Big Jobs That Require Small Machines
After four years of working nights and weekends on various residential projects, Brent Buehler saw an opportunity to take his part-time contracting business full-time. In 2001, he launched Allegheny Contracting LLC with a six-person workforce- performing site work, water, sewer, and storm drainage jobs.
By 2006, Buehler and his team recognized the need to find a niche. They wanted “to focus on one thing and do it really well.” The decision to specialize in natural gas distribution services, especially pipe installation for public utilities throughout Pennsylvania, came at an unexpected time, but they look the leap.
Today, Allegheny Contracting is a leading DOT-qualified pipeline and site work contractor employing about 105 people.
Tighter Conditions Calls for Compact Equipment
Since mid-2015, Allegheny Contracting has relied increasingly on Cat® equipment and Cleveland Brothers sales and service to keep up with the workload and meet the exacting demands for the projects and worksites.
Natural gas has become more popular for home heating. The increasing demand of natural gas added with the aging infrastructure throughout Pennsylvania resulted in a greater need to upgrade and replace the older structure, which is where Allegheny Contracting comes in.
Much of this work is performed in tight working conditions. This requires Allegheny Contracting to meet strict project requirements while causing minimal disturbance and damage in order to install the new piping facilities. For these reasons, Allegheny Contracting chose to purchase compact Cat machines. “Cat equipment maneuvers well in tight spaces and allows us to work wherever the job takes us,” Buehler said.
To operate in those tight spaces that Allegheny Contracting frequently encounters, Buehler recently purchased various compact Cat machines to meet the stringent demands. The new additions to his fleet include: three Cat 303.5ECR Hydraulic Excavators with compact radius, a Cat 289D HF, and 299D HF Compact Track Loaders, and two Cat 305.5E CR Mini Excavators.
Versatility via Rental Solutions
For jobs that require larger equipment, Buehler turns to One Call Rentals, a division of Cleveland Brothers that offers rental equipment.
“Over the years, our strategy has been to focus on owning and retaining our core equipment that we use day in and day out, like the smaller-sized excavators,” he said. “As different jobs come up, we rent accordingly to what’s appropriate to the job, rather than trying to have a big machine and make it work in a small spot or vice versa. One Call Rentals gives us the flexibility to acquire the machines that suit the job site.”
The responsiveness and reliability from One Call Rentals have added great value to the contractor’s operations. Buehler states, “they have what you need, when you need it.” Equipment operators at Allegheny Contracting enjoy using Cat machines and believe that the machines stand up to the everyday demand, better than the competition.
More than Just Cat Machines
As Buehler began expanding his fleet with Cat machines, he quickly recognized the full value of owning machinery from Caterpillar. From the rich history of the Cat brand down to the full parts and service support from Cleveland Brothers, Buehler commended the amount of support and resources that Caterpillar and Cat dealers provide to equipment owners.
The support from Cleveland Brothers didn’t just stop at the sale of the machine. Buehler explained that Cleveland Brothers was there to help provide training to ensure that his entire team got the most out of their machines and understood all of its functions for proper operation.
Buehler further explains, “Cleveland Brothers has product specialists and dedicated people that’ll come out and train you on the new equipment. Versus the competition, which relies on their sales staff to do that. Especially with the technological advances that we’re seeing nowadays, it’s not as simple as it used to be.”
Whether owned or rented, the availability and extensive selection of equipment from Cleveland Brothers and One Call Rentals fully support the unique and ever-changing needs of Allegheny Contracting.