Adam Hopkins has been a Power Curber believer since “Day 1” of his introduction into the concrete business. His reasoning? Productivity.
He is the Concrete Division Manager of Florida Asphalt & Concrete (FAC), a high-production curb contractor headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The concrete division of the specialty company is “all curb, all day, every day,” says Adam.
FAC owns two Power Curber 5700-Ds and one Power Curber 5700-C. Ernesto Santos with USA Concrete, a sub-contractor who works exclusively for FAC, owns an additional two 5700- Ds. According to Adam, all fi ve machines are set on “go” in the “hot market” that is central Florida.
Their goal is to pour 8,000 cubic yards (6,116 cubic meters) of concrete per month. The result is $1.2 million in concrete placed per month or $35 million in civil and utility concrete contracts per year.
FAC is a byproduct of RIPA & Associates of Tampa, a $360 million civil and utility contractor with 900+ employees. Four years ago, FAC was formed by RIPA to address the growing demand for specialty projects in central Florida. In 2020, Adam came on board with more than 26 years of experience in site development and roadway construction.
Adam and his leadership team manage 24 crews, and FAC is servicing a large part of the curb needs in their 11-county sales area. They sell to 28 clients outside the RIPA base of customers.
Adam says they are blessed with good, loyal employees and can retain workers during national staffing shortages. The company says that its superintendents and foremen are core leaders in the field who continue to keep FAC on the path of sustainable growth. “We recognize that our leadership role in the industry is largely due to our top-quality employees,” the company says in its marketing material.
Adam says that the challenge in today’s workplace is getting material to the machines fast enough. FAC works with nine concrete suppliers, who are working with shortages of raw aggerates, increased prices, and fuel surcharges.
Recent FAC projects include five warehouses for Amazon and large industrial shipping companies. They work in a wide area from the Gulf of Mexico to Orlando. “There is a huge amount of work in the Tampa Bay area,” says Adam. “It’s the number one area in Florida and is growing by leaps and bounds.”
The company works in residential, subdivision, commercial, and civil markets, including utilities, municipalities, and state roads. It prides itself in managing all aspects of a project, from inception to closeout, and ensuring all contract requirements are met, focusing on safety and quality.
Chris Sanders, Senior Superintendent of the FAC Concrete Division, says the Power Curber machine set-up is much faster than competitive machines he has operated previously. “The Power Curber has the power we need,” he says.
With the correct slump mix, Chris says that his crew pours ten cubic yards (7.6 cubic meters) in 7 to 10 minutes, cutting out up to 10 minutes of time per load that they would have experienced with a slower competitive machine. Production is twice as fast with the Power Curber.
Chris says the Power Curber off set sets up a lot faster than the competitive machine and the trimmer head is faster. Maintenance is easier, and Power Curbers produce a better finished product. In the hot weather conditions of Florida, the auger is far superior to a conveyor belt for conveying the mix. If the concrete sits on black rubber for up to 30 seconds, Chris says it starts to get hot.
The auger has a higher capacity, making it possible to move through tight-radius jobs. “The Power Curber lays tight radius faster and better,” Chris says. “It doesn’t pull the curb, and the curb doesn’t crack.”
The company is adding 5700-Ds as they experience rapid growth. In their four years in operation, they have grown from four crews to 24. Gary Shifl et, Power Curbers Service Technician in Florida, is immediately responsive if they need service. “Every time we call — in the middle of the day or the middle of the night — he is right on the spot, and he knows the machine so well,” says Adam. “He can talk us through problems on the phone and keep us running.”
The company has taken advantage of training sessions that Power Curbers provides with machine purchases. Adam says that Peter Henty, Product Support Technician, is a wealth of information.
Florida Asphalt & Concrete owns some 20 molds for various curb applications. They have found that James Pennington in the factory Mold Department moves quickly to supply their needs. “Every time we send over our requirements, the factory gets it into production right away,” says Adam.
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