If you see a major municipal utility job going on in theMobile, Ala., area, chances are Hughes Plumbing & Utilityis involved. The local utility contractor has completed anumber of projects for the Mobile Water Department duringthe past 10 years, primarily dealing with heavy undergroundutility construction, including lift stations, water and sewer,and other pipe work.

Hughes Plumbing & Utility owner Preston Hughes wentinto business on his own in 1997 with a foundation in theplumbing business. “My father was believed to be the firstAfrican American master plumber in the state of Alabama,”said Hughes. “My first experience in the business was inLivingston, Alabama, working for one of my brothers.Eventually, I began bidding on jobs myself and hired myfirst employees, who were all brothers of mine. I started outwith just three employees and now, 15 years later, I have 25.”

During those years, Hughes Plumbing & Utility has builta solid reputation for quality work, done right and donequickly. “One of my main philosophies is we try to do it rightthe first time. I don’t take any shortcuts, even if it costs memoney,” Hughes insisted. “My reputation means more to methan the bottom line. I’ve instilled that in my employees andthey know that even if it costs more, our intention is to do itright the first time.”

Mobile Area Contractor Builds Biz on Solid Reputation

ALABAMA STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

see HUGHES page 2

Hughes Plumbing & Utility Supervisor Jamar James (R)and TEC Mobile BranchManager Chris Howard.

A Hughes Plumbingand Utility operatoruses the company’sKomatsu WA250PT

loader to carry pipe atthe Wright Smith

Wastewater TreatmentFacility.

Here, an operator uses a Komatsu PC200 excavator to lay pipe at the North MobileWastewater Treatment Facility in Mount Vernon, Ala.

May 12013

Vol. XXV • No. 9Mobile

Dothan

Auburn

Anniston

Gadsden

HuntsvilleFlorence

Decatur

BirminghamBessemer

Tuscaloosa

SelmaMontgomery

Phenix City

65

65

65

65

10

85

20

20

59

59

565

220

72

31

231

43

78

5

72

431

280

82

231

31

43

80

82

231

84

84

52

431

331

45

98

84

82

Page 2 • May 1, 2013 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Hughes Takes On Its Largest Project to Date in MobileThat outstanding reputation is a major rea-

son why the company has been awarded somany jobs for Mobile Water, according toHughes. “They don’t award a contract justbecause it is the low bid. The contract goesto the “lowest responsible bidder” as theycall it, so a good reputation is key, especiallyhere in the Mobile area.”Its positive work record has kept Hughes

Plumbing & Utility working primarily in theMobile County area during the past several

years. However, Hughes notes that he has ageneral contractor’s license for Mississippias well as Alabama, and has done somework in that neighboring state. “Dependingon the work that’s required, we will go wher-ever we have to.”

Largest Job to DateRight now, the contractor is focusing its

efforts on its largest job ever, the WrightSmith Wastewater Treatment Facility out-fall. The $6.7 million project for Mobile

Water is also one of the largest jobs themunicipality has let out. “We’re laying a 42-inch forced main on this project, so thatrequires some deep digging. We have a yearto do this job and we are on track to finish itin six to eight months, so we’re well aheadof schedule,” Hughes said. HughesPlumbing & Utility crews are micro-tunnel-ing under railroad tracks as part of theWright Smith project.At the same time, Hughes Plumbing &

Utility is working on the North MobileWastewater Treatment Facility for the townof Mount Vernon, a $975,000 job. The proj-ect is what Hughes describes as a packagedwastewater system. “Three sets of tanks areinstalled; one is basically a storage tankwhere all the influent enters, the second is alarge septic tank, and the final stage of treat-ment recirculates into the third tank beforeit’s discharged.”In addition to laying pipe, Hughes

Plumbing & Utility handles excavation,trucking, concrete work and asphalt work.“We do about 95 percent of the work of ourcontracts,” Hughes said. “The only thing Isub out is electrical work or major roadpaving. Other than that, we do everythingourselves.”

Right Equipment NeededCompleting such major, complex jobs on

time and on budget requires experienced,dedicated workers and reliable, productiveequipment. That’s why Hughes turns to TECMobile Branch Manager Chris Howard.“The Wright Smith Wastewater job has

cuts ranging from 15 to 25 feet deep, but it’sno big deal to me,” Hughes commented.“It’s just having the right equipment to getthe job done, and that’s where Tractor &Equipment Company comes in. The firstthing I did before I started this job was to buy

a Komatsu PC300 excavator and aWA250PT loader because I knew what wewere going to be doing on this job. I knewwe would have deep excavation and I want-ed to make sure we had a lead hoe (the newPC300) and a secondary hoe for backfill-ing— the PC300 we already owned. It takesjust about everything I have on a job this sizeto do it in a timely manner. I believe in get-ting the equipment that we need for the job.”Hughes Plumbing & Utility has a large

number of Komatsu machines, including 10excavators (two PC300s, a PC200, a PC228,a PC138, two PC78s, a PC50 and twoPC35MRs), a WA200 and a WA250PTwheel loader, and a D31PX-21 dozer,among others.Hughes conducted his own field trial

comparing the Komatsu PC78 excavatorwith another brand machine of the samesize. “One of my operators got on theKomatsu and I was on the other machinefrom 8 a.m. to noon,” Hughes said. “Wewere putting in a water line, digging at afour-foot depth. In those four hours, he dug60 feet more than me. At lunchtime, weswitched machines and dug for another fourhours. In the afternoon, I used the Komatsuand dug 60 feet more than my operator usingthe other excavator. That was a real-worldcomparison — same dirt, same ditch. Forthat scenario — four-foot depth, digging awater line with 18-inch buckets on eachmachine — the Komatsu outperformed itscompetitor with close to 15 percent moreproduction.”While productive equipment is critical to

completing jobs in a timely manner, Hughessays the relationship he has with the dealer isalso important. “We have a good relation-ship with TEC,” he reported. “We can callTEC Mobile Service Manager Richie

Using a Komatsu PC300 excavator with an extended stick, a Hughes Plumbing &Utility crew digs a deep trench at the Wright Smith Wastewater Treatment Facilityjobsite in Mobile, Ala.

