Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85919
feature | by Tom Jackson CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR, 2012 D Steve Cosper got his love of construction as a teenager working summer jobs. But it was his keen appreciation for fi nancial management and an aggressive use of digital technology that helped his company survive the recession. usting off bluetops for a highway contractor in the hot Alabama sun may not seem like the kind of job that would motivate a teenager to pursue a career in construction, but Steve Cosper loved every minute of it. "I enjoyed construction so much it changed my path in life," he says. His enthusiasm for construction motivated Cosper to get a civil engi- neering degree and then a job with the paving giant APAC where he rose through the ranks for 15 years, eventually becoming a division vice president. But Steve had a strong desire to be his own boss and run his own paving company. So in 1999 he launched Granite Contracting with help from an investment partner. Today Granite Contracting is a turnkey site development company with nearly 80 employees, two asphalt plants and more than 100 pieces of equipment. Steve Cosper CEO, Granite Contracting Concord, North Carolina Year started 1999 Markets served Self performs demolition, mass and light grad- ing, water and sanitary sewer, storm drain, concrete, curb and gutter, stone base and asphalt paving. Number of employees 80 Annual sales $14 to $15 million Better Roads June 2012 35b