Issue 12
2020
MAGAZINE
YOUR CHOICE OF 0.9% FOR 60 MONTHS WITH ZERO DOWN + A CAT CUSTOMER VALUE AGREEMENT* OR 0% FOR 60 MONTHS WITH ZERO DOWN ®
**
Apply on Cat Attachments too! Because your business never stops, we want owning new Cat® compact equipment to be simple and hassle-free. Right now, you can take advantage of low interest rates with unmatched support from your local Cat dealer. Plus, with a Cat Customer Value Agreement, you get 3-year comprehensive coverage and up to 50% longer component life with the use of genuine Cat parts that are conveniently provided for planned maintenance. This finance rate can also be applied to attachment purchases, helping you get even more done for less. Just a few of the new ways we say, “Hello and welcome to the California Cat Dealers.”
www.hawthornecat.com San Diego County 858-924-0526
www.quinncompany.com Central & Southern California 888-842-2155
*Financing offer valid from July 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. 0.9% interest for 60 months financing with zero down payment available only on the following new Cat machines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.: Skid Steer Loaders, Mini Excavators, Compact Track Loaders, Compact Wheel Loaders, Backhoe Loaders, Small Dozers, Small Wheel Loaders, and Telehandlers and when purchased with a qualifying Cat Customer Value Agreement (CVA). A qualifying CVA includes the Maintenance Parts Kits for 3 years/1,500 hours (exception: the Small Wheel Loader includes a parts kit for 3 years/3,000 hours); TA1 Inspection; Product Link™; and a Powertrain, Hydraulics and Technology Equipment Protection Plan (EPP) for 3 years/3,000 hours on Skid Steer Loaders, Mini Excavators, Compact Track Loaders, Compact Wheel Loaders, Backhoe Loaders, Small Dozers, Small Wheel Loaders and Telehandlers. The maintenance parts included cover the first 1,500 hours (estimated 3 years) of machine utilization. The kit contains one set of parts for regular planned maintenance under normal operating conditions. In some severe applications where maintenance parts need to be replaced more frequently, the additional parts will be at the customer’s expense. Excludes dealer labor, wear parts, S•O•S and fluids (final drive oil is included for Compact Track Loaders, and Mini Excavators). The fluids not included are oils, grease, coolant, friction modifiers, additives, etc. All excluded items are available at participating dealers at an additional cost and should be negotiated with the dealer. For details on the exact parts list for your specific machine, please contact your local dealer. Financing, zero down, and published rate terms are only available through Cat Financial for customers meeting credit approval and subject to Cat Financial offered terms and conditions. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher rates may apply for buyers with lower credit rating and lesser qualifications. Offer available only at participating Cat dealers. Flexible payment terms available to those who qualify. Offer is available to customers in the USA only. Offer subject to machine availability. Offer may change without prior notice and additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details. SM
**Financing offers valid from July 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. 0.0% interest for 60 months financing with zero down payment available only on the following new Cat machines manufactured by Caterpillar Inc.: Skid Steer Loaders, Mini Excavators, Compact Track Loaders, Compact Wheel Loaders, Backhoe Loaders, Small Dozers, Small Wheel Loaders, and Telehandlers. Financing, zero down, and published rate terms are only available through Cat Financial for customers meeting credit approval and subject to Cat Financial offered terms and conditions. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher rates may apply for buyers with lower credit rating or lesser qualifications. Offer available only at participating Cat dealers. Flexible payment terms available to those who qualify. Offer is available to customers in the USA only. Offer subject to machine availability. Offer may change without prior notice and additional terms and conditions may apply. Contact your Cat dealer for details. © 2020 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, LET’S DO THE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow”, the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. www.cat.com / www.caterpillar.com
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CONTENTS 2020 Grading & Excavating
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CATTRAC CONSTRUCTION, INC. Continues to Set The Pace with Their Full Complement of Contracting, Equipment Rental, Shoring Division and Heavy Haul Transportation Services
Continues to Build on Their Reputation for Mass and Finish Grade Excavation Excellence Throughout Southern California
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DMC ENTERPRISES
30
ADVERTISER INDEX
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EDITORS: Brian Hoover, Senior Editor GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Aldo Myftari
LB3 ENTERPRISES, INC.
WILLCORP ENGINEERING
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PUBLISHER: Kerry Hoover khoover@calcontractor.com
FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Please call: (909) 772-3121
CalContractor is published twelve times each year by Construction Marketing Services, LLC.
