Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/732903
EquipmentWorld.com | October 2016 63 uses it on his own projects. "It fi lls in a real void when the weather's bad and we can't work out on the job somewhere," he explains. Brown's demolition work has kept him busy as well. At the end of 2015, he took on the largest de- molition contract of his career – a 200,000-square-foot manufactur- ing plant. "We had it down in 10 days. We didn't think we could do the job because of how tight the deadlines were, as it had to be done by Dec. 31 for accounting reasons," he says. "Plus, they wouldn't let me start until Dec. 14. But on Christmas Eve, we walked out of there at noon. I've done lots of demolition work, but not of that magnitude." The size and deadline weren't the only factors worrying Brown about that job. His reputation was on the line as well. "I was afraid of not being able to do it in the timeframe that we were allowed. I came so close to not taking it, because I felt that if I told them I could do it and I couldn't, it would be a big problem for me. And I don't take a job that I can't do what I say I can do." "But, we excel in fast-track work, and that was a perfect example," he adds. "Nobody else in this area could have handled that job, and nobody else had the equipment or the manpower." His word is his bond Beyond his quality work, Brown has earned the trust of his commu- nity in Sedalia. Perhaps his greatest attribute is his word, according to Ron Ditzfi eld, one of B&P's clients. "If Mike told you the sun was coming up in the west tomorrow, you probably better look west," Ditzfi eld says. "Mike is a handshake kind of guy," says Wendy Faulconer, execu- tive director of the Missouri State Fair Foundation. "If he shakes your hand and looks you in the eye and says, 'this is what's going to happen,' that's what's going to happen." Faulconer has used B&P for multi- ple projects at the Missouri State Fair Grounds over the past fi ve years, and has nothing but high praise for Brown's work and character. "He's just a straightforward, straight shooter kind of guy," she says. "And that's what he expects from those that work for him. So if you're an employee that wouldn't meet the same standards for integrity and ethics, you might not have a job too long." This standard, Faulconer says, has rubbed off on other fair grounds contractors. "We have vendors who do other types of work, where he might be an outside contractor, depending on the contract. These vendors only want to do the work if he's also working on the projects…because the quality of their work is depen- dent on the quality of his." Brown tries to keep B&P Excavat- ing's work within a 25-mile radius. "We just never seemed to be profi table very far from home," he says.