with anybody but our own people.” According to Mickey, weather and finding an adequate labor force are the biggest challenges to running the business. He says it’s hard to find people who want to work outside, and he’s also competing with some Atlanta-area contractors who use Mexican labor. Persistent rainy weather can wreak havoc on projects, particularly with the red-clay soil of Georgia and South Carolina, which requires sun and warm temperatures to dry the soil. In addition, rising material costs, which can’t be passed on to customers after a job is bid, is another challenge. Mickey says there has been a significant increase in the cost of PVC pipe in the last five years, and that the cost of asphalt has increased by 50 percent. Despite these challenges, however, Lonergan & Son has prevailed, making a name for itself in the Southeast. The nature of its industry requires the company and all of its employees be lifelong learners, thanks to required classes to keep abreast of industry developments. And this is exactly what the company has done since its founding, and will continue to do for years to come. abq
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american builders quarterly september/october 2010
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