Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/506694
B efore taking his first construction job, the only knowledge Larry Merle had of the industry was "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," a classic chil- dren's book his mother shared with him as a child. The story of Mike and his shovel Mary Anne became his favorite, and his mom read it to him every single night at bedtime. So when he took a summer job in Coalport, South Caro- lina, working for a construc- tion crew while in college in Greenville, he immediately fell in love with construction, even though he was only making $3.65 per hour. But even that $3.65 job dried up, so Merle pursued another construction company 75 miles away. After Merle's grandfather found out he was making prevailing wage at $17 an hour on his new job, he was actually upset about the sal- ary – he was afraid Merle would quit school and work construction full time. He stayed in school, however, figuring he could work construction after he graduated, but he would also have his account- ing degree to fall back on if necessary. Working as many as 70 hours per week, Merle was able to save enough every summer to pay for college. Moving north Falling back on his accounting degree never became necessary. After college, Merle went to work for a large firm in South Carolina, but didn't like the way the company ran its business. He consulted with his wife, Mary Ann – who he swears he didn't marry because she shares a name with Mike Mulligan's steam shovel – and the couple made the decision to move to New York State. They settled in Dansville, an hour south of Rochester, and Merle started work with a site prep contractor. Almost right away, Merle knew he needed to open his own shop. He approached two potential partners and said, "Why don't we start do- ing this?" Out of that conver- sation, Genesee Construction Service was born. Starting as a subcontractor performing mostly small jobs, the company grew to the point where Merle and his partners began to work on projects as a GC as well, and the building side of the business became as large as the site work side. In 1999, the company reached a crossroads. Merle wanted the capability to build a gymna- sium as part of a philanthropic project, but felt it May 2015 | EquipmentWorld.com 24 contractor of the year | by Amy Materson | AMaterson@randallreilly.com Genesee Construction Year started: 1996 Number of employees: 25 Annual revenues: $11 to $13 million Markets served: Paving, concrete, utility, general construction Lawrence Merle Dansville, NY 2015 of the CONTRACTOR YEAR