The recent current strong state of the US construction industry has paved the way for skilled contractors to fill up the calendar with projects. Such is the case for Colin Heidel, who oversees all of the projects in which his company, Precision Site Development, is engaged. The company provides earthwork, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water service, and paving work for commercial projects in southwestern Ohio.
“We have stayed very busy since we started in early 2016, having already worked with some clients on multiple projects in the non-profit, public, retail, medical, and residential markets,” he says, adding the busy pace continues for 2017.
One driving factor in Precision Site Development’s success right out of the gate was selecting projects in which it could excel, while still providing the time needed to focus on forming a strong foundation for the company’s future, notes Heidel. Another factor is the ability of company owner Jake Conger to be open-minded to suggestions of key employees, he adds.
“Our company mission of working hand-in-hand with our clients, being a blessing on them and our abilities from previous background experience to do so seems to be really working well for us,” says Heidel.
What He Does Day to Day
Along with Conger and general superintendent Scott Purvis, Heidel oversees projects by concentrating on developing relationships with potential clients, project estimating, contract negotiations, pre-construction, and resource procurement.
What Led Him Into This Line of Work
As a child, Heidel had a passion for being involved with the transformation of the physical environment around him. Tagging along with a good family friend who restored Victorian houses in his Wyoming, OH, neighborhood, “there was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted my life’s work to be in the construction industry,” says Heidel. “There are only a few things that have ever fully captured my attention—the hustle and bustle of construction has always topped this list.”
He would later intern at a large Cincinnati land development company while earning a B.S. in construction management from the University of Cincinnati. Heidel graduated into the 2008 recession period, but found work on a crew installing underground utilities for private residential homes. He then worked in an office for a large Cincinnati-based commercial site development company before going onboard at Precision Site Development.
Pairing his background with Conger’s experience in a large family-operated Cincinnati-based commercial construction company, “I knew we would be very successful in accomplishing the company’s mission and being a real asset to local builders,” says Heidel.
What He Likes Best About His Work
“I like working with our design-build clients on project conception,” says Heidel. “These clients often call on us for recommendations very early in a project’s budgeting stage. While they typically have extensive historical data from similar past projects, they rely on us to nail down the site development budget.”
Nailing down a realistic budget involves a fair amount of research and creativity, he adds. “The first step—research—involves contacting the area’s underground utility suppliers to figure out existing utility locations that can be utilized for the development. It also involves developing a baseline for measuring the amount of cut and fill work required,” says Heidel.
Following research, the creative portion of the work entails proposing a grading and utility plan that provides an economical solution to the owner’s needs. After reviewing the plan’s viability, “we come up with a budget and highlight any issues the designer-builder may face during design development and list value engineering ideas and associated cost impacts that may be considered,” he says.
Being realistic with a budget is the key: If a budget goes too high, the client may give up on the project. If it’s too low, “the client may go through the design stage of the project only to determine it does not fit within their budget, having wasted valuable resources,” says Heidel.
His Biggest Challenge“Predicting the future” is his biggest challenge, says Heidel. “We are often called on to be educated predictors, having to come up with budgets, schedules, and construction game plans that take into account potential delays, sites being crowded with different trades, weather, resource procurement, and permit acquisition.”
