Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165927
contractor of the year finalist | by Marcia Gruver Doyle | MGruver@randallreilly.com Albert, Michael and Ellis Brown Loa, Utah Brown Brothers Construction Year started: 1963 Number of employees: 24 Annual revenues: $5 to $7 million Markets served: Road construction and excavation I t's a testament to the determination of Brown Brothers Construction that the company has survived and thrived in the southern Utah town of Loa, population 600. The mountainous region offers both beauty and isolation, and nearby work has been tough to get, especially during the downturn. And so company principals and brothers Albert, Michael and Ellis and their crews regularly commute 260 miles. It's all part of a work ethic that runs deep in the area. It's also one of the reasons that the brothers are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of their business. Equipped with one backhoe, the brothers' father and uncles started installing water lines and putting in basements in 1963. When uranium exploration came to southern Utah, Brown Construction principals Michael, Ellis and Albert. the company graduated to road preparation for drilling sites. Along the way, Brown Brothers has built reservoirs, parking lots, performed site preparation for a number of commercial buildings, and literally built the segment of Utah Highway 24 that runs through Loa. Deep roots In the third generation, the brothers held joint ownership with several cousins. In 2010, Albert, Michael and Ellis bought out their cousins in an amicable agreement. But their construction heritage goes deeper than the start of Brown Brothers. Their father Arlen actually started working construction with their grandfather LaVor before beginning the company with his brothers Earl and Dale. In 1967, the company worked on the Johnson Valley reservoir, located about 20 miles away from Loa. "Our great-grandfather, working with a team of horses, built the original reservoir," Ellis says. Examples of this longevity can also be seen on the client side. The firm has been working on Lake Powell since 1969, and is doing a water channel mass excavation project for lake's administrators this year. Brown Brothers regrouped during the recession, selling off equipment, and reducing its work force. It now has 19 full-time employees, with an additional 10 during the summer. And now that construction has picked up again, Michael has a simple test when it comes to job applicants: hand them a shovel and ask them to dig a hole. "How they take hold of the shovel will tell you volumes," he says. EquipmentWorld.com | September 2013 49 EW0913_COY.indd 49 8/27/13 3:33 PM