Hughes Plumbing & Utility Owner Preston Hughes (R) turns to TEC Mobile BranchManager Chris Howard for his equipment needs.

HUGHES from page 1

see HUGHES page 6

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • May 1, 2013 • Page 3

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Page 4 • May 1, 2013 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • May 1, 2013 • Page 5

Page 6 • May 1, 2013 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Although Hughes Plumbing & Utility has a number of large excavators, it also relies on compact units, such as this KomatsuPC35MR, for smaller-scale tasks.

Alabama Contractors Fight Over Public Work LegislationBy Phillip RawlsASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) With the construction busi-ness still struggling to recover from the recession, contrac-tors in Alabama are fighting over legislation that wouldallow the construction of public buildings without goingthrough the traditional competition with sealed bids. A bill awaiting a vote in the Senate Commerce,

Transportation and Utilities Committee would create a newoption. A government agency would pick a constructionmanager and then agree on a maximum price for a project. Ifthe project came in over the maximum price, the construc-tion manager would have to pick up the extra cost, ratherthan the government entity. “Contractors on the job have a little more skin in the

game, which will give the taxpayer the best value,’’ said JayReed of Birmingham, president of Associated Builders andContractors of Alabama, which is backing the legislation. The bill has become one of the most contentious issues in

the 2013 session, pitting large contractors against somemedium and small contractors. That recovery is going slow. The state Department of

Labor reported 79,100 workers on construction jobsstatewide in February. That’s down from 80,600 in February2012 and from 110,602 in February 2007. Opponents say the legislation will benefit the largest con-

tractors with big marketing budgets and staffs. They also sayit opens the door to no-bid deals, like the state warehouseconstruction project that led to guilty pleas by Montgomerylobbyist Lanny Young and one of Gov. Don Siegelman’s topaides, Nick Bailey, in 2003. “It’s basically the same thing. From a taxpayers’ stand-

point, it’s a bad bill,’’ said Brad Norris, secretary-treasurer ofNorris Building Co. in Montgomery. Reed said it’s an open process used by many states for

projects that are complicated, involve historic preservation orhave a short deadline. It would be an alternative to the tradi-tional method of the government entity seeking sealed bidsand then awarding the project to the lowest responsible bid-der. It would be used on buildings, but not roads and bridges. Called “construction manager at risk,’’ the bill provides

for a public board or agency to prequalify construction man-agement companies. Each one would submit a proposal, andthe government entity would pick a winner based on severalfactors, including experience and personnel. Then the gov-ernment entity and the top-ranked company would work onbuilding plans together and negotiate a contract. Reed saidthe legislation limits the amount of the actual work that theconstruction manager can do on the project, which wouldallow for plenty of subcontractors, and it requires that all pro-ceedings and records must be public. Jeff Rogers, a manager of Alabama Associated General

Contractors, said the selection process still allows subjectiv-

ity. His organization is pushing for a threshold of $25 millionthat projects would have to exceed before using the con-struction manager at risk. Rogers said that would allowsmaller general contractors to continue to bid for smallerprojects, which kept many of them afloat during the reces-sion. Reed said his group is opposed to a permanent threshold

because if the new method is good for a project over $25 mil-lion, then it should be as worthwhile for a smaller one. The sponsor, Republican Sen. Slade Blackwell of

Mountain Brook, said he believes the bill will end up with athreshold, and that it will get approved by the Legislatureonce that happens. He predicts it will be used for complicat-ed projects, like a research building at a university or a sportsarena, but not for routine projects, like a parking deck oraddition to city hall. Blackwell has come under criticism from opponents

because ABC’s political action committee was a majordonor in 2010, providing him with $100,000 in theRepublican primary, where he upset an incumbent. Blackwell, who is in the medical real estate business, said

his sponsorship is based on the bill’s merits. “It’s been donein the business world for 30 years. You can save tons ofmoney and time on the length of a project,’’ he said.

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment

Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

Hughes Plumbing & Utility Continues Its Growth StreakSievering on his cell phone whenever we needsomething. I don’t even call the TEC officeanymore, I communicate directly with Richie.I wouldn’t ever second-guess what he says,that’s how much confidence I have that he willdo the right thing.”

Comfort ZonePreston Hughes is not only comfortable

with his equipment dealer, he is satisfied withthe direction his company has taken. Throughthe years, Hughes Plumbing and Utility hasbeen able to take on more work and completeincreasingly larger projects.“I’m comfortable and content with manag-

ing around $5 million to $7 million worth ofwork, although this year we’ll end up withabout $9 million,” he said. “The way the mar-ket has changed, I have to do $9 million tomake the same percentage as I used to doing$4.5 million. But I’m very pleased with thework we are doing and I’m hopeful that thefuture will bring more of the same.(Reprinted with permission from Tractor

Times.)(This story also can be found on

Construction Equipment Guide’s Web siteat www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)CEG

HUGHES from page 2

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • May 1, 2013 • Page 7

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