installing GPS/machine control on
one grader.
"We're see it paying off already
in terms of effi ciency, and achiev-
ing accuracies much more quickly
– especially the tight tolerances the
Federal Aviation Administration
requires," Brian says. "We looked
at the rate of return and what we
could do if we had the technology
and made the plunge. It really was
no different than our usual equip-
ment acquisition strategy."
Flip phones and iPads
Although he laughs at his contin-
ued reliance on a fl ip phone, Brian
equips his company leadership with
iPads. "They are an effi cient way to
complete daily job reports, includ-
ing job photos," he says. "All of our
safety topics are on our iPads."
The company's .7450 experience
mod rate has won them numerous
safety awards, the most recent from
the Inland Northwest Associated
General Contractors.
"I've seen contractors where
nothing worked including their
backup alarms," relates Matt Breen,
construction manager at the Spo-
kane International Airport. "But
Brian brings a military precision to
the construction site. At the end of
the day, everything is lined up in a
row, and they have that same dis-
cipline and rigor regarding safety.
I've had a quarter century of man-
aging contractors, and when these
guys get the job, I just heave a sign
of relief."
Breen says he calls Brian "Dr.
Construction."
"He's very focused," Breen elabo-
rates. "He just bleeds diesel. If I have
questions about concrete or heavy
civil work, he's the one I go to."
EquipmentWorld.com | September 2014
55
Winkler crews place a
structural slab at
a data center
in central
Washington.
Slope work in northern Idaho.
