Words from our Founder, David L. Walker; by Kaisa S. Lewia.
David is always on the move, and after several attempts to interview the founder of our company, I finally cornered him to sit down for a minute with me for an informal interview.
David started the company in 1972 with just two employees, himself included. He was encouraged to embark on this venture by several local builders who had grown tired of the quality and service of the only concrete builder/supplier in the area.
Of course to even consider starting a company, he needed some capital to get the company off the ground! To do this he obtained a second mortgage for $10,000. With this, he purchased panels and a pick up truck. Walker Construction was born!
When asked if he remembered his first job, without hesitation he says, :Yes, Sammy Kaiser’s home on Rte 100 North of Stowe. And remembers his favorite jobs, Millie Bried in 1988 and a 22′ high retaining wall in Montpelier.
The Millie Bried project was his first commercial job, over 1,000 yards and the contractor was Pizzagalli. This was a huge confidence booster as he went up against three other big time Subcontractors, and was awarded the job! He poured 16,000 square feet of 6′ slab, 380 yards in 4 hours! The Superintendent for Pizzagalli was so impressed; he threw a “Super keg party” for the Walker Crew!
One of his favorite jobs was a retaining wall in Montpelier. He was the lowest bidder by a considerable amount on this job, so he was nervous that he might lose his shirt on this one! However, he ended up making the largest profit, at that time!
Dave also reminisced about another favorite job, Storage in Stowe. Over the years his experience in concrete gave him the confidence and experience to design foundations and slabs. Thus, he was able to provide this customer a topnotch product, without the expense of architectural designers.
I asked David what made him decide to expand into excavation. He reflected on the 1980’s and how profitable they were. Therefore, he had an opportunity to hire an exceptional operator and purchased Walker Construction’s first piece of equipment, a 490 excavator. And in 1988, our first dump truck!
Dave responded to my next question with considerable thought: What has been your biggest challenge? He stated that, jobs have become more complicated. When he started in the early seventies, they were a piece of cake. Now, a job produces several blue prints, more information than you need, so you have to sift through them to get the information you need.
Another huge concern and challenge is finding workers. Concrete construction is no longer a desirable job. The youth of today are pursuing jobs in different fields, and are moving out of state. He feels that we are fortunate to have the excellent workers we currently have, but is concerned about the future.
I asked Dave what he hopes his legacy will be, not an easy question to ask, but one that he did not hesitate to answer, I hope my legacy will be for my successors to do the best possible job they can, like we have always done.
In closing, I believe that Walker Construction can continue to implement Dave’s legacy. We take pride in doing the best job possible, and our reputation proves this. Dave has been a true example of what our company has evolved to become.
Families in France who are facing variant health problem, these individuals can purchase medicines from the Web without any problem. There are anti-epileptic drugs. The preparation is also used in adults to treat nerve ache caused by herpes virus. Truly, the enumeration is very big. This article focuses on “canadian generic viagra“. It is possible that you know about “buy viagra from canadian pharmacy“. Of all the matters in the field of healthcare that pique our attention most, it’s ED, notably “canadian online pharmacy viagra“. Keep reading for a list of remedies that can cause erectile dysfunction and what you can do to stop those side effects. Some medications are not suitable for patients with several conditions, and once a remedy may only be used if extra care is taken. Together, you and your druggist have to determine if Viagra or another medicine is right for you.