ACPA Members Speak: Concrete and COVID

Tyler Wood

McClure Concrete, Inc.  |  Aurora, Colorado

Q: What has your experience as a concrete pumping company been like in 2020?

A: 2020 started off as a record year for us, then COVID-19 hit Colorado hard in the middle of March. A lot of our job sites shut down and many people were laid off. A few months into the pandemic, job sites slowly started back up and learned they were far behind. As management, we had to continue to run our operations at full speed while maintaining everyone’s health first. This became very difficult at times; if any crew member showed any signs or symptoms of COVID, they had to quarantine. Our market has continued to grow at a rapid pace. Our workload increased when we had limited staff to cover the jobs. We could not hire new operators, because we did not want to risk safety by pairing operators together to train. Our company is very fortunate to have experienced such a successful year considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: How did you adapt your company’s operations and processes in 2020 as a result of COVID-19?

A: McClure set some guidelines for our operators. All employees are supplied with masks, gloves and sanitizers. In March, more than 16 percent of Colorado’s workers filed for unemployment. With an unforeseeable future, we laid one operator off and another left due to lack of hours. The reduced staffing allowed our other operators to do multiple jobs in a day. We limited the trucks to one driver, with no bouncing between trucks. The operator start times were cut back and the post trips were cut back. These changes were made because our team had no idea what tomorrow held. Our team members have always had a very gracious start/post trip expectation. With the future unknown, we had to keep a close watch on all operations. We continue to supply masks and sanitizers out of a strong belief that the response starts at the top. Our owner and management team always have masks on while practicing social distancing.

Q: Did your customers’ operations change, and how did you respond?

A: Our customer’s expectations, like ours, changed. Being a leading company in Colorado, we had no issues meeting our customer’s expectations. Our team members are supplied all necessary PPE to protect themselves and others around them. Our team members are trained to follow all guidelines while on job sites. McClure team members are the face of the company, and we are very proud of the level of professionalism they display daily.

Q: Do you expect your operational/strategic changes from 2020 to continue in 2021? If so, how?

A: We will continue to keep our team’s safety and health a top priority. Having a mother who is high risk while I continued to work alongside my father has been very difficult—not hugging your father goodbye is difficult. But I know I am doing what is right to protect the ones I love. Our team will continue to follow guidelines, along with addressing any health concerns our team members share with us. We will continue to be the leaders in our industry.

Q: What have you learned in 2020? (Any silver linings to share? Any efficiencies or strategies you wouldn’t have learned had it not been for the pandemic?)

A: I have learned that not seeing a smile can weigh on a person’s mental wellbeing. Not being able to see family members will make a person realize how short life can be. How important it is to make the best of the time we have. I have learned I am very blessed to work in an industry that has provided my family with a roof over our heads while many others haven’t been as fortunate. Our industry was deemed essential by the governor of Colorado. A big part of Colorado’s economy is based on tourism and energy, both of which were affected greatly. The residential housing market is booming, however, and our team specializes in residential construction. We are definitely not a recession-proof company, but we are very fortunate to continue making it through this COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: What advice would you like go back and give yourself at the beginning of the pandemic?

A: The unknown is very scary. The future is not promised. Make the best of every situation. Continue to be the hardest worker in the room and you will succeed.

Q: Considering some of the constraints COVID- 19 had on the economy, what is your outlook for the pumping industry in 2021?

A: I have been through a recession; those times were terrifying. Even having no college education, this career has provided my family with a great life. My wife has always been my inspiration; watching her work extremely hard throughout this pandemic has motivated me to continue to push our industry to succeed. I hope the younger generations learn concrete pumping is a great career path! The pumping industry has a great future. We have challenges in attracting the next generation of pump operators. As pumpers we must do our best. My son will learn the pumper’s career, but he can decide what his future holds! We are planning 2021 to be as good if not better than 2019.

Randy Wortman

Wortman Concrete Pumping | Norfolk, Nebraska

Q: What has your experience as a concrete pumping company been like in 2020?

A: Because our company resides in a less urbanized area, we’ve been fortunate and our business remains relatively consistent compared to previous years.

Q: How did you adapt your company’s operations and processes in 2020 as a result of COVID-19?

A: The size of our company actually helped us. Having only a handful of operators allowed us to easily engage in social distancing while at the shop. On job sites, we focused heavily on adhering to state restrictions and have ensured that employees have constant access to face masks and sanitizers. Employees are presented with current COVID-19 information, but no state mandates have been applied to our field of construction, so we allow employees to use their own discretion regarding the wearing of protective gear. However, employees have been expected to adhere to contractor expectations on any job sites they have worked at.

Q: Did your customers’ operations change, and how did you respond?

A: Customer operations have had little change. Some jobs experienced delays and only a few directly altered operations to address COVID-19 safety practices. This largely stems from most customers having smaller crews and the openness of workspaces, which limits exposure potential.

Q: Do you expect your operational/strategic changes from 2020 to continue in 2021? If so, how?

A: I do anticipate the current operational practices to stay in place, at least through the spring of 2021. Our company and our customers have been able to maintain safe practices with minimal exposure and no confirmed cases of the virus. As a result, most are confident that we are already implementing best practices and will continue to do so unless significant increases in health risk occur.

Q: What have you learned in 2020? (Any silver linings to share? Any efficiencies or strategies you wouldn’t have learned had it not been for the pandemic?)

A: Stay the course. It is easy to hear the term “pandemic” and think that things are just going to go badly. However, good communication with customers and employees goes a long way in being able to continue to do the job and adjust accordingly. For those of us in the concrete pumping industry, we are already accustomed to doing this communicating! And while I can’t say the pandemic is responsible for my learning this strategy, the pandemic has certainly reinforced what I already knew.

