Contractor Stories

Josh says they install an average of $1,300 in low voltage lighting in every hardscape project.

Someone in the office makes a difference

Finally having a capable person managing the office spurs growth for a contractor focused on the field.

By Tom Hatlen

Josh Graczyk always did good work. That wasn't the issue. And he got enough work to keep his crew busy, just not a lot beyond that, because his mind was focused almost exclusively on the job at hand.

"When you've got 1 crew and you're working on that crew every day, it's easy to only look for work when you need work. And if somebody calls in the meantime when you're busy, you don't always get to them like you should."

That's where Josh was about 5 years ago. Then his wife Kristen began working in the company full time. Kristen has an accounting degree and has proven more than capable of managing the office. When she came on board in 2009 Josh was running a crew of 4 (plus himself). He'd been in business since 1998, having started the company as a kid and continuing on thru horticulture school.

Today, Josh has 22 employees in the summer. Sales grew from $350,000 in 2008 to $1.6 million for 2013. While he has a lot of good people who have made a difference at the company, Josh credits Kristen with being the catalyst that is allowing them to realize their potential.

This walk-out basement was made possible by permeable pavers and some interesting engineering. Below the paver system, a rubber liner channels stormwater to a septic tank buried at the bottom. A pump in the septic tank sends water into irrigation lines to water the client's trees.

Things get done

Kristen ensures things get done. She handles payroll, taxes, insurance, advertising and answering phones. She sends out invoices promptly and stays on top of them to ensure they're paid. She even does sales and puts together bids for mowing and pesticide work. For hardscape sales, she gets Josh and Wes Cunningham (their salesman/designer) involved and follows up to ensure it happens.

Josh has an aversion to pretty much anything to do with office work. "I don't like doing paperwork; I like building things. Before Kristen, I wasn’t so much pulled out of the field to take care of the office. Things just didn't get done."

"It's amazing the difference it makes having someone in the office staying on top of everything. She gained us a lot of work because she is right on top of every request for a bid that comes in. Before, I'd get a call and I'd be out in the field, so I might get to it a week later. Well, somebody else got the job by then."

Treating employees as partners

With Kristen in the office, Josh has been able to grow solid teams in the field. He's usually with the hardscape crews unless one of the other crews is short handed. Josh motivates people by training them, respecting their abilities and then involving them in the company.

"From early on I gave guys opportunities to learn different things as we grew together. I truly believe that my guys would make a lot of owners jealous. We go really hard all the time. That's the culture in our company. Our foremen are very self-sufficient. They get nearly all jobs done ahead of hours. And everybody becomes friends when you work here. When we clock out, our families still spend time together."

Treating employees almost as partners can have its drawbacks though. Before Wes came on board mid-summer, Josh shared sales and design work with various key employees. Job descriptions weren't well defined, and after a time 2 of them left to start their own company. Though this came as a surprise, Josh says the rest of the team moved forward and finished their best year ever with Wes in place to take them to the next level.

Josh says they seal 85% of projects, and they install polymeric sand on 100% of them.

"My foremen are really good about talking to people about it, and helping them understand that a couple thousand dollars more to protect their investment is well worth the money."

Profile

Grindstone Hardscapes

Elm Creek, NE
Founded 1998
Josh & Kristen Graczyk, Owners

Customer base

80% residential
20% commercial

Services

60% hardscape/curbing
25% Lawn maintenance
10% Snow removal
5% Landscaping/lighting

Largest project

$161,000

Annual sales

2012 - $1.2 million
2013 - $1.6 million

Employees

18-22

Sales & designs handled

Hiring Wes to handle hardscape sales and designs was an important piece of the puzzle for making the company function better. Wes also orders materials while Josh puts together the hardscape bids.

"He does all the other little things needed to keep the hardscape crews going, like if the guys need a pallet of block that's missing off an order, or if somebody needs a tool, or making sure the propane's full on the forklift. He takes care of things so we don't have downtime. He and Kristen handle the office and I don't have to worry about it."

Wes had worked in sales at Kearney Crete and Block Co. for years and is knowledgeable in nearly all things concrete. He's actually the one who got Josh into hardscaping 7 years ago. Back then there wasn't much hardscaping going on in their part of rural Nebraska, and Wes was looking to get more contractors into it.

Josh says, "He called and said, 'I've got a patio that needs built. You guys want to build it?' I told him I didn't know how, and he told me he'd walk me through it.' We learn a lot from him with all his experience."

Since then hardscaping has become the major growth area at the company. Nearly everyone on the hardscape crews are NCMA certified and several are ICPI certified. “Knowledge and experience of the industry along with proper training and installation techniques is what makes our company sought after across the state.”

In addition to Wes and Kristen, Josh's father, father-in-law, 2 brother-in-laws and 2 groomsmen from Josh's wedding are all involved in making the company a success. "Everyone that works with us is empowered, trusted, and well trained. We all have our strengths and make the pieces to the puzzle fit together. All of the crewman have as loud of a voice as myself and the foremen."

The Vander Kooi connection

Josh had considered bringing Charles Vander Kooi in for a consulting visit since attending a Vander Kooi & Associates seminar 5 or 6 years ago. Now, with the loss of 2 key people along with the company's rapid growth, Josh took the plunge this summer.

Josh says, "We're at that awkward point with our company where we need to grow big or downsize a little bit because we're not operating at 100% efficiency at times. I wanted him to help us with organization and to show us where our numbers should be on different things. He put us on a plan with goals to meet. I think it's important to have him back out here again to keep us on track."

Curb-It, Inc.

Josh runs an extruded curbing crew separate from his hardscaping crews. They call the business Curb-It, Inc. "We'll put in over 49,000' of curb this year. We have 1 crew, 3 guys – all day, every day, that's all they do. Sometimes we'll have as many as 5 on the crew for bigger jobs."

The division really took off about 3 years ago when he bought out another curbing contractor. For a time he was the only contractor in town offering the service, and his crew developed a very good reputation for quality work. So, they've been able to establish a strong position in the market.

Today, they promote the service to stay on top. They run a TV commercial, post a billboard and get involved with a number of fundraisers.

Curbing takes a 3-man crew?

Yup. To prep an area, 1 person operates a sod cutter following an outline painted on the ground, removing a 1" deep x 10" wide strip of sod. 2 crewmen get the sod out of the way. The curb will set right on top of the soil.

"When it comes time for install, 1 guy has to mix concrete the whole time, 1 runs the curbing machine, and 1 scoops the concrete out of the wheelbarrow into the machine, finishes the curbing with a trowel, does the stamping and puts in the relief cuts."

The relief cuts are made about every 2' so the curb will just flow with the contour of the lawn thru the seasons.