Our obligation is to perform to our clients’ expectations and needs. Our goal is to exceed them.
The story Crowns & Curbs is the history of a company so deeply embedded in the regional construction industry that it is a Midwest institution in its own right. The time-tested company has grown since its inception in 1989 as it has continuously overcome all the industry highs and lows, seasonal climate events, national economic fluctuations, and other challenges of operating in the central US through the decades.
We are fortunate to have Ken Hohlt, Owner, Crowns & Curbs, share with NAS readers some insights into management practices, operational priorities, and navigating the industry in the central United States:
Services Provided by Crowns & Curbs, St. Louis MO
The company offers its customers a wide variety of essential site services, making C&C a veritable one-stop shop of support services for general contractors. Crowns & Curbs also serves residential property owners. The array of services provided by Hohlt’s team throughout St. Louis metro and beyond features construction site cleanup, dust suppression, non-potable water tank filling and rental, sod and landscape watering, portable sprinkler systems, flood clean-up, pool filling, soil and rock compaction, and water line pressure testing, among others.
How it All Began in St. Louis
The company was incorporated in 1989. I started it, and this was our fourth business. Previously, we were a distributor selling municipal waste material handling products and selling pavement sweeper trucks — Athey Mobil sweepers. We started doing sweeping service work because we kept getting calls for it.
Many businesses and government agencies that manage city or county pavement cleaning needed to have sweeping done, but they did not want to buy and maintain the heavy equipment themselves. So, we started offering that service to meet the need. We expanded into water delivery about 8 to 10 years later, for the same reason — in response to the frequent calls for it.
Equipment at Crowns & Curbs
We currently have 4 pavement sweeping trucks, all Athey Mobil. We’ve stuck with those primarily because of the type of work we do. They’re very dependable pieces of equipment. Athey went out of business about 20 years ago, and the trucks continue to perform well. We operate in very harsh conditions, and we’ve found the Atheys to be easy to maintain.
Our other business is a waste material hauling service for construction sites. It complements some of the sweeping debris services we provide. We deliver and pick up roll-offs to customers’ sites. We currently have 8 roll-off transport trucks, about 400 roll-off dumpsters of all sizes. Our fleet, other equipment, and our administrative offices are all at our 20,000-square-foot building and yard on a little over an acre of property.
The Crowns & Curbs Team and Operations
We currently have a total of about 20 employees. We have a couple of mechanics who prefab parts as needed, and we keep some parts on hand. Our lead pavement sweeper and water-hauling truck operator does our training. Between the shop mechanics and the drivers, all the work is done onsite.
The operators of the equipment are all CDL licensed. They do a certain amount of daily maintenance, adhering to their initial pre-trip and post-trip processes. We serve about a 50 to 60-mile radius. We will go farther, depending on the situation.
The services we provide for our customers require high levels of skill. For example, we conduct pressure testing to validate the integrity of new plumbing lines and valves before initial use. We have knowledgeable, experienced professionals doing this procedure with the best tools for safely performing the necessary testing.
Ken Hohlt’s Quality Management System
I have almost daily conversations with our customers. We focus on following our motto, which is to fulfill our obligation to perform to each customer’s expectations and needs and to strive to reach our goal of exceeding them. We encourage our drivers to be friendly with our customers and do what the customer needs and wants them to do.
So, if they’re on the site, the worker’s name is on the job ticket. That means the customer and the worker can work together to solve issues. If guidance or additional support is needed, I can step in with solutions.
Crowns & Curbs’ Service Mission Stands Out
We offer consistency. Our drivers understand that it’s our job to exceed what the customer wants. People don’t call us just because they like us. They do like us, but they call because they need one or more of the services we provide and they know we’re very sensitive to customer needs. We provide a convenient all-in-one solution for our customers, whatever project they may be working on.
Our commercial water delivery serves all kinds of needs. We provide dust suppression service that helps prevent excessive dust from becoming a problem for equipment operators and even nearby businesses and residences. Our sweeping services help minimize messy conditions at construction sites, clean roads, parking lots, and other spaces, apply water, as needed, to control dust, clean up debris, wash away mud, etc. We also deliver large amounts of water for existing tanks on sites, and provide rental tanks as needed.
Advice for Industry Newcomers from Ken Hohlt, Crowns & Curbs, St. Louis MO
We’ve succeeded through word-of-mouth, referrals, repeat business from general contractors’ construction superintendents moving from company to company with new projects that they call us for, and from activity generated by the website. But, our business is unique, in that it’s not the kind of work that somebody could say about it, “I’m going to do that,” and then just start doing it.” It’s too relationship-based. You also need to be a union operator to work on the sites, and a CDL license is required to drive the heavy-duty machinery (sweeper trucks, water trucks, roll-off transport trucks, etc.).
So, for people interested in providing the kinds of services we offer, I’d suggest starting out by getting a job with a company in some part of the industry and taking advantage of all possible learning and relationship-building opportunities.
For more information about Crowns & Curbs, 1411 North Warson Rd, St. Louis, MO 63132, MO 63132, you can call (314) 645-8844 or visit crowns&curbs.com.