Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
< PreviousJim Roberts and Evan Sowell were Braswell’s proteges, hand-picked as potential candidates to take over the reins when retirement finally beckoned for the previous CEO of Langston, James Braswell. Did either think, when they first joined the company, they would end up running the show? “You know, we had discussions fairly early on in our careers here,” Evan explains in his lilting, southern drawl. “James saw something promising in us, that maybe we could be the future leaders as part of his succession plan. He was pretty foresightful, you know, picking two guys out to make that transition so he could start his retirement plan. It was a very well-thought-out plan.” Campbell Crane Rental has proudly served the Southeast for 35 years. We prioritize safety and customer satisfaction, and our team is ready to serve with 24/7 emergency dispatch and one-on-one project management. (864) 299-0406 info@campbellcrane.net www.campbellcranerental.net Contact us today! Greenville, SC Kingsport, TN Fletcher, NC Commerce, GA Sowell grew up in a rural, small town in South Carolina. His grandfather was a farmer and his father was an employee at the local telephone utility company. One of his first jobs was on a tobacco farm. In high school, he began working for a landscaping and tree removal firm, remaining there through- out his time at Presbyterian College where he gained a Bach- elor of Science degree in Business Administration. “I did the internship at Langston during my senior year in college and came back directly after that. So, I've just always kind of been around people that were blue collar people who had a good work ethic; knew how to do things.” That was fifteen years ago and Sowell’s career has been in pretty good shape since. 10For over 45 years our team’s integrity, honesty and leadership skils have enabled us to cultivate lasting and impactful business relationships. WHAT WE VALUE AT H&W ELECTRICAL Licensed in SC, NC, TN, FL and GA as well as Engineering & Bidders Licenses ING E Jim Roberts’ journey into construction, although not entirely straightforward, seems somewhat inevitable. He explains, in his equally charming lilt, how he went from intern to Principal at Langston Construction. “When I was born, probably from day two, I had a hammer in my hand. I actually started working on the gas line and in construction when I was eighteen and then I paid my way through college working on a grading crew, using heavy excavation machinery, and I spent a little time building houses. Then I came to work at Langston.” Jim majored first in landscape design and later returned to university to complete a Master’s in Construction. Does he think he’s a better builder for it? “I think the boots on the ground, hands-on experience was what taught me most of what I needed to know but I did learn a lot of things about the business side of the industry, things I had never being exposed to before so in that sense, the university education was very useful.” As it turned out, Braswell, recently inducted into the ACG Hall of Fame, was right on the money. Under the stewardship of these two unassuming men, the company has gone from strength to strength, recording a healthy annual turnover of between 40 and 50 million dollars. Their most recent under- taking, the Hillandale Tank Construction Project, saw them tasked with building a new groundwater storage tank, located on Paris Mountain, capable of holding 1.25 million gallons of water – the equivalent capacity of two Olympic-sized swim- ming pools at 660,000 gallons of water each. The tank took roughly one year to design, and another year to construct. Roberts, as Principal, was closely involved in the project. “A large portion of this project was earth work. We basically had to cut through and blast out the backside of a mountain and build a shelf to construct the storage facility and then install the underground piping required.” Does it ever feel daunting, taking on a project like that? Jim smiles at the notion. “No ma’am. Things can get a little over- whelming if you let them but we… we’re professionals. It just takes a little time to sit down and figure out how to do it. This was actually a client that we've worked for previously “Their most recent undertaking, the Hillandale Tank Construction Project, saw them tasked with building a new groundwater storage tank capable of holding 1.25 million gallons of water.” For over 45 years our team’s integrity, honesty and leadership skils have enabled us to cultivate lasting and impactful business relationships. WHAT WE VALUE AT H&W ELECTRICAL Licensed in SC, NC, TN, FL and GA as well as Engineering & Bidders Licenses VOTED ONE OF SC’S TOP 25 FASTEST GROW COMPANIES IN 2019 OUR TRADE EXPERIENC FEEL ASSURED WITH QUALITY & SAFETYLet our experts handle the human resources burdens of running your business. Certified Payroll Job Costing Timekeeping System Worker’s Comp HR Compliance Employee Benefits Let’s connect! Contact us at lyonshr.com/contact Scan to watch a short video (Greenville Water). It was a public-bid project, and we had a relationship with the engineer. We knew when the project was coming out so we just pursued the hard-bid process, which in this case we won.” Innovation and change are constants in the construction industry. To keep abreast with current trends, Langston employs a project management software company that continually upgrades its service offerings, but old-school methods prove useful too. Trade magazines, seminars and conventions all form part of their arsenal. Langston is also a founding member of a peer advisory group made up of eight contractors from over the country who meet twice a year to evaluate various systems and processes, offer recommen- dations, and to discuss the benefits of other technologies. “We need to keep our ears to the