Johnson Brother Brochure by North American Constructors Journal

Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company | 2 Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company :

Bridging the gaps in Florida and beyond Johnson Bros. Corporation has earned a well-founded reputation as an industry-leading heavy civil contractor Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

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ased in Florida for more than 30 years, Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company, has earned a well-founded reputation as an industry-leading heavy civil contractor in the bridge, heavy highway and marine construction sectors.

are quality people and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to work for. It transcends from the top. People see that and it motivates them. We’re a large organization with a family-type atmosphere and that’s intentional,” he continues.

The company’s extensive and diverse portfolio includes work for public and private clients on suspension bridges, PT segmental bridges, , bascule (draw) bridges and both swing-span and lift span bridges as well as highway, infrastructure, marine, industrial, and emergency construction services.

Lewis & Clark Bridge: At $66.3m, this project for the North Dakota DOT is the largest infrastructure project in state history. The new bridge opened in August 2017, replacing the obsolete Missouri River Bridge near Williston, N.D. The work included a six-span continuous deck unit of more than 1,500 feet in length and close to 85 feet wide. The scope of work also included a wildlife relief bridge, nearly five miles of

The company self-performs the vast majority of its work and has been a part of Southland Holdings since 2011. Company Vice President and Operations Manager John Meagher says the company’s success filters from the top down.

Premier Projects

“We have been successful because of the folks we have working for us and because the owners have put us in position to win – they have provided everything we need to succeed,” Meagher says. “The people that work here genuinely like each other. It’s not ‘me first’ – it is a team approach. You can call anyone at any time and someone is always willing to help. The owners

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Lewis & Clark Bridge

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Fort Hamer Bridge: The new $33M, 1.4-mile two-lane bridge for the Manatee County Public Works Dept. spans the Manatee River and connects Upper Manatee River Road to Fort Hamer Road near Bradenton, FL. Work included widening of existing roads and shoulders, relocating existing roadside ditches, addition of sidewalks, addition of turn lanes at each intersection, construction of utility adjustments, and the addition of bike lanes. This bridge was awarded No.7 of Roads and Bridges Magazine’s “Top 10 Bridges of 2017.

“

We have been successful because

of the folks we have working for us and because the owners have put us in position to win – they have provided everything we need to succeed.

“

associated roadway widening, and removal of the existing bridge structure.

- Vice President/Operations Manager John Meagher

“It gives residents another route and

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Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company | 6 allows them to avoid the interstate. It’s very important for the people who live there,” Meagher observes. Southern Boulevard Bridge Replacement: This $93 million State Road 80 project in Palm Beach is targeting a Winter 2020 completion date. Meagher notes that the eastern landing of the bridge “ties into President Trump’s Mara Lago compound.” In addition to replacing the existing draw bridge and tide relief bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway and Lake Worth Lagoon, a temporary bridge is being built in order to maintain traffic flow while the replacement bridge is under construction. Birmingham I-59/I-20 Bridge: The

$475m project is the largest ever commissioned by the Alabama DOT. The segmental bridge is being built in three phases with Phase Two targeted for completion in Fall 2018. “It’s a metal bridge with a lot of ramps and the segmental part is the meat of it,” Meagher explains.

Safety Initiatives The company is committed to maintaining an accident-free work environment; its motto, “Protect My Family”, speaks to that goal. Key to its safety efforts is the enforcement of a zero tolerance program that mandates a drug-free workforce. “We take it from the top down and the bottom up. We have lots of daily

I-59/20 Interchange

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Day to Day

“

We find that hiring entry level

folks is the best avenue to success. We bring them in without them being influenced and train them the way we

“

and weekly talks about safety and we have a dedicated phone-in conference on safety every other week. It doesn’t matter how successful you are as a company if you are not safe. We have to make sure out people are safe and that the risks are minimized because it is very dangerous work,” Meagher explains.

As Operations Manager, Meagher oversees everything from job estimating to personnel management.

want them to do things.

“I am a field guy at heart. I make sure they have everything they need to do the job and that everything flows as it should. Whatever needs to be done, I

- Vice President/Operations Manager John Meagher www.southlandholdings.com

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do – and so does everyone else who works here. That’s the culture,” he says. Self-performing the majority of the work allows the company to maintain control of the production schedule, project cost and the finished product. “We like to control our own destiny as much as possible. We have a good idea of how we like things to be done,” Meagher says. The company does maintain a dedicated core group of sub-contractors in the specialty trades “We do a lot of repeat business with our subs – we know what they can

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do and they know what we expect. We sub out to folks that we know can perform. We like to work with companies that we have worked with before – they have to be successful if we’re going to be successful,” Meagher says. The company is a member of the Florida Transportation Builders Association (FTBA) and Meagher is a member of the association board. “It’s a well-respected association and (President) Bob Burleson is the best I’ve ever seen at what he does. The relationship with the Florida DOT is great because of him. The communication is seamless and he gets you an audience with the right

Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company | 9 people to get things done. They are more than happy to talk with us,” he says.

drug-infested home and had all of her worldly possessions In a garbage bag. That really bothered me.”

Off the job, the company is a committed community partner. It donated to State Troopers in the Keys who lost their homes during Hurricane Irma in 2017. At Christmas, it provides money and gift cards to families in need.

Recruitment and Retention

“We visited the Children’s Home at Christmas and when you see the tough breaks some kids get, it hits close to home. They can’t help who raises them. Our goal is to give back – we are pretty blessed and try not to take things for granted,” Meagher explains. “There was a 12-year-old girl there who had been removed from a

The company faces the same problem that plagues the industry across the country – replenishing a skilled work force that is aging out. “Finding qualified craft people is the biggest challenge. There is a lot of competition in Florida and everyone is competing for the same people. The recession took a lot of guys out of the industry but didn’t put enough back in as the economy has gotten better. As a company you have to figure it out or you fail,” Meagher notes.

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Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company |10 To address the shortage, the company focuses on hiring engineers fresh out of college and offers apprentice programs for young laborers who want to grow with the company. “We find that hiring entry level folks is the best avenue to success. We bring them in without them being influenced [by another company] and train them the way we want them to do things. Experience is very important in this business and the only way you get it is by actually working. You can’t accelerate that process,” Meagher observes. He adds the company evaluates its work force constantly and prefers to promote from within.

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“Our Project Managers, foremen and Superintendents all have an eye for talent. They coach and train the guys who show initiative and want to advance. They’re out there with them, shoulder to shoulder. This business is built with sweat, so it’s easy to see who’s doing the work,” Meagher says. He advises those new to the industry to give it a chance: “A lot of people are too quick to give up. It takes time to learn how to work and to be good at it. You have to learn how to be efficient and how to take the longer view. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Final Observation The company’s culture fosters

Johnson Bros. Corporation, a Southland Holdings Company | 11 SR 80 Project