Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/565622
into tree grinding," he says. "We would always have to wait for the grinding crew to get to our job, so we bought one." Owning a tub grinder was intimi- dating at first, Corrigan says. "We didn't know much about it. We knew enough to get it done, but how productive we would be was a big question." Solution? Corrigan hunted down David Bogue, one of the most knowledgeable grinder operators in the area with 20 years of experi- ence. "He had left the industry and was doing something else, but he still had a passion for it." Corrigan says. To start, Corrigan convinced Bogue to run their grinder on weekends, but he eventually came on full time with the company. "It's been a great relationship," he says. Customer testimonials A big part of C-3's success lies in its diversity and the experience of its crews. "We've been doing work with them almost since they started," says James Kearns of DNT Construction. "They always show up on time, they are fast and they do good work. They're one of the sure things that we have." After a coming storm looked like it might ruin a nearly finished site, Kearns called Corrigan at 3 pm. "The crews got there at 4 pm and worked well into the dark to secure the site," Kearns says. "That kind of thing happens so often I don't even notice it anymore." Lauren Alaniz at Haynes Geo, a company that sells geotextile fabrics and erosion control supplies, says she's impressed at well trained the crews are and the level of cross training among C-3's employees. "The estimators know how every- thing goes in the field and every- body is on the same level as far as professionalism and knowledge," she says. "When times were good, instead of buying boats or building huge offices he reinvested in his com- pany. They're one of the few large contractors we deal with who didn't drop out during the recession," Haynes says. Advice for new contractors "The best advice I can give them is get a good bank, and accountant," says Corrigan. "But it's a lot of work. Expect the first few years to be really tough." Relationships also matter. "Every- thing in any business is relation- ships, building and nurturing rela- tionships," Corrigan says. "I spend a lot of time with them. Today it has paid off." EquipmentWorld.com | September 2015 77 Building culverts and channels for stormwater runoff is a big part of C-3's business.