ground. You know, we're always looking for what's going to be the next big trend in our industry and how we might need to adapt our business to meet that,” Jim says. The pair admit they rarely argue which must go a long way towards fostering a relaxed, healthy, workplace atmosphere. This bodes well for the rest of their team. “I think we have a great staff here,” Evan says. “We have a great group of pro- fessionals that take pride in their work. They understand that what we do is serious and that it’s important and we have to maintain a certain level of professionalism not only internally but externally, but you know, we still have fun.” “We have a great group of professionals that take pride in their work.” 12864-582-6786 bagwellfence.com Specializing in Commercial & Industrial Fence, Gates and Guardrail Projects Safety. Quality. Ef ciency. Since 1962 WE DO NOT PROVIDE RESIDENTIAL FENCE SERVICES Where do you see the company headed to in the future? Evan takes this question. “We experienced a lot of growth over the last five years, really over the last decade. Part of our strategic plan is to see some incremental growth with a smaller base than what we’ve experienced in the last five years, more of a sustainability mode. But, having said that, when we do a good job for our clients, potentially, they ask us to do more work, so if that growth happens naturally, we'll certainly manage it.” Finally, I ask, albeit a little playfully, if they plan to stay together forever; they seem to balance each other out so well. Through hoots of laughter, they both reply. “Well, as long as we’re working, yeah.” 1314WRITTEN BY DAN SCANLON T he modern world is replete with attempts at efficiency. Hacks, shortcuts, and productivity apps are peddled at every aspect of life. Whatever we need done, there has to be a faster way of doing it. We’re losing sight of the notion that some things just take time. And some things are much better for experiencing the fullness of time. The Blythe family has been operating a construction business in the Carolina soil for nearly one hundred years and have come to know nearly every inch of the connected states in the process. In that time, they have developed both an expertise of the land upon which they labor and a deep connection to their numerous partners and customers with whom they share that land with. The current iteration of the company, Blythe Development, was founded by twin brothers Jack and Frank Blythe in 1989. The previous version of the business was bought by an English outfit, which the brothers managed for several years before starting up the new venture from scratch. It wasn’t long before they were once again growing rapidly to scale. 15resources. As Blythe said, “That's why a lot of our customers like to contract with us. Because we have the ability to do all of it, it gives us more control over the schedule. And time is money.” Through both its broad range of offerings and its deep familiarity with the area, Blythe Development has been able to cultivate a large pool of repeat customers. In both the previous and current companies, the Blythes have been earning a repu- tation for excellence and reliability for nearly 100 years. That’s the type of thing that no amount of marketing can buy - boots on the ground, sweat equity and long-term relationships. It’s a tangible advantage that is earned the hard way. As Blythe sees it, “I'd like to think that we're the most reliable site work and road contractor in the area. Clients know if they contract with us that we will not only do a good job but if we have any problems, we'll stand behind it and correct it at no extra cost. They know we’re here to stay.” Over the years as the company has grown to its current, for- midable size, it has worked on both private and public jobs. It has turned out to be a strategically astute play as at different time periods, jobs in either sector having waxed and waned. After the devastating financial crash in 2008, private sector jobs dried-up considerably and without its ability to handle the scale necessitated on most public jobs, the company would have been in a precarious position. But, Jack and his brother Frank had the institutional experience that equipped them to handle it. Significantly, they had already formed the sister company, Blythe Brothers Asphalt, which gave them a massive leg up and the capability to handle larger-scale public jobs. Blythe said, “When we started over again, we concentrated on the private sector because we saw a real need to help our clients with the site work on their projects. And once we got bigger we got back into the asphalt produc- tion operations. Then we did start doing more public work because that's where a bigger volume of asphalt is required.” Blythe Development happily bounces between public and private sectors now as the markets dictate. Easy in the knowledge that whichever way the wind blows, it will be able to tack to the new course. It is currently undertaking several ambitious projects in both sectors. On the private side, Blythe Development is performing the large majority of site work for the Carolina Panthers’ new training facility in Rock Hill, SC. Coming in at 700,000 square feet and over a billion dollars to build, it is a project of serious scale. The project will bring new economic development to the area and also foster a sense of unity, giving the team a presence in both North and South Car- olina. Demonstrating the power of its long-term relationships is the Charlotte Pipe and Foundry job the company is working According to Jack, “the original company was formed by my grandfather and his brother. That was in 1920 and that was Blythe Brothers construction company. That evolved into Blythe Industries. Blythe Industries was sold in 1986 to an English company and then we started Blythe Development in ‘89. A few years later we started