If you ask Harris Wilson, co-owner of Russo Corporation, about his construction business, what he wants to talk about most are the people. Russo Corporation is a subsurface construction company that does utility contracting, site work, blasting, foundation and shoring work. With 200 employees and a 55-year history, Russo has seen the construction industry through many cycles.
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Harris, who holds a civil engineering degree from Georgia Tech, came to the company in 1994 and followed his father into the business. He credits the company's success to one thing: the staff. "We have fantastic employees - our guys are good." In the low-bid environment in which they compete, Russo relies on their reputation and excellent safety rating to maintain a competitive edge. (They have an EMR of less than one.)
Recently, the company has completed work for several large power plants, including a $25 million job at Plant Bowen, a coal-fired power plant that is self-described as the second largest generating plant in the Western Hemisphere. "We have to have a great safety rating to get those jobs."
Another factor separating Russo is their persistent focus on pursing technological innovations and training their operators. The company actively seeks to be the sole solution provider for their clients.
And Harris is not content to rest. Russo is opening Fort Worth office and hiring employees with innovative technological know-how. "We stress the importance of being open-minded enough to improve ourselves and our processes."