Built on the Back of Big Dreams, Hard Work and Determination
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. P.O. Box 892977, Temecula, CA 92589
Putting the Client First Through Professionalism, Reliability and Integrity
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C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
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CATTRAC CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Continues to Set The Pace with Their Full Complement of Contracting, Equipment Rental, Shoring Division and Heavy Haul Transportation Services By Brian Hoover, Editor
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attrac Construction, Inc. (Cattrac) has upheld the highest standard of excellence in the civil general engineering construction industry for 50 years. Cattrac was established in 1971 by Mike Dineen and has grown to become a multi-million-dollar, multi-faceted corporation that continues to work for the biggest and best in the industry. Stephanie Dineen took over the reins of the company in 1985 after the untimely death of her husband. The company has prospered and grown under
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Stephanie’s leadership to offer various earthmoving services, as well as a heavy equipment rental and a heavy haul transportation division. John Koltura (Koltura) serves as vice president, overseeing the construction and rental equipment divisions’ daily operations. Koltura joined Cattrac in 1997 after working for Silverado Constructors, where he helped manage the construction of the Orange County toll roads. He first came onboard with Cattrac as the chief estimator and construction manager before
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becoming vice president in 2002. “The key to our success comes from our knowledge and expertise in design/build construction. We mix it up between grading, excavating, shoring, and utilities when necessary,” says Koltura. “We stay busy working for our larger union construction firms on a variety of private construction projects in several industries.” Cattrac is signatory to Local 12 International Union of Operating Engineers and has been a part of many high-profile projects in the civil general engineering industry. C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
Left: Overview of Cattrac crushing operation at WellQuest Living of Menifee Lakes. Right and below: Cattrac scraper fleet on rent at Fort Irwin Military Base in Barstow.
Their list of accomplishments includes work on public schools and colleges, medical facilities, casinos, parks, entertainment venues, retail shopping centers, prisons, hotel and parking structures, landfills, highway construction and numerous military projects. Cattrac has been working with Kaiser Permanente (Kaiser), performing earthwork at medical facilities throughout Southern California for the past 30-plus years. They are currently collaborating with Kaiser as a subcontractor to Whiting-Turner on the Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Medical Center Expansion Project. Cattrac’s construction services include excavation and grading to prepare for the construction of a new diagnostic center and a central plant. “We provided Kaiser and WhitingTurner with the shoring design associated with the necessary deep excavating work located adjacent to the existing hospital,” says Koltura. “Eventually, we were awarded the shoring installation and excavating contract that only just started a few months ago due to COVID related delays.” CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M
Cattrac designed the shoring to accommodate the client’s specific needs. “We installed all of the shoring and lagging and supervised the entire design phase through approval with OSHPD (California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) and Kaiser Permanente,” says Koltura. “The shoring includes the installation of beams, wood lagging, and tiebacks to accommodate up to 20-foot excavations. The engineered shoring is the key to working safely and productively next to the basement level of the existing hospital.” Koltura points out that the current Kaiser Permanente project is challenging in that it is an older structure without a lot of as-built drawings to help understand what the foundation looked like in previous construction processes. “The shoring is engineered and built to
support a basement excavation. I believe that one of the reasons they hired our team specifically so that if we run into any unforeseen challenges, we can simply adjust the design and keep the project on track,” says Koltura. “The new buildings will be multi-levels to include the basement. We will be excavating around 80,000 cubic yards of dirt to make room for the form and pour of the construction basement level. We are also performing mass grading over the 5-acre jobsite and overexcavating for the buildings that are going to be built on grade at a later date.” Cattrac will be out at the Moreno Valley Kaiser Permanente job site for the next four years. “The project is broken up into several phases to accommodate the existing and ongoing hospital operations. We will be on and off of the site as the phases progress,”
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Above and left: Cattrac utilizes design-build shoring at US Foods Cold Storage in Vernon.
