Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/217452
building an RV facility for Transwest Truck, Trailer and RVs, and remodeling and expanding an ag dealership for Wagner Equipment in Yuma, Colorado. Skilled labor shortage The downside to a growing economy, however is finding skilled tradesmen. "I'm struggling to find help," Thibault says. And while the energy boom has been good for the economy in general, it has sucked up all the available labor, especially electricians, he says. "Our electrical guys are getting 20 hours of overtime a week, but the oil fields are promising 70 hours a week," Thibault says. "They're getting the really aggressive guys who want to put in the hours and don't mind the work. And I can't promise 70 hours a week." The uptick in housing has also made quality carpenters hard to find and truck drivers with CDLs are nearly impossible, he says. Thibault says he's tried all the usual venues for finding workers but with mixed results. He's had some luck with Craigslist and has managed to find some electricians using employment agencies. With all the new specialized help, Thibault intended to concentrate more on the big picture – finding more work and new clients. "That hasn't completely happened, because we have so much stuff going on," he says. "I'm not in on the day-to-day grind, but I am staying involved with the owners on projects as we work through the processes and solve some of the problems if they have them." Treat employees well Faced with a tight labor market, Thibault does all he can to keep the crews he has. "He's got a good core of guys," says customer Dick Janitell, JHW Enterprises. "He treats his employees too good. "His employees like him," says Edwards. "He's got some great of- fice staff, very loyal people. He had a couple of people who could have jumped ship during the recession, but they stayed, and now they're glad they did." The fair treatment also extends to subcontractors. Dan Rial, of Rial Heating says: "I've known him for 15 years and he's extremely ethical. He goes out of his way to make sure his subcontractors get paid – and he went through hard times just like everyone else. He's loyal and doesn't go around to get every lowball bid. And he'll listen to his subs on different ideas on how to get the end result." Keys to success Although Thibault has laid the groundwork for a strong company before the recession, he gives credit to a loyal customer base for helping T-Bone Construction emerge quickly from the downturn. "It was our clients, those relationships," he says. They gave us the work and paid us really fast. That helped with the cash flow and made a big difference. I didn't have to fight to get paid." Having the internal resources to be more diversified also helped. "I wasn't having to write big checks to subcontractors and paying their profit and overhead," he says. "that Thibault confers with foreman Frank Cona, superintendant. was money we could bring into the company, especially on the excavation." For young contractors trying to make a go of it in this business, Thibault says you have to have the grit to tough it out. "The work is out there. You just have to get out there and find it," he says He also stresses the importance of customer relations. "Do what you say you're going to do, and treat every customer as if they're your only customer." EW By bringing most of his earthmoving work in-house, Thibault was able to build the value of his company and retain more margin. EquipmentWorld.com | December 2013 49