Q: What advice would you like go back and give yourself at the beginning of the pandemic?

A: I’m not sure there is any advice I would go back and give myself. Each day brings new challenges and new opportunities. The pandemic didn’t change that, so I have just continued to approach each day as I always have, tackling the challenges and learning from the opportunities.

Q: Considering some of the constraints COVID-19 had on the economy, what is your outlook for the pumping industry in 2021?

A: I think the outlook for the pumping industry will be much better for some than for others. Regionally speaking, densely populated areas with more restrictive governmental bodies will hinder construction progress for many companies as we move into the new year. In contrast, rural and lesser populated areas will continue to experience industry growth, as these areas have fewer imposed restrictions and have economies that have been more successfully maintained through the pandemic

Samantha Ruttura

Our Rental Pumps LLC.  |  Farmingdale, New York

Q: What has your experience as a concrete pumping company been like in 2020?

A: Because we are located in New York, our business significantly slowed from March through May. We were lucky the infrastructure projects were considered essential and continued, while most of the area shut down. I was able to rotate our operators and ensure none of our employees had to go on unemployment. Surprisingly, since everything opened up, we have been busier than usual as customers are trying to catch up on the work that closed down.

Q: How did you adapt your company’s operations and processes in 2020 as a result of COVID-19?

A: Working remotely was a big adjustment. Our company was considered an essential business, so our mechanics were able to continue their work normally. Cleanliness became a huge concern. Each pump was equipped with Clorox wipes, disinfectant and extra paper towels. We also purchased a disinfecting fog machine to blast the cabs of the trucks at the end of each day. The fact that one operator could be at six different projects in a week worried me: I was concerned about employee exposure as well and their potential to spread COVID to other projects.

I tried to be extra careful with dispatching, keeping certain operators at specific projects to minimize that risk. Our retail sales changed drastically. After a serious decline through the quarantine months, we now have customers call in orders and stay in their trucks when picking up, in order to decrease risk of exposure.

Q: Did your customers’ operations change, and how did you respond?

A: Job site health regulations changed. Temperatures are taken before entering a job site. Some customers were slow to pick back up. Many customers’ projects were on hold until early fall, some of them still haven’t started back (as of November).

Considering that New York is in a financial crisis, many customers are stretched thin. We see certain customers having a hard time collecting money for work they’ve already completed. That’s directly affected our team being aware of collections—we are being understanding when it comes to our long-time customers’ financial hardships, but also need to be conscious of staying on top of payments coming in consistently.

Q: Do you expect your operational/strategic changes from 2020 to continue in 2021? If so, how?

A: Strategy-wise this was the ideal time to look at our usage and efficiency. During the lockdown, we were lucky to sell off some of our lesser-used equipment. The money we brought in from that was used to pay off loans on newer equipment. I was able to pay off four machines from the sale of two pumps, which will help us financially in the long run. We are still seeing where we can make cuts and what equipment isn’t as important as it was in the past. Finances will also have a huge focus this year; it’s important to cut unnecessary spending, Advertising and unnecessary association memberships will be the first cuts I make.

Q: What have you learned in 2020? (Any silver linings to share? Any efficiencies or strategies you wouldn’t have learned had it not been for the pandemic?)

A: Honestly, New York as a whole has drastically changed. We are all living more cautiously. Our team has come together in these times. Senior guys understood that their hours might decrease in order to make sure less-senior guys could pay their bills. I do think this has changed our outlook on how Our Rental should run. Being confined, I have spent a lot of time analyzing how we can improve.

Relationships I have made through the ACPA have become increasingly important. Multiple times a week, I have been in contact with pump companies across the country learning about their experiences and how they are dealing with these times. I’m a member of multiple associations and their education opportunities have become a huge focus of mine—it’s the ideal time to further my education and work to better the business.

We were also lucky to welcome a new family member during lockdown. My brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby boy, Domenick. Although during his first few months we could only see him via FaceTime, he is the highlight of 2020, hands down!

Q: What advice would you like to go back and give yourself at the beginning of the pandemic?

A: My advice would be not to take things for granted, in personal life as well as work. My siblings and I didn’t want our parents to be alone during the lockdown, so I stayed with them through the worst of it. We were able to spend some quality time we wouldn’t typically have had. We watched far too many movies as we tried to have some fun. I had valuable time to ask my dad work questions I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to ask had I not been in their house. He learned a lot about how we do things, and I learned a lot about a contractor’s side of the business. I am grateful for the extra time with both of them.

Also, I learned to be more flexible. It’s easy to get set in our routine and expectations of how day-to-day life should run. Running a business from my parents’ basement was humbling. It made me even more aware of how incredible our team is—we couldn’t do any of this without Nick, our sales manager, or our head mechanic. Obviously, I know we have a good team, but to see everyone adjust to a different reality and work as a team when things weren’t looking so promising was a great reminder of how lucky we are.

Q: Considering some of the constraints COVID-19 had on the economy, what is your outlook for the pumping industry in 2021?

A: I’m worried about the industry in 2021. New York is in a financial crisis; the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is expecting a $6 million budgetary gap for 2021. As a company that is a women’s business enterprise (WBE) certified by New York State and the Port Authority, a large amount of our work comes from state-funded projects as well as MTA work. If they don’t have the finances, how will our projects get funded?

Speaking to contractors, not much is going out to bid, and what is going out is going way under value. Not to sound bleak, but my outlook for the entire construction industry is not great going into 2021. For smaller companies, I worry most that they will not be able to stay afloat. We are lucky to have a loyal and strong customer base and we should come out of this fine, but we need to tighten our belts and be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. Hopefully, the years of a great economy can hold us over through the reality of the economic climate over the next few years.