COMPACT EQUIPMENT ISSUE

DRAVES PIPELINE, INC. AND COMPACT EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS, INC.CONTINUE TO BUILD THEIR BUSINESS MODEL AROUND THE EFFICIENT USE OF QUALITY COMPACT CAT CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY PG. 6

Draves Pipeline, Inc. and Compact Equipment Specialists, Inc. Continue to Build Their Business Model Around the Efficient Use of Quality Compact Cat Construction Machinery

By Brian Hoover, Editor

ale Draves established Draves Pipeline in 1979 after working several years for a large underground

contractor in Southern California. “After being discharged from the Air Force, I took a job with a well-known underground contractor and worked my way up to superintendent,” says Dale. “There were several family members involved with the company, and I could see that I was not going any further up the ladder, so I decided to start my own construction company.” Dale started out with a rented backhoe and one employee and began taking on small water service jobs. By the mid-80s, Draves had expanded to where he was working on larger projects at trailer parks and smaller sized track homes. “This was when I began taking on more people and investing in construction equipment,” says Dale. “I knew that I wanted to remain small and efficient and choosing the right people was at the top of my priority list.”

Jon Draves graduated from high school in 1994, and he remembers thinking that at the time, he was not interested in going to work for his father’s (Dale Draves) company. “I did some work in sales and moved to Oregon for a short time,” says Jon. “When

I returned, I decided to go to work for Pops, and like any new employee, I started at the bottom.” This meant working as a laborer and digging trenches, before earning the right to begin installing pipeline. My dad taught me that to effectively direct people; you must first, have done the task yourself. I spent 10 years proving myself until finally being promoted to foreman where I was running a crew of my own.” The company was incorporated in 2006 (Draves Pipeline, Inc.), and at this time, Jon started gaining ownership in the family business.

Draves Pipeline, Inc. now works primarily on wet and dry utilities on custom home projects up and down the San Diego coastline and in coastal inland communities

like Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla and Del Mar. They perform a variety of tasks every day, ranging from water services, sewer laterals, electric and gas utility work, as well as storm drains, fire hydrants and fire bioretention basin construction. They are also taking on a good deal of tear down and rebuild work where entire infrastructures are being upgraded on custom home rebuild sites.

Draves Pipeline has experience with all sorts of heavy equipment on large pipeline projects. They, however, do not own any big heavy construction equipment, but instead own efficient, compact equipment from Hawthorne Cat.

D

Jon Draves, Draves Pipeline, Inc. and Compact Equipment Specialists, Inc.

6 2018 Compact equipment ISSUE CALCONTRACTOR www.calcontractor.com

“Our work mainly consists of private development projects on custom home sites, and private subdivisions of around five homes or less,” says Jon. “When we need larger equipment, we rely on our Hawthorne Rentals salesman, Pete Roudenbush. If we don't own it, we call Pete, and he has never let us down. After 39-plus years in this business, I could see that the need for compact equipment, particularly in our niche industry, has grown and is now in great demand. Because of this, I recently started a new company that caters specifically to this particular sector,” says Jon. The name of Jon’s new venture is Compact

Equipment Specialists, Inc. (CES), and of course, Draves Pipeline is his main client. “There is a huge need for operated compact equipment rental services for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and fire sprinkler companies that may not own equipment or have qualified operators in-house,” says Jon. “I really like this business model, and I will continue to expand our fleet without facing the massive overhead you can incur with the large machinery that requires so much maintenance.”

Currently, both companies have a combined fleet of four Cat mini excavators, two rubber-tired skid steer loaders, two track skid steer loaders, one Cat backhoe,

three dump trucks, three Ford F550 crew trucks, and a fleet of attachments that include cold planers, sweepers and breakers. “In all of our years of business, we have never purchased our compact equipment from anyone other than Hawthorne Cat,” says Dale. “Going with Cat just makes good business sense for many reasons. They have excellent parts availability right here in North County, which is hard to find. They offer top-notch service that is second to none, and Cat equipment retains its value over time, with low maintenance costs to boot. Additionally, we have an outstanding working relationship with Hawthorne Cat,

Left: Diego Santillan uses the Cat 305.5E2 Mini Excavator in tight quarters to excavate for fire and water service for a new commercial building.

Top Right: Using a Cat mini excavator allows DPI and CES to navigate efficiently around existing utilities.

Above: Cat mini excavator makes it easy to work around other trades, and job site obstacles such as survey stakes.

2018 Compact equipment ISSUE CALCONTRACTOR 7www.calcontractor.com

especially our machine sales representative, Matt Higgins, who has been there for us through thick and thin. We want to thank Hawthorne Cat for all of their support over the years, as well as our loyal customers that keep coming back to us for their equipment and construction needs.”

According to Dale and Jon Draves, most of the job sites that Draves Pipeline and CES work on are located within small confined spaces. “People buy older homes and lots and they demolish the existing structure in favor of constructing a much larger and more efficient home,” says Dale. “Most times, these jobs require a complete rebuild of the underground infrastructure and utilities and calls for the use of compact equipment to maneuver around in tight working areas.” Jon points out that being able to mobilize with smaller trucks and equipment on these custom home sites is imperative to getting the job done right and on time. Beach communities in our area are busy year-round. Parking large

trucks and trailers are always a challenge. “Working with our Cat compact equipment has brought us a better return on our investment. The maintenance costs are a lot lower than you will find when owning the larger machines, and it has enabled us to carve out a nice niche where we are not competing with the bigger guys,” says Jon. “We fly under the radar on jobs that many larger contractors are not interested in, and smaller contractors are not able to bond or do not have the experience and capability to complete. We have built an excellent reputation in our particular field of service, and we are doing everything we can to maximize the potential of the current market.”

