2014 Contractor of the Year Finalist- Thomas Construction
Thomas Construction prides itself on tackling the unusual jobs – the kinds that involve thorny challenges. With a fleet almost exclusively Caterpillar, and a core of several dozen employees who have been around for more than 20 years, the Grove City, PA-based company has found its niche market.
“We like to do jobs that are a little bit out of the ordinary, which makes them a little more difficult,” says President Doug Thomas. “I’m fortunate that people stick it out here. That gives them a lot of experience. Everyone applies the experience they’ve learned, and that’s why we can do more difficult jobs.”
Thomas founded the company in the mid-1980s, when he was a shop teacher doing jobs on the side, remodeling bathrooms and jacking up porches. Seeing a need for construction of quality homes, he forged a deal to build on prime residential land behind a hospital in exchange for giving the owner, a physician, a percentage of lot sales.
Thomas delved into excavating upon becoming dissatisfied with excavator’s unwillingness to try to preserve trees at the site. Today, Thomas Construction includes three divisions – excavation, site cleanup, and vertical construction, mostly in commercial projects. While its portfolio includes water treatment plants and Marcellus drilling sites, Thomas Construction’s unusual jobs include conversion of abandoned limestone mines, 250-feet underground, into government storage sites.
Construction of a sewage pump station 60-feet underground – 25-feet below the water table – included building a coffer dam to hold back dirt and water. “That was quite an interesting job,” Thomas says. “In Grove City, the first thing you need is a water pump. The water table’s really high here.”
Thomas remembers buying his first Cat® machine, a D3B Custom 75, in 1986. Today, Caterpillar pieces constitute nearly the entire fleet. Thomas appreciates the quality machines, the “extremely helpful” delivery of parts whenever they’re needed, and Cleveland Brothers’ attentive service.
“We are extremely pleased with Cat, and Cleveland Brothers in particular,” Thomas says. “When we have an issue, they come to the table immediately.”
In every construction business, “there will be problems from time to time.”
“What makes Cleveland Brothers different is the guys stepping to the plate and giving you a hand, getting through the problem and getting it resolved,” Thomas says. “They’ll go the extra mile for us.”
Thomas credits his 75 employees with bringing Thomas Construction a Contractor of the Year nomination. “It’s the quality of the people who work here,” he says. “We really strive to do quality work, and I think that shows. It’s not just me, by any means. We’re a team.”
Check out the other three finalists from the Cleveland Brothers area.