After college, the only thing I knew was I wanted to build my own house.  I wanted to have my hands on every piece.  Therefore, I took a job with a local contractor who taught me the trade, and every carpenter I worked with left an impression on me.  My curiosity was my greatest asset, and it was important for me to ask “how” and more importantly “why things are done the way they are.”

 

My beginning years were spent collecting as much knowledge as possible, becoming an authority in as many aspects of carpentry as I could.  I began to form my own opinions on how things should be done, and what schools of thought were building traditions that had outlived their practicality.  This sort of confidence required understanding the old and studying the new, and then perpetuating the hybrid that produced the best results. 

 

As I took on larger projects as a general contractor I found there were always situations where conventional processes lacked solutions.  One of these situations was a simple deck that I agreed to build.  I immediately realized the site was incredibly wet.  I informed the owner that the cement piers would be the most costly part of the deck due to the nature of the site.  Conventional practices could solve this problem, but at a significant cost. 

 

This client was very resourceful, and came back to me and asked if I would try helical pilings instead of cement piers.  I had never heard of them, but I was curious and wanted to learn, so I agreed.  I called the local dealer, and shortly there after they showed up to do the work.  They completed all the pilings in less than two hours with no excavating or mess, and at one tenth the price that I could install cement pilings.  They also guaranteed their work for five times longer than the industry standard.  I started building on the helical pilings that afternoon and found they were a joy to build with. 

 

After that experience, I decided that I would never install a cement piling again.  The number of applications helical pilings have is incredible and a problem solving tool every contractor should utilize.  Moreover, I decided I wanted to be part of this technology so other contractors could experience and appreciate the quality and versatility of this service and product.  The rest, as they say, was history…