Dale Draves admits that many things have changed over the past 40-plus years and that it is a much more regulated industry. “Dealing with environmental impact reports, Air Resources Board and the long list of regulations from the state, cities, and counties is not much fun,” says Dale. “The cost has to be passed on, and sometimes the

client does not understand that we will spend thousands of dollars on permits and other paperwork before even loading a machine or touching the dirt. You must be able to sell your services properly and educate a future customer upfront on every cost involved.” Jon says that how you physically appear as a company on a job site also matters greatly. “We show up on our job sites looking good and clean and with the newest and best carb compliant equipment available on the market,” says Jon. “We always have the right tool, because we put most of our profits right back into our company by purchasing and owning all of the necessary equipment for any situation. This keeps us versatile and ready for whatever a job has to throw at us, and in the end that will lead to a better bottom line.” Additionally, Jon points out that they approach and work on every job as if it was their own home or property. “We have great relationships with the inspectors and city officials and no matter what the cost, we always maintain honesty through

www.vcesvolvo.com

Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA 661.387.6090

Corona Corona, CA 951.277.7620

Fresno Fresno, CA 559.834.4420

Sacramento Sacramento, CA 916.504.2300

San Diego Lakeside, CA 619.441.3690

San Leandro San Leandro, CA 510.357.9131

Turlock Turlock, CA 209.410.6710

Push Boundaries.

Volvo performance. at any size.Your equipment fleet should be scalable to meet any job site needs. Good thing Volvo power and productivity come in a full range of sizes. Volvo compact equipment brings the same engine performance, well-matched hydraulics, and ease of operation as their larger siblings. All Volvo, all sizes.

173-1851_VCES_8.25x10.75_CalContrctr_EX_2.indd 1 7/27/17 12:00 PM

Left & Above: DPI and CES use a Cat 305.5 E2 CR mini excavator along with a Cat 259D Compact Track Loader instead of using a backhoe. This allows them to continue excavating while shading pipe, installing and backfilling.

8 2018 Compact equipment ISSUE CALCONTRACTOR www.calcontractor.com

practiced, ethical principles,” says Jon. “We work for a long list of high-end clients that have come to expect service that goes beyond the average offerings. You either perform at the level of their expectations or risk damaging your reputation and future work. For us, the customer's needs are the main focus, and we go above and beyond to satisfy their expectations.”

Both Jon and his father, Dale, agree that remaining a small family business is what is going to take them into many more years of success. “We insist on keeping things manageable and treating our employees like family and making sure that they continue to earn a nice comfortable living is very important to my father and I,” says Jon. “Our employees share our family philosophy, and they have our back when it comes

to maintaining our quality and reputation.” Jon says that they only want the best, family-oriented employees and he has a lot of praise and admiration for each and every one of their inside and outside staff. “Jaime Pacheco is our office manager, and she does an exceptional job keeping up with things like permitting processes, payroll, and continually selling our services to clients. She also does a lot of our job coordinating and scheduling, and she is just so good with our clients,” says Jon. “I also want to thank and recognize our foremen, Cody Noblitt and Diego Santillan, who do a great job out in the field running machines and crews.”

Dale Draves serves as the company president for Draves Pipeline, Inc. and Jon Draves is the vice president, while also being the owner and president of Compact Equipment Specialists,

Inc. When asked about what both men see in the future for both companies, Dale replied, “Well I sort of see myself traveling in my RV and going to places that I have always wanted to see. His son, Jon, says that he would like to be in the luggage compartment of his father’s RV when this eventually becomes a reality. “In all seriousness, we will remain small, but continue to push toward greater efficiencies and better profits. I think the future is pretty bright for us right now and we are very content with what we have worked so hard to build over these many years,” concludes Dale.

Draves Pipeline, Inc. and Compact Equipment Specialists, Inc. are headquartered in Bonsall, near Fallbrook. For more information, please visit www.dravespipeline.com. Cc

Left: Jon Draves demos a septic tank prior to DPI connecting a new city sewer lateral install for a private residence. These tanks are often in tight spaces.

Top & Above: DPI and CES trucks, equipment fleet and yard in Bonsall, CA.

CARB Compliant

16402 Construction Circle EastIrvine, CA 92606

26340 Lester Circle Corona, CA 92883

Serving: Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, & Riverside Counties

www.savala.com

24 hour Emergency Service(800) 672-8252 / (949) 552-1859

SINCE 1978

YEARS

DBE/WBE/MBE/SBE

Proud Member

Savala has a fleet of T4F mini excavators.Models available are: CAT 305.5, CAT 308E2 CR, and JD85G.

Variety of buckets, 18” compaction wheel and 1,000lb. breaker.Please contact dispatch for rates.

• 2000 Gallon Water Trucks

• Backhoes

• Excavators

• Loaders

• Skiploaders

• Blades

• Dozers

• Scrapers

• Rollers

• Compactors

OTHER SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

10 2018 Compact equipment ISSUE CALCONTRACTOR www.calcontractor.com