Fred Richards remembers his first construction boss's favorite saying, "Builders are born, not made." Richards believes it. "I guess I was born to be in construction and I've enjoyed it all my life," Richards explains. His father founded Richards and Sons Construction Company in 1985. Twelve years ago he joined his father and brother in the business and, in 2003, became the sole owner.
Since then, Richards has learned a lot about how to do business, including one tough financial mistake. "We were trying to bid work below cost to have work during difficult times," Richards said. "To correct that, we established a better job cost system and realized that you cannot do work for less than it costs."
Richards counts surviving those tough times and learning what caused them among his greatest successes. That experience is one of the reasons that he has no regrets when he looks back. "There are always things that you could do differently now that you know the outcome but basically we are pleased with our progress in the industry," Richards said.
Part of that progress has been increased efficiency from technology. "We purchased a GPS system for staking and automated machine controls so we are a lot more efficient and productive," Richards said. Since much of their business is civil and site utility work this equipment and a staff trained to use it has proven invaluable on many occasions.
All the improvements in the business are also necessary for Richards to maintain the standard of service that he believes customers have come to expect from the company and that helps them through the hard times as well. "If you take care of your clients they will take care of you," Richards said.
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