Fontaine Construction Corporation recently completed an asphalt street paving project in the Robinson Estates, a new residential subdivision development near Greer, South Carolina. There were several streets in the development that were far from straight and level.
"It was an uphill pull right from the get go, but we were up to the challenge. The paver had enough power to make it, pushing our loaded trucks in the process. Once we got to the top of the 1700-foot long street, there was a Cul-de-Sac and we pulled that, too. In our industry that's what separates the men from the boys. Anybody can pull a straight and level road," said Paving Superintendent Ray Turner.
"Fontaine Construction Corporation is a comparatively small company with aspirations of growing in a highly competitive field. We are very interested in doing anything we can to reduce today's high cost of doing business. This, however, must be done without sacrificing the high quality of work that our company is known for," said Rex Rice.
"This includes investing in new modern equipment that helps hold the line on the ever rising costs of labor and materials. Anything that gives our crews a competitive edge increases our overall efficiency.
"Our reason for using the Mauldin 1750-C asphalt laydown machine was to upgrade our paving fleet. The first paver we purchased was a small Neal with a manual 8-foot screed. Our next acquisition was a Cedar Rapids with a 10-foot screed. We needed a machine with a small screed that was capable of handling mid-sized projects with increased efficiency, less manpower and a lower operating cost, all without loss of quality. That's a tall order, but one that is essential to staying competitive," continued the company founder and president. Fontaine is an outgrowth of the Rice-Cleveland Construction Co. founded in 1984. Since its inception in 1996, they have specialized in site development turnkey projects that include earthwork, underground utility installation and road and street layout, construction and asphalt pavement. The company works in about a 60-mile radius from their Greenville, South Carolina headquarters. This includes the upstate area to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville, North Carolina.
About 85% of their annual dollar volume comes from the private sector with 15% coming from the public sector. Fontaine has also done some small state jobs as a subcontractor along the I-85 interstate corridor.