Georgia Contractor Honors the Legacy of His Grandfather

Gregg Lunsford has had one transparent mentor as he’s guided his corporate thru 40-plus years in development: his grandfather Glenn Lunsford.

“Had it no longer been for him, I most likely wouldn’t be doing this,” Lunsford says. “I frolicked with him so much, and he had a large affect on what I sought after to do.”

Sadly, his grandfather, who focused on website online clearing and grading in rural spaces, didn’t witness his get started in development.

“He gave up the ghost ahead of I even purchased a tractor, so he didn’t get to peer any of it,” Lunsford says. “It might had been cool for him to peer what’s took place.”

Although he wasn’t there, his grandfather’s popularity gave Lunsford a leg up with a neighborhood apparatus proprietor, who gave him get entry to to a loader and sell off truck. “He let me use his backyard and store simply find it irresistible was once my very own. I used to be twenty years previous, and it was once gradual getting began.”

Over the years, Lunsford Grading & Hauling of Talmo, Georgia, has observed its proportion of ups and downs. The corporate lately has 15 staff, yet in 2007, it was once as much as 35. Then the Nice Recession hit. “We’ve been at 15 staff for a short time now,” he says.

Even supposing Lunsford began off running on residential jobs, he now focuses most commonly on industrial website online building, clearing and hauling paintings. This 12 months he was once named certainly one of 12 finalists for Apparatus International‘s Contractor of the Yr Award.

Since 2001, Lunsford Grading & Hauling has operated out of a 5,000-square-foot facility in a fast-growing-but-still-rural house north of Braselton, Georgia. 

It’s a space he’s rooted in. His grandfather’s former domicile is around the avenue, and the corporate places of work are on any other parcel that belonged to him.

Gregg’s sister, Patti Bynum, handles the Lunsford Grading & Hauling place of work, and the siblings have additionally shaped RPR Building Crew, providing the products and services of 4 sell off truck to different corporations.

RPR was once shaped to deal with a ache level that Lunsford famous in his personal corporate. “Sell off vans are a large necessity to a grader, and so they’re onerous to seek out at the spur of the instant,” Lunsford says. His personal fleet contains six tandem sell off vans.

Apparatus InternationalFleet for Flexibility

The ability permits Lunsford to do his personal preventive upkeep and service paintings, particularly on his older fleet. 

That fleet contains 8 dozers, seven crawler loaders, 4 compactors, six excavators, along with articulated sell off vans, graders and over-the-road vans. This numerous fleet offers him the facility to transport between jobsites because the workflow dictates with out shifting his apparatus. 

“We will be able to go away them there as a result of we now have sufficient to move paintings in different places,” Lunsford says. “It does lend a hand us be a bit extra versatile.” 

He additionally makes use of a mix of latest and used apparatus. “Some contractors would possibly purchase all new, yet we more or less combine it up a bit.”  

“He’s a excellent apparatus supervisor,” says shopper Scott Gibbs with Gibbs Application. “His machines are nicely saved and in running order.”

“I revel in operating a tractor, yet I don’t get to do it up to I used to,” Lunsford says. 

Ups and Downs

When the Nice Recession hit, Lunsford Grading & Hauling took some bruises yet have shyed away from a knockout punch. 

“We owed some cash, yet we had fairness in just about the entirety,” he says, “so we weren’t the wrong way up at the machines we needed to do away with. We misplaced large time on them, yet I don’t suppose we offered one system that we weren’t in a position to promote for greater than what we owed on it.”

Which was once a excellent factor since Lunsford estimates his native house didn’t totally get well till 2012. “There have been 3 or 4 years there that have been brutal.” 

Through comparability, the pandemic’s affect was once a lot softer. “We stayed busy all over it,” Lunsford says. The following provide chain problems have been extra problematic, then again. 

“For some time there, we couldn’t even position an order for concrete pipe. They wouldn’t even take orders, they have been to this point at the back of.”

Apparatus InternationalTight-knit Crew

As with maximum contractors, Lunsford has problem discovering staff. “We’d most likely have extra staff if shall we to find them. They’re very onerous to seek out.”

However his popularity after 30-plus years within the box turns out to be useful.

“When any individual begins right here, I believe accountable for him,” Lunsford says. “We’re a sexy tight-knit staff.” 

Lunsford additionally makes it transparent that no activity is underneath him. “I do what must be completed, and everyone right here is identical means. You may see me down within the ditch or shifting a work of kit.”

“It’s no longer uncommon to seek out him on a tractor,” Gibbs consents, including that any individual entering the trade would do nicely to be told grading ways from Lunsford. “He can put you relaxed and provide an explanation for it, so the technique to the insanity. He has persistence and a well-merited popularity locally.”

Kaycee Motes with shopper Scroggs & Grizzel Contracting calls Lunsford a “relied on sub.”

“They’ve been very responsive,” Motes continues. “If there’s a topic that arises and we’d like them to deal with it, he’s there instantly. He’s dedicated to his paintings, and he makes positive it’s completed proper and nicely.” 

“End it”

“Do what you assert you’re going to do and stand at the back of it,” Lunsford says when requested what recommendation he’d give to these short of to go into the development trade.

“Although it’ll take means longer, you simply suck it up and end it. Be a person of your phrase. There’s going to be a large number of tricky days forward; I will be able to promise them that.”

The upside, despite the fact that, is delight in a role nicely completed.

“Although on occasion I believe, ‘What was once I pondering?’” I do know that is what I truly sought after to do, and I revel in it.”