Complete General Construction has been a family owned business in Columbus, Ohio, since its origination back in 1928, when John Guzzo started the company. For a family business to survive nearly 90 years requires a strong foundation, especially considering the company made it through the Great Depression, World War II, and a few recessions along the way. The company’s ability and willingness to diversify its offerings helped it not only overcome each obstacle along the way, but made it an even stronger business.
Currently on the fourth generation of the Guzzo family, the company started out as a small outfit that specialized in sewer and sidewalk construction projects 87 years ago. Complete General has steadily grown over the years and presently is a general contractor specializing in highway, bridge, paving, underground, and electric work throughout Ohio and works on specialized projects outside of the state.
BRIDGE WORK
Latex overlay projects were Complete General’s forte when the company first started constructing bridges in the early 1980’s and was the only bridgework it did at the time. Complete General was successful with the latex overlay projects for about 10 years, but the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) began shifting work toward more intense rehab and new construction projects and Complete General felt they needed to follow suit or be left behind. It turned out to be the right move, as it now has three main categories of bridges it works on and excels at: new construction, rehab construction, and overlays.
Bridge overlays are where Complete General started and remains its specialty. The bridges that were a result of ODOT’s concentrated effort of moving to new construction in the 1990’s started to wear and the company found a niche in the market with weekend overlay jobs. The work needs to be done in a tight timeframe, which takes an experienced crew of the likes of Complete General. The contractor averages 50,000 square yards of overlay every year, which is more than any competitor in Ohio.
Weekend overlays typically involve removal of the joints at the end of the bridge and removal of bad spots in the deck. Highways close on Friday evenings and a removal crew goes in with jackhammers to remove the joints. If the deck is to be resurfaced, they usually hydro blast it and check for weak spots to jackhammer. Ideally, the joints are out by the next day for new crews to come in and set the new joints, which are then reframed so concrete can be repoured, as is the deck. All of it needs to be done on schedule so the concrete can cure and allow the road to be reopened to traffic by Monday morning. If it is not completely cured, there can be liquidated damages, which can be costly.
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Even with a great deal of experience on its side, if Complete General has ill-equipped tools in its lineup, it will struggle to get the job done on time. For its jackhammer needs, Complete General goes with the Chicago Pneumatic CP 1210 breakers and feature several in its lineup that are utilized year round.
The CP1210 breakers are in the 35-pound class, but offer the hitting power and high performance of a larger tool. Delivering 1,400 blows per minute, the rugged breakers are designed for light to medium construction work and are easy and comfortable for operators to use.
“Chicago Pneumatic is the standard that our company has used long before I came to work at Complete General,” says Ann Hobstetter, material manager at Complete General. “I once changed it up and bought a different brand and it was not accepted out in the field with our crew. After attempting to use the new brand, they came back to me and told me that they simply do not perform the same—the CP breakers hit harder with much better production.”
Complete General buys equipment like the CP 1210 breakers from Machinery & Tool Rentals, a family owned company that has been around since 1956. Serving the concrete market, Machinery & Tool Rentals sell equipment, parts, supplies, and repair equipment. It has three full time mechanics on staff with nearly 100 years of combined experience and average two days for repair turnaround.
OTHER PROJECTS
The weekend overlay jobs are really gaining steam for Complete General and not only in Ohio. Last year, it had a job in West Virginia that included 5 weekends of joint repair and 1 week of overlays. This year, it has already had 6 weekends of joint repair and 11 weekends of overlay with 4 more to go throughout West Virginia. The projects had more than 17,000 square yards of overlay and 1,409 feet of joint replacement. The joint replacement usually involves removing approximately 2 to 3 feet on each side of the joint and through the whole depth of the bridge.
Experience in the field is a big advantage, but having proficiency to go along with the right tools can put a company miles ahead of the competition. While Complete General Construction certainly has the know-how and tools to set itself apart, being a progressive company since day one when the business originated puts it on top. There is a reason that word has spread from Ohio and into West Virginia. With a storied past, the future is bright for the company from Columbus. ■
For More Information: For more information about the Chicago Pneumatic breakers used in Complete General’s weekend overlays, visit www.cp.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions – March 2016
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