Contractor Southland Concrete has successfully maintained its leadership position as a result of providing personalized service to each client.

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Since its inception in 1973 as a small sitework contractor, Southland Concrete has grown to become a heavy-hitting commercial concrete contractor in the Washington, D.C., market, consistently ranked in the top-20 nationally by Concrete Construction magazine.         

According to Executive Vice President Greg Kohlhaas, the firm has successfully maintained this position only as a result of the dedication of its skilled employees and their commitment to providing personalized service to each customer.

“We’re best known for our customer service, quality and commitment to safety,” Kohlhaas says. As a result, the firm develops ongoing relationships with its customers, and performs nearly 80 percent of its work for a loyal base of repeat clients.

In fact, due to its reputation and relationships, Southland Concrete was asked to sign on for a project in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“A local general contractor won a contract for a marine installation at the Naval base there, and called us in to help,” Kohlhaas says.

“They were looking to form a team with a key subcontractor that they knew had experience and a reputation for performing. They asked if we would be interested in participating in the project, and we accepted.”

However, the company is no stranger to high-profile projects. Southland Concrete is proud to be among the first subcontractors called in to reconstruct the Pentagon in the days after 9/11.  

Facchina Construction was already under contract at the Pentagon, and immediately took on the reconstruction efforts after the attacks.

Both companies worked in concert to ensure the project was complete exactly one year later. “The project was completed in world-record time,” Kohlhaas maintains.

“When Facchina called us in to form the partnership, we knew we would do whatever it took to make sure we had it open one year to the day after the Pentagon was hit.”

The team successfully met this goal, but only through ex­treme cooperation and coordination. All parties involved in the reconstruction – from contractors, to the government, designers and inspection agencies – felt the spirit of cooperation and the importance of unity in meeting this common goal. “Everyone knew we had to work together to complete the project on time,” Kohlhaas says.

“It was an inspirational project that motivated a lot of people, and we’re proud to say we worked on it.”

The company organized two shifts a day, and all other trades worked round-the-clock, as well.

Although completing a project of this magnitude in such a short period of time is a challenge, the entire project was successfully completed it with no recordable injuries.

The ESOP Advantage
The company would not have reached the level of success it has today without the dedication of its loyal employees.

In 2000, Southland Concrete became an employee-owned company to give its employees opportunities to own a piece of the operation.

When it officially became an ESOP, Southland Concrete became one of very few construction firms to offer a federally regulated re­tirement plan.

“We have a strong nucleus of people with 15 to 25 years of service who have been here for so. Retaining good employees gives us a huge benefit in this industry, which tends to have a very transient work force. Offering ownership to eligible employees has become a motivational tool for many, because with the company’s continued success, the em­ployees will see their shares increase.”

Focused on Safety
Southland Concrete’s comprehensive safety program ensures all project participants have the right knowledge and attitude to work responsibly and safely, the company explains.

Through its zero-tolerance drug testing and fall-protection programs, the company ensures that “all of our employees go home every day and return the next day with the knowledge to work safely, and the feeling that their lives are not in danger,” Southland Concrete states.

From members of top-management to the laborers on the jobsite, all employees have an “on board with safety” attitude, it says. The majority of Southland Concrete’s safety training is performed on-site, it notes.

“We have more than 40 employees with 30-hour OSHA training, and 25 with 10-hour OSHA training,” Southland Concrete explains.

“In addition, there are 45 employees with first aid/CPR training.”

The company employs a vice president of safety, a safety director, two safety inspectors and three safety monitors, it notes.

“Southland Concrete’s safety team is also very active in safety organizations throughout the metro area,” the company maintains. For example, the company says its safety director serves as the safety committee chairman for ABC-Metro.

Southland Concrete provides safety training focused on a number of topics, including Bobcat and forklift, equipment operation, hazard recognition, confined-space work, ladders and scaffolding, power tools, mobile and tower crane supply, respirator fit, 100 percent tie-off, first aid/CPR and more, it says.

The company’s safety program has been recognized throughout the industry, as well. In 1995, the company earned its first ABC Virginia Paragon Safety Award, and also received this recognition six times in the following years.

Diverse Clientele
Like many other construction firms, South­land Concrete has been impacted by the volatile economic times, but ensures a steady workload by working with a di­verse set of clients.

Southland Concrete will spread its work among at least 30 general contractors at any one time.

“We have a wide base of customers we’ve worked with over the past 15 to 20 years, so by maintaining these relationships, we’ve been able to stay busy,” Kohlhaas explains.

“We may not have the margins we once did, but we still manage to get work with good customers and keep our people working, which is important.”