CONSTRUCTION LEADERS TODAY
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Colorado Pro Steel
Russell Freeman, president, puts the highest trust in his employees, noting that the company’s success is due, in part, to hiring and training quality, responsible people. This, coupled with a quick turn-around time and an eye for quality, puts the company at the top of the steel ladder.
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Colorado ProSteel by Amelia Doenlen
2 Winter 2010
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By ensuring quality service and a quick turnaround time, Russel Freeman, president, has kept Colorado ProSteel on the cutting edge of steel buildings.
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Russell Freeman, president of Colorado ProSteel, not only knows the art of erecting buildings, but knows how to build his business. In an industry that isn’t know for the longevity of its employees, Freeman takes pride in his company and his team. “I’ve put together a pretty amazing group of guys that I trust and that do a really good job for me,” Russell said. “I don’t have the employee issues that a lot of companies have with people not showing up for work or doing shabby work. I have good guys and try to implement a program that rewards quality behavior and work.” On a day-to-day basis, Freeman does a little bit of everything to keep things running smoothly. He received a degree in construction management from Colorado State University. And with his steel working experience in college, he was offered a job right after graduation. Starting in 1998 with one crew of three guys, Colorado ProSteel has grown steadily. The company is now comprised of a small, but efficient in-house crew, nine superintendents that manage the jobs and three to six employees under each superintendent, depending on the project. While ProSteel works predominately out of the lower 48 states, their work has been concentrated in North Carolina and Florida for the past few months, with a few projects reaching into Boston and the Northeast. Simply put, the company erects steel buildings. “We show up when the concrete is done,” Freeman said, “and when we leave, there is a building there. We offer great customer service, speedy service and a quality product. The problem with this industry is that there aren’t many people that do a good job with it. They’ll do a few projects but they don’t do enough to get really efficient at it. Because we do this all the time our efficiency is very high.” For Freeman, the challenges of working nationally are few and far between, but occasionally they do spring up. “Our two biggest problems are whether the concrete or anchor bolts are ready when we arrive and whether all the parts are there that we need,” he said. “The challenge of being a long way from home is that if a contractor tells you that the site is ready and you get there and it really isn’t, you can’t just run back to the shop. You are kind of stuck for a few days with your team just waiting for the parts to show up.” Five years ago the company was contracted to build O’Reilly Auto Parts stores and today, they are a preferred builder for the company. With only 90 days from permit to opening, speed and quality are extremely important. “Before we started the fastest they had ever seen one put up was in 3 weeks, with most companies taking four to five weeks. If they need the store open and you take three or four weeks for just erecting, it’s pretty significant. We build 60 or 70 of them a year now, averaging eight days each. That’s a third of the time it takes the competition.” Over the years, Freeman has seen the steel building industry cycle through various types of projects and he believes that versatility is the Construction Leaders Today 3
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key to keeping the business running despite the economy. “If there is any industry that has growth and needs buildings we can fit that niche,” Freeman said. “We even built a hay barn for an elephant sanctuary once.” In the late 90’s the company built a lot of equestrian facilities and specialty projects while money was still available in the private sector. Then, after September 11th they switched gears, building churches and airplane hangars. In the last two years as the economy toppled and the private sector projects dried up, ProSteel has begun work with a lot of government projects like fire stations and water treatment plants. “Government projects have more regulations so it takes more paperwork and office staff to do the job,” Freeman said. “Then you are competing against 15 people instead of two or three and more competition means that the margins are lower.” The economy caught up with Freeman a little later than it did with most people in the industry. He cites 2008 as a record year for the company, completing 212 projects. Since then, things have been a little slower. “Last year I called all the contractors that we’ve worked with in the past few years,” Freeman said. “Twenty-five percent of them didn’t pick up the phone because they were out of business. Fifty percent were standing around wishing they had something to do and the other 25 percent we were still working with.” After the 2008 presidential election in Freeman noticed a small increase in calls for projects from individuals in the private sector. He is hopeful that it will come back. As a company, ProSteel tries to reduce its carbon footprint and be as green as possible. For out-of-town projects, the crews go in one van and they rent equipment locally so there is less hauling. “Since we aren’t involved in the design of the building,” Freeman said. “It’s up to the architect and engineers to make it green. Metal builds are very conducive to green technology and LEED standards. You can get an R38 insulation value very easily, which isn’t as easy to obtain in general construction. “Metal buildings have come a long way in terms of design in the last 20 years. They went from something that looked like a metal barn or an industrial park to riding arenas that look like beautiful custom homes. I think the industry has done a great job getting that standard big box look.” In looking toward the future, Freeman plans to focus efforts on what has worked for them in the past -- customer service. For a business built on word-of-mouth, that is key. “We’re going to continue to take care of our customers and our employees. We are working on an incentive program for employees to try to help with quality control,” Freeman said. “We aren’t always the cheapest guy in town, but I haven’t ever run into anybody that can compete with our customer service, quality 4 Winter 2010
PERFORMANCE PLUS In today's world of construction, equipment issues seem to keep the job going longer than they should. Sometimes just getting a crew to a jobsite is a monumental task and can be challenging. Performance Plus strives to make equipment issues as simple as possible. Their mission statement says it all: “We will provide uncompromising, distinctive, personalized service that meets and/or exceeds your expectations." For Performance Plus, getting your employees to the jobsite is job number one. The relationship of Performance Plus and ProSteel has allowed two businessmen to accomplish their goals while maintaining profits. From flat tires to engine jobs across the country, only one phone call does it all. Performance Plus treats your broken vehicle as number one, no matter its location. They are responsible for all truck repairs and maintenance to keep their records up-to-date. It is their responsibility to keep owners informed of the best solution for the problem at hand. With the rising cost of equipment and with all the technology involved, its difficult for owners to stay on top of repairs and maintenance. At any given point in time Performance Plus reviews business’ fleet costs and operational expenses with the business owner to make sure equipment is not taking too much of their budget. The team at performance plus can advise whether to repair or replace any given vehicle and they have been trained in the latest technologies for diesel repair and maintenance. Vehicles are now changing on a yearly basis and their staff is ready to help. For more information, please call 719-574-7801.
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