continues Koltura. “I want to mention just how easy it is to work for both Kaiser Permanente and WhitingTurner Construction as they look for and require the best in Union construction personnel. The safety requirements are specific and extensive due to COVID, and that is all magnified when working around a hospital setting.” Cattrac is also currently busy working out at WellQuest Living of Menifee Lakes, a new $30 million assisted-living and memory care center in Menifee. When completed, this project will offer more than 100 living-care units, along with a long list of amenities and features. Cattrac is a subcontractor to Consolidated Contracting and began their earthwork contract around eight months ago on the 7-acre parcel. “The initial start required us to consider blasting, 8
but instead, we brought in our Cat D10 to do the heavy ripping of the typical solid rock outcroppings you find in Menifee,” says Koltura. “We brought in two mobile crushers and a screening plant to size the 3-inch material that would later be placed and recompacted as fill material on site. We are using Cat 336 80,000 lb. excavators with breakers and Cat 980 wheel loaders to size the hard rock material. We are also required to export around 15,000 cubic yards. We will crush 70,000 tons of rock after our experienced operators rip the material to the appropriate crushing size for the two crushers we rented from Quinn Company Cat. The system is working so well that we are considering purchasing the units to expand our operations and capabilities.” Cattrac’s work is scheduled to
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complete their contract in February 2021. “We will bring this job in on time and within budget even with all of the COVID restrictions that were associated with the project,” continues Koltura. “Our project manager, Brian Henrington, and superintendent, Dan LeMaster, are doing an incredible job managing this challenging job.” Cattrac utilizes its own in-house equipment that is made up of excavators, wheel loaders, scrapers, motor graders and small dozers and water trucks. “We run all Caterpillar equipment and have more than 40 pieces in our inventory. We utilize our fleet to complete our work and rent to other contractors throughout Southern California,” says Koltura. “We are also considering repowering { Continued on page 10 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
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Above: Cattrac performing overexcavation at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s warehouse.
{ Continued from page 8 }
our entire fleet of 18 scrapers to Tier IV required levels.” Koltura says that they expect a huge boom to occur post-COVID since several jobs were postponed due to the virus. “We have a big backlog in public school work and other projects within the medical field. Several of these medical facilities did not want to redesign to meet the COVID regulations, so that meant postponing around $3 million of work, which we will eventually put back on the schedule,” says Koltura. “We are still on several school projects, including Roosevelt High School in downtown Los Angeles, Pacifica High Schools in Garden Grove, and La Quinta High School in Westminster.” Cattrac has also long been working within the entertainment and casino industry. They were recently working on a design-build project for a large casino put on hold until 2023 due to COVID. They have been the grading contractor of record for Pechanga Casino since it was first built in 2002. Cattrac also did the grading for the new hotel extension and excavated 10
for the additional tower, as well as all of the design shoring work. The site preparation work for the Morongo Resort and Casino was also a huge undertaking for Cattrac back in 2005. They assisted in site preparation by excavating and grading the 20-acre site and installing all of the wet utilities prior to pouring concrete footings. Additionally, Cattrac brought in a complete crushing operation that produced 10,000 tons of RipRap used to reinforce the facility’s gabion walls. In 2008, Cattrac was also privileged to assist the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in constructing their new casino and gold resort. Cattrac’s services included mass excavation, site grading, utility excavation, and shoring at the Sycuan Resort & Casino. “We have been part of many other casino projects over the years, like San Manuel Casino, Agua Caliente Casino, and the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs,” says Koltura. “We are a Nevada licensed contractor and were proud to contribute to construction at the Monte Carlo Casino and the City Center in Las Vegas. This is a great
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niche for us, and we will continue to pursue work in this sector.” One of the larger projects for Cattrac was completed in 2016 and included the moving of 800,000 cubic yards of earth from Stadium Hill at Mt. San Antonio College. The college needed to demo Stadium Hill to make room for a new athletic complex. “The Mt. San Antonio College project included a full range of services that enabled our crews to move such a massive amount of earth over 16-acres of land,” says Koltura. “We have the best in the business working here at Cattrac, and it is our people and their amazing talents that will take us into the next half-century of business success.” Cattrac’s client-focused construction services for commercial industrial, residential, and public agencies encompasses all phases of site preparation and earthmoving disciplines. For more information on Cattrac Contruction, Inc., please visit www.cattrac.com or call their Fontana headquarters at (909) 355-1146. Cc C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
Above: LB3’s D9T sloping the back cut to the remedial bottom.
LB3 ENTERPRISES, INC.
