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Contractor Connection business," said Winberg. With a focus on contamination control in maintenance work, one thing Kiewit looks for when selecting dealers is good housekeeping. "If dealers are rebuilding my components in a shop facility that isn't clean and well organized, we assume there is dirt inside whatever they put together for us. We think it's incumbent on a dealership to have a good, clean environment for their employees to work in," added Winberg. 'Manufacturing' the Best Used Machines To get the most value out of their equipment investment, Kiewit strictly adheres to manufacturer-recom- mended maintenance. Kiewit utilizes oil sampling to discover potential problems. "We like to say we manu- facture the best used equipment on the market today," said Winberg. The company typically turns over approxi- mately $25-$30 million in fleet sales annually, preferring to sell directly to end-users. About 20 percent of their used inventory is sold at auction. The company has one salesperson dedicated to setting the value of used machinery and managing used machine transactions. According to Winberg, the Internet has greatly enhanced the company's ability to advertise and sell their machines throughout the country and globally. The Biggest Challenge: People Despite the fact that Kiewit was recently recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Canada, Winberg cites people as one of the company's biggest challenges. It's a problem dealers can relate to. "It is becoming more difficult to find young people interested in the technical business that we have," he said. The employee-owned company spends six times the industry average on training a workforce of 10,400 salaried and hourly staff and 15,600 skilled craft workers. Moving Ahead Not resting on its laurels, Kiewit is a company that is always looking for ways to continue to improve their business. Dealers should recognize that this is a company open to the latest technologies. Their telematics invest- ment is just the latest indication of their commitment to change. The company is a great example of contractors' priorities and eager- ness to move forward. Whether or not you're in a position to participate in their $2.4 billion fleet, insights Winberg shared have value and appli- cation in dealings with all customers in the year ahead. n JOANNE COSTIN is a freelance writer and marketing consultant focusing on the construc- tion industry. She can be reached at (847) 358-1413 or jcostin@costincustom.com. November 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 23