Blythe Brothers Asphalt company, which is our asphalt manufacturer as well as our asphalt paving operation.” The company is one of the fore- most siteworks construction businesses in the Mid-Atlantic, tackling a wide-breadth of both public and private jobs. Blythe Development takes an entirely holistic view of its enterprise, offering the whole suite of services to customers, effectively becoming a one-stop shop of what Jack calls, “everything from the ground down”. Elaborating, Jack said, “Clearing, grading, erosion control work, storm drainage, water line and sanitary sewer line work, curb and gutter, sidewalk, concrete and asphalt paving. We also install retaining walls, concrete culverts, and bridges.” Quite an extensive menu. There is a method to the extensive offerings. It is a significant advantage being able to offer clients effectively turn-key solu- tions for site work. Dealing with one company and not a small army of contractors is extremely appealing and allows for more focused attention to detail. Coordinating with multiple contractors presents more points of failure, and requires more 16on. Having purchased materials from the piping outfit over the years, Blythe Development was sought out to help build a new facility in Stanley County. Blythe explained, “We have used Charlotte Pipe and Foundry products for years and have a relationship with the family that owns the company. They came to us because they wanted to build a new facility. It is a large site work project and they trusted us to do a good job.” On the public side the company is currently also working on widening Highway 16 in Catawba County. A massive job, the company is widening 12 miles of highway. The project was delayed two years while existing utilities along the cor- ridor were relocated causing significant schedule and cost impacts. As a result of its existing relationship with The North Carolina Department of Transportation, they were able to amicabily work through the increased costs and additional time, utilizing what Vice President of Operations Luke Blythe refers to as, “Our private client mentality.” Meaning not driving an unnecessarily hard bargain and treating the Department of Transportation as a partner. Everything is relationships. As everywhere, COVID-19 has brought its fair share of difficul- ties. Maintaining numbers in the work force is an ever-evolv- ing challenge and supply chain issues require the company to remain nimble. Embracing newer logistics technology has been helpful, as well as redirecting resources when possible. Even with less employees than before the pandemic, the same amount work has been able to be completed. Both examples of Blythe Development’s institutional knowledge expanding with time. The company and its predecessors, run by a century’s lineage of Blythes, have sat easily in the endless green expanse of the Carolinas. Whatever the challenges of the industry, Bly- the Development is exceptionally well situated to handle the twists and turns. After all, roots that deep keep you standing firm in the face of even the harshest winds. Congratulations to Blythe Development on your continued success and industry leadership. We are proud to be your partner. Property & Casualty | Employee Benefits | Personal Risk ©2021 USI Insurance Services. All rights reserved. With the right plan, the right team and hard work, even the most unpredictable events can be overcome. For decades USI has been providing the risk management solutions and services that companies count on to protect their businesses and employees. We’d like to do the same for you. USI Insurance Services 6100 Fairview Road Charlotte, NC 28210 704.543.0258 www.usi.com 1718WRITTEN BY GEORGIE DOWNES Q UESTION: What do you do with an unwanted swim- ming pool? Maybe it’s the size or the colour or the shape that doesn’t suit, or maybe you can’t swim. Whatever the reason, you have a pool and it needs to go. Realistically, a six-foot-deep, concrete-lined hole in the ground won’t be easy to shift, so what are your options? The wonderful thing about America is there’s an answer to every problem and in this case, Greg Lynch, CEO of Advanced Con- crete Cutting & Coring, is the man with the solution. “We recently tackled a pool demo. That was a big job,” Greg tells me over Zoom, nonchalantly, as though digging out pools was like rooting up weeds. “Somebody had a swim- ming pool. It cost a lot of money to build so obviously choos- ing to demolish it was quite the big decision. They wanted a different pool, so we came in and tore the old one out.” Greg makes it sound easy, but the work ACCC do is anything but. Advances in technology mean some tasks have become less hazardous. For instance, they use ground penetrating radar (GPR) to located rebar, plumbing and post tension cables in concrete slabs or walls but cutting concrete is a demanding job, both physically and mentally. It requires skilled, experi- enced handlers to operate heavy-duty, potentially dangerous machinery, often in difficult circumstances. In the case of the pool, the elevated foundation and a small workspace pre- sented a challenge, but using a robotic DXR, the team were able to crawl inside the pool and work from the inside out. No job too big, no job too small, as it says on their website. Greg established ACCC over twenty years ago when he was in his forties. His company now provides every type of concrete cutting service you could possibly need, including hydraulic wall sawing, wire-sawing, core drilling, removal and demolition. There is something reassuring about what they do. It demon- strates that nothing is impossible, that you can, in fact, salvage the situation when someone forgets to leave a space for a door in a four-foot-thick, fifty-foot-high concrete wall. ACCC are the ctrl-alt-delete button of the construction world. “No job too big, no job too small.” 19Next >