Continues to Build on Their Reputation for Mass and Finish Grade Excavation Excellence Throughout Southern California By Brian Hoover, Editor LB3 Enterprises, Inc. (LB3) was initially formed in Arizona when company president and construction veteran, Larry Brown, began helping developers mass grade, expand and develop Lake Havasu and the surrounding areas. From there, the projects continued to grow in scope and size as the LB3 team quickly grew in both volume and reputation. Development in Southern California began to boom in the 2000s, and this caught the attention of both Larry Brown and LB3 vice president, Tim Cramer, who oversees all company operations. In 2004, a decision was made to expand LB3’s operations into Southern 12
California to take advantage of the expanding construction market. “We have been fortunate to have experienced such tremendous growth since our inception into the Southern California marketplace, “says Cramer. “We are proud to have been involved with and played an integral role in the construction of many amazing Southern California communities.” LB3’s expertise lies in mass and finish grade excavation services in various markets, from public works and private residential to the material and landfill industry. LB3 can handle most any earthmoving project, from 100,000 yards to 10 million
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yards throughout Southern California. “I would say that approximately 70 percent of our work is in private residential subdivision construction,” says Cramer. “Mass and finish grading projects will continue to be our focus through 2021 as the housing market continues to grow. The combination of cheap money or low-interest rates and lack of housing inventory will continue to drive this market into the foreseeable future.” LB3’s largest contract to date is the Otay Ranch Village 2 project that began in 2015 and ran through 2016. This was a massive 400-acre earthmoving job where LB3 moved more than C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
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Above: CAT 657 scrapers making quick work with the mass grading in Yucaipa.
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1). CAT D6K hard at work finishing pads and streets. 2). CAT 631 Water pull providing plenty of moisture to the fill. 3). Hitachi 1200 doing what it does best.
5-million cubic yards of dirt. The company has recently started mass grading operations in cities like Yucaipa, San Bernardino, Lake Elsinore and Corona. “We are in Yucaipa right now running ten Cat 657 scrapers on a 60acre, 150-lot subdivision project,” says Cramer. “The Mass grading should take around 4-5 weeks with the site finish work wrapping up within a couple of months. We will move more than a million yards of dirt by jobs end.” LB3 has a lot more than scrapers on the Yucaipa project. They are also running motor graders, water trucks, Cat D6 size dozers for the finish work, and even an ag-tractor pulling a box scraper,” continues Cramer. “We also have some larger dozers working with the scraper spread with around 18 total machines working on site each day.” A 120-lot subdivision in Lake Elsinore is the site of another million cubic yard mass grading job for LB3 Enterprises (LB3). “We just started this job and currently have 8 machines onsite. By the end of the week, there will CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M
be more than a dozen machines working, with the scrapers coming in a few weeks,” says Cramer. “The challenge of this project is that the construction activity is located directly behind an existing subdivision. The situation is further complicated because there might be some potential for drilling and blasting hard rock materials. We will be doing some potholing to identify those areas, and our team stands ready to handle anything they may encounter.” LB3 has worked on multiple phases of grading and excavating at the Sycamore Landfill. They have moved millions of yards of material over the past four years to create airspace for the landfill operation. They are currently completing their work on the Sycamore Landfill Cell Number 5 project, where they are almost finished with the cell construction, gravel work, sump, and tie-ins involved in this fourmonth job. MSHA guidelines have continuously been met to the highest standards throughout each of the projects
4). CAT 16M making way for scrapers to exit the cut. 5). CAT D9T ripping for scrapers to make their next pass.
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Above: Left to Right - Ray Parga (LB3 Grading Foreman), Johnny Peterson, and Dan Baxter (LB3 General Superintendent) practicing their social distancing.
LB3 has completed for Republic Services. LB3 is also starting on a contract mining job for Hanson Aggregates in Corona, where they are performing a six-month overburden project. LB3 maintains a large fleet of heavy machinery that is the backbone to completing all of their grading and excavating projects safely and productively.
They have all sizes of dozers, motor graders, excavators, wheel loaders and water trucks. “Our fleet is diversified and includes machines from manufacturers like John Deere, Hitachi, Caterpillar and Volvo,” says Cramer. “Our equipment is only as good as our operators, and we have the best in the business working here at LB3 Enterprises. It is
our combined team effort that separates us from the other earthmoving companies here in Southern California.” For more information on LB3 Enterprises, Inc., please visit www.lb3enterprises.com or call their Lakeside headquarters at (619) 579-6161. Cc
Above: D6N GPS finish cat working away. Above Right: CAT 140 Motor grader making its final passes on finished pads. Right: LB3 AG tractor pulling a bee gee. Scraper hands love to see this guy nearby!
