Iowa is famous for its fairs, a showplace for the state’s widely celebrated agricultural and industrial products, crops, and livestock. Likewise, Iowa’s county fairs are an important part of the culture and play a major role in local economies.
So, when the Jones Contracting Corporation won the contract for paving more than two miles of county road adjacent to the Lee County Fairgrounds earlier this year, they knew meeting the schedule was critical. Opening day would be in July, and some 15,000 people were expected. There was a personal reason to meet that deadline, too.
“Our family raises pigs to show at the fair,” said company president Patrick Jones, “So that was another reason to ensure the job was done on time. If the project weren’t completed by opening day, I’d hear about it at home.”
In fact, the project schedule established by Lee County was for the work to be completed in 35 working days. Jones Contracting completed it in 25-1/2.
The project, along the Business Route of County Road 218, ran from just north of the town of Donnellson to the county fairgrounds, then jumped to the south of the town. Overall, it included 2.39 miles of 6” concrete overlay on top of the existing asphalt roadway, as well as ten driveways and installation of new shoulders. The work was done in May, ahead of the heaviest heat of summer when the heated asphalt of the existing pavement might be problematic.
For the Lee County Overlay Project, both of the company’s Power Paver SF-1700 and SF-2700 slipform pavers were used. The company also has a TC-2700 texture/curing machine and a Power Curber 5700-D curb and gutter machine.
Upon completion of the job, Jones Contracting only had to grind the concrete at three headers, indicating that the concrete was smooth and required minimal reworking.
The company has been in business for ten years, and Patrick selected Power Pavers for his choice of machinery early on. “We’re extremely happy with Power Pavers. They are really great people to work with. They are located just up the road in Cedar Falls, so getting parts is easy,” said Patrick, adding, “And the machines they build are reliable and built to last.”
Asked about his own background in roadwork, Patrick notes that his dad was in the paving business, but he himself didn’t get personally involved in the industry until many years later.
“I actually got my college degree in financial planning, but I’d always worked construction during the summer months of college, and I’d enjoyed working outdoors. A few years into my career in finance, I happened to drive by a pavement company and stopped to have a look,” Patrick said. “I fell in love with it and made a career change.”
Although there might seem to be little the two careers have in common, Patrick admits that having that four-year degree in finance wasn’t a waste when it came to establishing his own paving company. The firm’s offices are located just a few miles up the road from Donnellson, near the town of West Point.
When asked if his own children have any desire to follow in his footsteps, Patrick jokes that the older three have already passed the age when Dad is still considered cool. The fourth one, though, is still young enough to be impressed and might someday want to get into the business.
Although Jones Contracting is a relatively young business, it has won awards yearly since its founding, everything from safety to excellence in concrete work.
What’s the secret to their success? Patrick points to his staff. “Good, experienced people. You’ve got to have good people. If you don’t have good people, you won’t do good work.”
