Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/107622
contractor of the year finalist | by Amy Materson | AMaterson@randallreilly.com For this contractor, an impulse decision led to a long-term career Robert Brash Allison Park, Pennsylvania Roice Construction Year started: 2000 Number of employees: 16 Annual volume: $3 to $5 million Markets served: Site prep, utility, stormwater B ob Brash has always been a hands-on guy who likes to truly experience his work. He was working as a real estate developer after college, and as he watched homebuilders at work, he decided that building a house – just one – was something he wanted to try. He purchased and began operating a skid steer, and was immediately hooked. Although he'd never considered a career in construction, he was off and running. He never built the house, but today takes on a range of site prep, utility and stormwater projects. HARD START Starting a construction company from the ground up isn't the easiest task, particularly when you have zero construction experience. Brash drove a truck the first couple of months to cover equipment expenses while taking on jobs. He bid small private projects and took on some public work to fill in the gaps. Although he placed ads in penny saver publications, Brash found word of mouth to be the best advertising, and he ended up making $60,000 that first year. The biggest challenge, he says, was learning details that would be second nature to contractors who either grew up in construction or worked their way up to owning their own company. He had to quickly figure out how to bid and execute projects, and says he learned a lot from seasoned contractors in the area. Brash says he took a lot of risks. "There are plenty of times I've been unsure, and there were times I was seriously concerned about being able to survive and make it," he says. The key, Brash says, was observing successful businesses and modeling his own company after them. Seeing no need to reinvent EquipmentWorld.com | February 2013 45