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Willcorp Engineering – Built on the Back of Big Dreams, Hard Work and Determination SOMETIMES IT TAKES A DREAMER Some people are willing to roll the dice, while others prefer stability by sticking with the safe bet. Dreamers see what others deem impossible and reach for it anyway. The dreamer is a risk-taker by nature that some say are not grounded in reality. Their reality is grounded in an abundance of hope and fueled by an innate ability to adapt and learn from every success and failure. They are driven by passion and seem to operate and live by more of what is possible and less of what is comfortable. Chris Williamson is a dreamer and has also been known to be a risk-taker. However, he will tell you that it is all grounded in realism and based on what can be accomplished through a solid plan and hard work. Chris comes from a family that had traditionally preferred the more consistent yet still rewarding route. Nearly his entire family has worked for Familian Pipe & Supply out of Los Angeles at one time or another. 18
His grandfather worked for them, as did his brother, while his uncle put in 46 years and his father just shy of 50 years with the company. Chris also worked for Familian during summers and breaks from school but always had his sights set on becoming a firefighter. After high school, Chris attended his local college to pursue a degree in Fire Science. He spent two years as a volunteer with Local CDF Station 36 in Desert Hot Springs. He seemed to have his future figured out until getting burned in a fuel fire accident while riding motorcycles out in the desert. That experience changed the trajectory of his dreams to where he decided to pursue his other passion, heavy construction machinery. “I am not sure why I have always loved heavy construction equipment, but it is a passion that goes back to when I was a kid,” says Williamson. “I started with Kuykendall Construction in Palm Desert, where I served as a laborer, working with a pick and shovel on storm drain jobs. I did whatever I
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Above: Chris Williamson, CEO/President. Top L-R: Evan Bradley, Foreman, Chris Williamson and Silvano Ordonez, Foreman, Willcorp Engineering.
could to help out around the job site while keeping an envious eye on the operators and heavy machinery.” Williamson quickly worked his way up through the years to bigger and better roles, and before long, he was operating equipment. He moved on to work as an operator for Dennis Poe at Poe’s Grading and Excavation in Indio and Demo Unlimited in La Quinta. Eventually, Chris landed a job working for Mark and Leslie Collins at American Backhoe & Bobcat Services out of Vista. “I learned even more about this business while working for Mark and Leslie Collins,” says Williamson. “I am indebted to all of the companies C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
Above left: Golf course lake, stream and bridge build and remodel at The Colony in Rancho Mirage. Above: Travis Johnson of Commercial Credit Group congratulates Chris Williamson on the financing and purchase of his new Cat 140H motor grader. Left: Willcorp utilizing their Cat skip loader on finish grade and their Cat excavator on stormdrain work at the Monstore Garages Toybox facility in Palm Springs.
that gave me a chance. It was from these learning experiences that I eventually gained the confidence to go out on my own.” CHRIS WILLIAMSON TAKES A LEAP OF FAITH Williamson established the DBA, Williamson Excavation, in February 2002. He remembers this bold decision and experience well because it was marked by both excitement and caution. “I remember how excited I was to start my own company and pursue my dreams. I hurried to tell my dad that I had left my job and had rented a backhoe to start my owner-operator business,” says Williamson. “His exact words were….’what are you stupid?’ You have no more business than the man on the moon starting your own company. Enough of this nonsense. Now go get your job back.” Chris knew that his dad meant well and was only looking out for him, but he was also crushed and disappointed by the reaction. “I decided to call a friend of my dad’s that owned a large, successful construction company and also knew me and my family since I was in diapers. His name was Scott Kincade from Kincade Industries out of Thousand Palms, and I let him know of my new venture,” says Williamson. “I told Scott that if he gave me a CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M
chance, I would be the best owneroperator that he ever had work for him. He responded by telling me to be out a Chino Hills High School at 7 a.m. the following Monday.” This was the chance Chris was looking for, as he worked tirelessly as an owner-operator for Kincade Industries for the next three years. By 2006, Williamson was faced with the mandate of having a contractor’s license to continue doing business as an owneroperator. “Before 2006, I could operate with my liability insurance, but now I had to go and get my C12 contractor’s license. It turned out to be a real game-changer that afforded me many more opportunities,” says Williamson. “I started taking on larger grading projects versus the smaller underground and light grading jobs that I had been doing.” Williamson’s company grew to seven machines and a much larger crew of operators, and the future seemed bright and inviting. Then came the Great Recession of 2008 that changed everything for Chris and the rest of the construction industry. “I was able to hold on to a mini excavator, a skid steer, and one service truck. Things were slow for the next few years, but I used my free time wisely and was able to get my A license in 2011,” continues
Williamson. “This broadened our horizon even further as I officially changed the name of the company in 2013 to Willcorp Engineering to represent our new status as an A licensed contractor. We have been growing sustainably ever since, and things have been very positive.” WILLCORP ENGINEERING OFFERS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SERVICES Willcorp Engineering currently focuses on providing complete site work bids to contractors, developers, and other private and public industry stakeholders. This includes everything from demolition of existing structures to land clearing and mass, rough and finish grading capabilities. The site work package also consists of the wet utility work for storm drain, sewer, fire line and domestic water lines. “We also offer paving services where we self-perform the smaller site asphalt and sub out the larger paving work to Advantage Unlimited Paving out of Yucaipa,” says Williamson. “During the summers, we construct and remodel golf course lakes, as well as streams, rivers, waterfalls and pump stations. This, along with the grading and pipeline work, keeps us busy all summer long.”
