Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/873881
ed Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. Under this federal program, an annual 3-percent goal of the total value of all prime con- tracts and subcontracts is set aside for companies owned by veterans such as Carl. The can-do attitude honed by the Marines serves him well as a company owner. "If my guys are working, I'm working," Carl says. "Last year, I had guys getting 60 or 70 hours (a week) all year long because it's so hard to get people." If there are no incidents, the crews get a bonus check every quarter. "I need them," he says. "I can't do this by myself." Since several clients, including mines and quarries, require compli- ance with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules, CRJ crews have safety training above and beyond those required by OSHA. With a 0.94 experience mod- ification rate, Carl says he preaches safety with a military perspective: "We're not on a battlefield, and I'm not carrying anyone home." CRJ performs overburden removal at several Delta Companies' quarry sites, says Mike Martin with the firm. "They operate with the stan- dard of doing things correctly the first time. We operate under MSHA's strict rules, and the typical dirt con- tractor is not used to dealing with them. But CRJ does a great job of knowing the MSHA rules, and when they come onto a mine site, they are ready to perform work safely." "Carl and his wife, Jonnie, are the type of people that truly care about doing a job safely and correctly," Martin continues. "Both of them are the reason that we continue to do business with CRJ." Another major client is The Doe Run Company, a natural resources metal extraction firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. "We do a lot of reclamation work for them, includ- ing closing slag storage areas," Carl says, as well as work that has to be approved by the Missouri Depart- ment of Natural Resources. (CRJ also does work for the U.S. Depart- ment of Natural Resources.) "Even though they are large enough to offer a variety of ser- vices, they still have that small family feel," says Genevieve Sutton with Doe Run. "They make you feel like you are their most important customer." Continues Sutton: "We had a lot of surprises on one particular job involving unexpected ground con- ditions, and they always kept me informed and were straightforward and fair. And they take safety seri- ously." Adds Scott Jinks with client Capi- tal Sand, a sand-and-gravel supplier based in Jefferson City, Missouri: "They are there for you, whether it takes long hours, or whatever. They'll be there all night for you." "I'm just me," Carl says simply. "We know dirt and we know how to move it. And we work extremely hard at it." EquipmentWorld.com | September 2017 55 CRJ has contracts with both the Mis- souri and U.S. departments of natural resources for reclamation work. Wife Jonnie Jones has been with the company from the start, handling office duties, including marketing and safety. We know dirt and we know how to move it. And we work ex- tremely hard at it. " " – Carl Jones