Ford Pile Foundations worked around a tight schedule and complicated
logistics for the football stadium at Old Dominion University in Virginia
About the company
Ford Pile Foundations is a regional operator, serving the mid-
Atlantic area, mainly Virginia and North Carolina.
With 30 or so employees, the company has been successful in
retaining workers for the long term.
“A few of our employees have been with us for over 30 years,”
said Trey. “We treat people fairly and don’t push them too hard.”
That’s part of the reason the company works pretty close
to home; everyone can get home at a reasonable time after a
day’s work. And, he adds, the fact that the company is “not very
hierarchical” probably helps keep at least some employees feeling
upbeat about their employment.
We Furnish –
-New Prime Steel Piling Pipe
-New Surplus Steel Pipe
-Used Pipe – ERW Originally X42 – X70
Grade, OD Machine Cleaned to
BARE Metal, Beveled Ends
Let us help you with your piling needs and
save you money.
Call for prices delivered to your yard or
jobsite.
Call, Fax or Email Inquiries to:
Bill Thomas
Brad Ziehe
Phone: 979-830-1300 Fax: 979-830-1301
Email: brad@pipeunlimitedusa.com OR
mail@pipeunlimitedusa.com
Another benefit of working relatively close to the company’s
base is that Trey can visit all work sites during projects to
monitor progress and be responsive when issues arise. Trey’s
role, as a hands-on owner, involves problem solving, along with
scheduling and allocating resources to prepare the company for
its project work.
In terms of safety, the company’s non-hierarchical structure
supports employees in the concept that they all have the authority
to stop work when safety is at risk. While that concept may
be promoted across industry, it is certainly easier for younger
employees to press for a stoppage when they do not feel intimidated
by dominant senior workers.
Trey sees preventing accidents as important not only to
protect employees, but also to maintain productivity. From that
perspective, it’s better, he said, “to have a 15-minute pause to deal
with a potential safety issue than to be down for two or three days
because of an accident.”
When it comes to safety, “it’s easy to take things for granted,”
said Trey. To avoid complacency, the company takes opportunities
to provide impromptu reminders about safety hazards as the team
gets together on site at the start of the day.
The work: Equipment, challenges, being successful
Ford Pile Foundations has completed projects for a wide range of
industrial and government clients, including hospitals, schools,
the military and the Department of Transportation. Its current
equipment comprises two conventional crawler cranes, two bargemounted
cranes and a couple of Junttan pile driving rigs.
Like most companies, Ford’s main challenge is to remain
economically viable, providing good-quality work at a competitive
price. Trey points out this is the same challenge his father and
grandfather would have faced as they managed the company.
“It’s all bid work in this industry; we’re always competing,”
he said, noting how difficult it can be to invest appropriately in
equipment and employees and still be able to win jobs based
primarily on price.
Having a solid reputation is certainly another factor for
companies in a competitive bid process. Ford Pile Foundations
has built its reputation by providing reliable and efficient service.
PDCA CONTRACTOR MEMBER
72 | ISSUE 6 2020 www.piledrivers.org
link
link
