Uprite Construction Trusts C5 Equipment Rentals for their Heavy Equipment Needs on Amazon Distribution Center Projects

By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor

Uprite Construction (Uprite) has worked on many construction projects since its inception in 1991. The company specializes in industrial, office, retail, mixed-use, medical, and heavy civil construction services throughout the West Coast. Their commitment begins at the preconstruction stage, as they act as a liaison between all entities who contribute to a projects master plan. Uprite self performs early upfront at-risk demolition and earthwork and that is where they find the need for C5 Equipment Rentals and operated equipment rental services. Jason Kinoshita joined the Uprite team a few months back as a Superintendent overseeing the day-to-day operations out in the field. “We are a general civil engineering contractor that is now self-performing the bulk of our grading and other new earthwork duties. This includes mass grading, fine and finish grading disciplines, as well as any general excavation duties,” says Kinoshita. “With several earthmoving projects already complete, we most recently began moving dirt at the Amazon distribution center in the Inland Empire. We were contracted as the main GC and chose to perform the rough and fine grade on this project, as well as some select demolition.”

Above: Uprite Construction and C5 Equipment Rentals crews discussing daily safety measures for the days surveying and layout duties. L-R: Taylor Haley, Operator, Jason Kinoshita, Superintendent, Robert Manhart, Operator, Tom Callus, C5 Territory Manager and Dirk Johnson, Grading Foreman.

According to Kinoshita, the project’s earthmoving portion began on January 19 and was completed at the end of February. The work performed by Uprite was at an existing facility and grading was necessary to make room for other infrastructure and generally overhaul the entire exterior site. “We began our contract by demoing all of the existing hardscape around the entire building. Additionally, we cut in a new parking lot, loading docks, a drive area for the vans and trucks, and excavated a new bioretention basin. We moved around 40,000 cubic yards of earth on this particular project.”

Above: An existing warehouse is being renovated for a new Amazon distribution center in the Inland Empire.

Above & below: Uprite Construction utilized operated rental equipment from C5 Equipment Rentals. Pictured above is a Cat 623G scraper, from C5 Equipment Rentals, moving dirt to perform finish grade. Pictured below is John Deere 770G motor grader from C5 Equipment Rentals preparing for finish grade and base rock.

Uprite has an existing fleet of heavy machinery that consists of excavators, wheel loaders, skip loaders and skid steers, but when it comes to the big machines like scrapers and blades, they are currently renting from local bare or operated rental equipment companies. Dirk Johnson is the grading foreman for Uprite, and he is often called on to assist in the procurement of rental equipment. “Our Project Manager, Tyler Faulkner, asked me and one of our operators, Robert Manhart, to find a 623 scraper for the thenupcoming Amazon distribution center project. Robert and I almost simultaneously suggested C5 Equipment Rentals because of our experience with them in the past when working for other earthmoving companies,” says Johnson. “The main reason we like to deal with C5 is that the owner cares, which filters down to the company’s sales representatives. Our C5 representative is Tom Callus, and he always takes the time to listen to specific needs and then responds with the best possible solution and great rates. We are critical and very picky about the machinery we rent and the operators that end up on our projects. Tom and the support staff at C5 have always treated us right, and we know that we will always receive top-quality operators and equipment.”

C5 Equipment Rentals supplied a Cat 966M wheel loader to move concrete demo material to the onsite crusher.

C5 Equipment Rentals transport delivering scraper to Uprite Construction project site.

Uprite Construction utilizing their John Deere 210LE skip loader to assist C5 Equipment Rentals grading operations.

Uprite ended up renting several operated machines from C5 Equipment Rentals for the distribution center project. This included a Cat 623G scraper, a John Deere 770G motor grader, and a Cat 966M wheel loader. This is the first time that we have used C5 Equipment Rentals at Uprite, but I have personally worked with them in the past, and they have always done a great job,” says Kinoshita. “We were working in some very heavy clay soil on the Amazon distribution center project, and the C5 operators made quick work of a challenging situation. I am told that we have several other earthmoving projects on the books, and I am looking forward to our continued success in our newly-expanded earthmoving division.” For more information on Uprite Construction, please visit their website at upriteco.com or call their corporate offices in Irvine at (949) 877-8877.

C5 Equipment Rentals offers a full line of well-maintained, heavyduty bare and operated equipment rental machines. Their offerings feature Caterpillar, Kubota and John Deere equipment. All of their rental machines are compliant with current EPA standards, with select Tier 3 and Tier 4 emission compliant machines available. C5’s entire scraper fleet has been repowered to meet full compliance for current California emission standards. C5 Equipment Rentals is headquartered out of Moreno Valley and offers equipment delivery services at an additional charge. Their experienced and knowledgeable field service mechanics stand ready to professionally maintain or service your rentals on a timely basis that will keep you up and running. For more information on C5 Equipment Rentals, please visit c5rentals.com or call (951) C5-RENTS.