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Above left: Willcorp Engineering rented a Cat 623 scraper and a Cat 9,000 gallon waterpull from ECCO Equipment for their work at the Spotlight 29 Casino project in Coachella. Above middle & right: Willcorp Engineering grading, excavating and lining the 13-acre foot reservoir at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.
Willcorp Engineering works primarily throughout the Coachella Valley but will venture out to surrounding areas and into the Inland Empire for the larger and longer interval projects. They have been running a smaller crew during COVID but have historically run a team of around 25 when things are booming. “The 2008 recession was the college experience for me that I was never able to finish. I learned a lot about risk and sustainable business practices,” says Williamson. “I started this whole thing with a penny cut in four ways, twice. I am now extremely cautious and methodical with financial decisions and how I grow my business.” ECCO EQUIPMENT COMES THROUGH FOR WILLCORP ENGINEERING Chris counts himself lucky to have such great vendors that are there for him in good times and bad. “I am very loyal to our equipment and service providers, and we appreciate everything they continue to do for our company. I’m talking about people like Travis Johnson from Commercial Credit Group, who was there for us with creative financing options during the downturn and beyond. Companies like ECCO Equipment have also been there for us from the beginning with a large fleet of reliable rental machines and 20
industry-leading operators when we need them.” ECCO Equipment (ECCO) is a full-service rental company offering late model, well maintained, heavy equipment for the construction and mining industries. ECCO operates out of 13 locations throughout the western United States with an inventory of over 500 heavy earthmoving machines and watering equipment. “I use ECCO exclusively for all of our bare and operated rental equipment needs,” says Williamson. “We rent the bigger machines from ECCO like scrapers, dozers and large excavators. Vince Castellanos is our ECCO representative, and he is unbelievably reliable, delivering what we need every time no matter what the cost or situation.” Willcorp Engineering most recently rented a dozer from ECCO a few weeks back for their work out at Two Bunch Palms Resorts in Desert Hot Springs. The soils engineering company hired them as an emergency contractor to help mitigate groundwater issues. “We were performing slope work at Two Bunch Palms Resorts, followed by a dewatering process and installation of a woven fabric membrane and gravel,” says Williamson. “We needed a specially equipped dozer, and ECCO made that happen for us like they always do.” Willcorp Engineering also relies on ECCO for long term rentals.
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“We rented a couple of Cat 623 scrapers along with a Cat D6 dozer and a water pull for our work in Brawley on an agricultural housing development,” continues Williamson. “We recently sold off our scrapers, and it is situations like this that we call on ECCO to provide us with operated equipment rental services. I know that I am getting the best that the industry has to offer when I turn to ECCO Equipment.” Chris Williamson also owns a fleet of Cat machines to include motor graders, wheel loaders, excavators, skip loaders, skid steers, as well as 2,000 and 4,000-gallon water trucks, two water towers, a 10-wheeler with a lowbed and several service trucks. PAST AND CURRENT PROJECTS The Coachella Valley keeps Willcorp Engineering busy with all of the hotels, casinos, golf courses, and other venues that are visited by thousands of tourists each year. “We are doing a lot of work at hotels and storage facilities right now, and most of our projects are confined to anywhere from five to 15 acres,” says Williamson. “We performed all of the grading, underground pipeline, demolition, and paving work at the Rancho Las Palmas shopping center in Rancho Mirage. We also did the clearing, mass and rough grading, and underground utility work for { Continued on page 22 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
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Far Left: Chris Williamson and Willcorp Engineering sponsors Tyler Gandolfo, the son of Monstore Garages who races in District 37 motocross. Left: Willcorp Engineering also proudly sponsors the Problem Child nitro drag boat and funny car for Eddie Knox Racing.
