R. Carlson & Sons

HORTON CLIENT PROFILE

R. CARLSON & SONS, INC.

company facts Founded: 1947 Location: Mokena, Illinois Business History: A family owned and operated contractor with 65 years of experience in construction Specialties: Construction management, general contractor, excavation services, underground tanks, and site development Website: www.rcarlsonandsons.com A Horton Group Client: Since 1996

“Partnering with The Horton Group has helped us really understand risk transfer, employee benefits and insurance. They help us to effectively manage our contracts, safety programs and claims. I don’t think we would be where we are today without The Horton Group.”

- Bill Sieczkowski, Jr.

President R. Carlson & Sons, Inc.

R. Carlson & Sons, Inc. a dynamic family owned business: Bill Sieczkowski, Jr., Brenda Smith, Bill Sieczkowski, Sr., and Barb Sieczkowski

The People Make The Company ince 1947 R. Carlson & Sons, Inc. has been a dynamic family business providing outstanding services, competitive prices, and quality construction. Operating in the greater Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana, R. Carlson & Sons employs 25 experienced construction professionals and manages a large group of subcontractors.

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R. Carlson & Sons has a vast amount of experience in a wide variety of industries including: • Banks • Car Washes • Casual Dining Restaurants • Fast Food Restaurants • Convenience Stores • Gas Stations

• Schools • Municipalities • Parks and Recreation Areas • Retail Buildings • Warehouses/Industrial Facilities

Loyal customers and a solid reputation have led to an increase in sales despite a falling economy. “We are financially stable,” Bill Sieczkowski, Jr. stated. “The company has sustained a steady upward growth rate as we do not purchase what we cannot afford and we maintain an excellent payment history.” They have alliances with many well-known companies such as Walmart, Sam’s Club and Thorntons Inc. Brenda Smith, Vice President, believes the employees make the difference. “We have very versatile and loyal employees,” she stated. “We have no turnover to speak of and our employees stay with us 10+ years on average.

One truck driver has been with us for more than 30 years. I think this speaks volumes about the culture of this company. Our employees do more than what is asked from them. They continually keep R. Carlson & Sons moving in a forward direction.”

A fuel facility with 4,200 square foot convenience store in Ottawa, Illinois.

R. Carlson & Sons At A Glance Whether building a gas station, strip mall or a factory, R. Carlson & Sons coordinates all the necessary planning, designing, licensing, permitting, construction and follow-up, saving their clients a great deal of time and money. Using the same dependable subcontractors is a key component of R. Carlson & Sons construction management services.

“It can be challenging when many different trades are on a single worksite, but we have created a sound system of checklists that helps to organize and expedite all the processes,” said Bill Sieczkowski, Jr. “An open line of communication is maintained among ourselves, the foremen and the laborers. We make sure that safety is considered to be the top priority on every job.”

Their professional staff and a large fleet of heavy equipment can meet the most demanding excavation requirements. Their expertise includes: site development, site stripping, building excavation, grading, backfilling, compacting, trenching, wrecking, and wetland mitigation. “We’ve also completed more than 1,200 contaminated soil remediation projects,” said Brenda Smith.

R. Carlson & Sons is recognized as one of the foremost underground tank experts in the region. They utilize their own equipment and in-house certified tank crews in order to provide on-time, quality work at competitive costs. Their staff takes care of all documentation, including manifests, licenses, bonds, and permits.

Safety “We incur very few claims and we are extremely safety conscious,” said Bill Sieczkowski, Jr. who also serves as the company’s Safety Director. “Our employees understand and embrace the importance of safety. When working for companies like bp, you have to demonstrate safety.”

R. Carlson & Sons has developed a comprehensive Safety and Training program, which includes the following key elements: OSHA 40-hour Hazardous Waste Site Work Training, OSHA 10-hour Training for Construction, Competent Person Training for Excavation, Confined Space Entry Training, Respiratory Protection Training and Hazard Communication Training. The Horton Group’s Safety Division helped R. Carlson & Sons implement their safety protocols and produce a safety manual.

“There has been a culture change here in regards to safety,” Bill Sieczkowski, Jr. said. “We stringently moni-

tor our worksites and provide incentives to motivate our employees to work safer. Each quarter, we present safety awards and have an annual grand prize winner.

We’ve made a positive out of safety, and it has caught on.”

Part of the culture awareness within the company is their attention to the GREEN initiative. “We are definitely LEED certified,” said Bill Sieczkowski, Jr., who is a LEED Accredited Professional for Building Design + Construction. “It is important to us to be an environmentally sensitive organization.”

Bettering Business with Horton “Partnering with The Horton Group has helped us really understand risk transfer, employee benefits, and insurance,” said Bill Sieczkowski, Jr. “They help us to effectively manage our contracts, safety programs, and claims. I don’t think we would be where we are today without The Horton Group.”

R. Carlson & Sons is considered to be a preferred company to insure in their industry. Examples of their coverage include $12 million in contractors liability insurance and $1 million in pollution liability insurance.

“These carriers don’t make a practice of insuring general contractors that build gas stations,” said Chuck Naso, Senior Vice President at The Horton Group. “R. Carlson & Sons has consistently been courted by preferred carriers. They managed to keep their insurance cost down over the years through effective safety programs and claims diligence.”

Jeff Kaminski, Sales Executive at The Horton Group, presented R. Carlson & Sons with many different employee benefit options that they didn’t know were available.

“They were extremely interested in hearing unique and outside-of-the-box ideas that allowed them to put together a very comprehensive and robust employee benefits package,” Jeff said.

“Employee and client safety are a #1 priority,” said Bill Sieczkowski, Jr.

800.383.8283