Contractor’s Perspective: Eubank Construction Company
Source: Mississippi 811 Magazine
Just a little respect is something everyone would like – Rodney Dangerfield proved that when he complained that he never got any.
In the push and shove world of utility construction, respect is occasionally in limited supply. In many day-to-day operations, it can be neglected – not intentionally, it just happens, usually when time is short and budgets are tight.
So when respect for others is so much a part of an organization, it is worth noting and at Eubank Construction Company, headquartered in Booneville, Mississippi, respect rules.
“It’s just who we are,” said Eubank Project Manager, Rob Rogers. “It starts with Kevin [Kevin Eubank, company president] and it’s a part of everything we do, from bidding to completion of the project.” It’s obvious they also respect their employees; the most recently hired has been at Eubank for more than three years.
Mississippi 811 was introduced to Rogers when Jerry Kennemur, Mississippi 811 Damage Prevention Coordinator, invited him to the regional MDPC meeting in Tupelo.
That meeting led to this magazine wanting to know more about an excavation company that would care enough about the perspectives of other stakeholders to make time to join them at a damage prevention meeting.
It became obvious that part of the reason for the success Eubank Construction enjoys today is the result of their overall philosophy of “doing the right thing, every time.”
“That’s something we work on everyday, but we make mistakes like everyone else,” said Eubank. “The right thing to do is own up to them, pay for the damages, and learn from them so they won’t happen again.”
Eubank estimates that 90% of their jobs involve organizations and cities with whom they have previously worked. “We’re proud of our record and we get a lot of repeat business even though our type of work slows traffic and creates problems for motorists and surrounding businesses,” said Eubank.
“We’re sensitive to how disruptive our work can be so we work long hours and go above and beyond to make sure we don’t disturb their lives anymore than necessary,” said Rogers. “We have a good reputation and very few utility cuts; we like to keep it that way.”
Most successful companies have a couple of basic philosophies that guide them toward profitability. One is utilize your resources. Mississippi 811 is the best resource for avoiding damages and costly delays and Eubank’s policy is to always call 811 before they begin any work. Planning is an important part of every project and involving the 811 process as early as possible is one of the keys to Eubank’s success.
Another resource that they use well is their employees. They trust them to do what is right and as a result they have extremely low turnover in personnel.
The other basic philosophy for success is treat everyone with respect. Eubank has an excellent reputation for building relationships with utility owners, locators, and property owners. “Sometimes you need to look at things from their viewpoint. We know locators have a lot more to do than just take care of us,” said Rogers. “So we give them a ‘heads up’ and plan our work to help make their life easier. We also involve them early in the process.” As a result, when Eubank needs a little help with a problem, they get responses, not excuses.
Respect earns respect. Rodney Dangerfield knew that and he joked about it to make his point. Everyone at Eubank has worked hard to earn the respect of all those with whom they work and according to Rogers, “we’d like to keep it that way.”
Eubank Construction Company began in 1996 and currently has 25 employees. They specialize in water, sewer, and gas utility construction as well as all types of concrete work.