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L’Horizon Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs. This is the type of work we perform regularly, and we expect that to continue into the foreseeable future.” Willcorp Engineering has also worked on a long list of casinos in their trade area. “We designed and built a 50-acre site area for Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. This included the construction of a 13-acre foot reservoir, a pump station, and a 35-acre of grass area for sports and events,” says Williamson. “We were brought in as the grading contractor and ended up taking on planning and design duties as well. This is a good example of some of the more challenging jobs we come across that require the type of skill, knowledge, and patience that some contractors don’t seem to be interested in bidding. This is just one of the examples of what sets us apart from your average, everyday grading contractor.” Currently, Willcorp Engineering is working on two separate projects for Monstore Garages, a storage and garage condominium company out of Palm Springs. “We are working out at their new Toybox facility being built in Palm Springs, and the other is for their new location off of Gene Autry. We are performing all of the mass grading and directly 22
following with the underground and wet utility work that includes storm drain, sewer, fire line and domestic,” says Williamson. “This is another example of the turnkey work we offer to our customers that keeps them calling us back time after time.” IT TAKES A TEAM Chris Williamson cannot get all of this work done without his office staff, operators, and laborers’ commitment and dedication. Chris hired his father five years ago and points out just how proud his father is of what his son has accomplished since 2002 when he was only 27 years old. “My dad (Micael Williamson) is a big help on the office and my sister (Michele Williamson) is our office manager. Michele has been with me since the get-go, and she is simply a Rockstar.” It is not all work and no play for Chris Williamson. His company is a sponsor for the Problem Child nitro drag boat and nitro funny car racing teams. “Eddie Knox is a life-long friend of mine and also happens to own Eddie Knox Racing. He runs the world’s fastest propeller-driven boat with an 8,000 horsepower Hemi and two screws. He also recently added the Problem Child nitro funny car, and his driver, Billy Morris, was named rookie of the year back in 2018
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Above: Willcorp Engineering installing city sewer tie-in at L’Horizon Hotel and Spa project.
for the AA/Funny Car division,” continues Williamson. “I sponsor both the drag boat and funny car and help Eddie out whenever I can in the pits or whatever he needs me to do. My wife and I travel from event to event and have a ton of fun doing it.” For more information on Willcorp Engineering, please visit their Facebook page by searching Willcorp or call their Palm Desert offices at (760) 347-1428. Cc C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M
DMC Enterprises – Putting the Client First Through Professionalism, Reliability and Integrity By Brian Hoover, Editor
D
anny Milosavljevic officially formed Danny Milo Corp, dba DMC Enterprises, in 2012, but the Milosavljevic family has been in the general engineering construction business for generations. Danny Milosavljevic (Milosavljevic) is the owner and president of DMC Enterprises, and he learned his trade from his father and grandfather, who started in the grading and excavating business in the 1970s. Milosavljevic started his career in 1996 when he worked with his father in the finish grade business under the name Slobo Construction, Inc. The father and son team grew to a large crew working for well-known developers and home builders in Southern California. During the 2008 downturn and recession, the two men decided to cease operations in favor of other business ventures that offered more potential. They diversified their interests into starting
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assisted living and memory care facilities. Additionally, Milosavljevic began buying and selling heavy construction machinery, and he continues that practice today. As the carnage from the 2008 recession began to subside, Milosavljevic decided to resume his passion for the grading and excavating business under the dba of DMC Enterprises in 2012. “We performed production finish grade work from 1996 to 2008 before taking a break to do other things due to the poor economic conditions,” says Milosavljevic. “Today, we offer a long list of earthmoving solutions that include mass, finish and fine grading, as well as erosion control and other excavation and trucking services. Around 70 percent of our business activity is in the grading and excavation sector, with the remaining 30 percent being primarily in demolition.” Danny Milosavljevic is the sole owner and president of DMC Enterprises, and his multi-service
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company is specifically designed to facilitate various phases of construction on land development projects. “We take on grading projects from a few thousand cubic yards to a couple hundred thousand,” says Milosavljevic. “We started back in 2012 with a five-to-six-year grading contract out at the Summerly housing project in Lake Elsinore for McMillin Communities. The interesting thing about this wonderful opportunity was that my dad and grandfather got their start in the 70s working for McMillin. Corky McMillin was the founder, and it was his nephew, Lance Leninger (VP, Construction Manager at McMillin Commercial), that provided us with this chance to get back into the bigger mass grading projects.” DMC Enterprises’ (DMC) work at the Summerly community in Lake Elsinore was divided into 75 lot tracts, and DMC provided the mass and fine grading on ten of those sections or 750 lots. DMC also performed all of the main
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Above: DMC Enterprises utilized their new Volvo ECR305CL excavator to export dirt at the new ACV Maintenance Warehouse Facility on Camp Pendleton. Left: DMC Enterprises’ new Volvo ECR305CL excavator loading a crusher on a demolition project in La Jolla.
road infrastructure earthwork at Summerly, as well as the grading of a 20-acre community park. “We rented a Cat motor grader equipped with GPS and laser technology on the first phase of this project back in 2012. I ran the blade myself and was so impressed with the technology that I purchased a new Cat 140M motor grader with the same setup to finish the remaining tracts. GPS technology has significantly improved productivity and has advanced the construction process,” says Milosavljevic. “We also made the decision to use the Trimble GPS on our other machines and Leica grade checking solutions whenever possible.” CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M
DMC began bidding work for cities and municipalities in 2015, and in 2016, they landed a job for the City of Lake Elsinore. The contract called for DMC to demo the existing buildings and a few hundred trees at Launch Pointe at La Laguna Resort in Lake Elsinore. They also performed all of the grading and bioretention basin work at Launch Pointe. Additionally, DMC was contracted as the general contractor to construct a new 3,000 square foot check-in/guard kiosk for the new Launch Pointe resort facility. “We are also an official on-call contractor for the City of Lake Elsinore and perform multiple projects for them on an as-needed
or even emergency basis,” says Milosavljevic. DMC has an entire fleet of heavy construction machinery ready to perform any task, large or small. Their fleet includes everything you would expect a grading and excavating contractor to have, including scrapers, paddle wheels, motor graders, wheel loaders, excavators and dozers, on down to the smaller pieces like skid steers, skip loaders and mini excavators. When it comes to the medium to larger excavators, DMC is glad to have their two Volvo ECR305CL 80,000 lb. excavators on hand. “Our Volvo excavators are the perfect size for the work that we
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do out in the field each day. They are, of course, equipped with Topcon GPS technology and are big enough for those jobs with a lot of loading and export, while also having the tight swing radius for our demolition duties,” says Milosavljevic. “I work with Scott Nadell at Volvo Construction Equipment & Services, and he has always been there for us no matter what our needs. Our next step will be to look at purchasing a new Volvo ECR355E excavator, which is Volvo’s replacement for the 305s that we already have in our fleet.” DMC remains busy with four grading and demolition projects going on right now at Camp Pendleton. They also recently finished up a project out at March Air Force Base where they performed the grading for a new fire station located directly adjacent to the runway. “We don’t chase the massive earthmoving projects. We have some private construction grading jobs on the books right now and anticipate a lot more military and school construction work in 2021,” continues Milosavljevic. “We are growing sustainably, and that is all due to the great people that we have working here at DMC Enterprises. I want to thank everyone for their over-the-top efforts. Tim Mountney is our lead estimator, and he makes life easier for all of us, as does my brother, Nick Milosavljevic, who does all of the certified payroll and other never-ending paperwork. I also want to recognize Brian Decanter (field superintendent), who continues to do a great job overseeing and taking care of everyone out in the field. We are committed to providing the highest degree of customer satisfaction, and the great people we have working here are what makes it possible.” For more information on DMC Enterprises, please visit dmc-ent.com or call their Vista offices at (760) 908-6148. Cc 26
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Top: Volvo ECR305CL excavator back-filling geogrid wall off Interstate 5 in San Clemente. Middle: Cat D8T dozer moving dirt on the ACV Maintenance Warehouse Facility project on Camp Pendleton. Bottom: Volvo ECR305CL excavator working at the new Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in San Juan Capistrano.
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IN DEX
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