Union Concrete & Construction Corp., a heavy highway construction company that serves the greater western New York area, recently purchased a special-edition Kobelco excavator with a special paint scheme paying tribute to the U.S. troops and supporting the Wounded Warrior Project.
At the 2014 ConExpo/ConAGG construction industry trade show in Las Vegas, Kobelco displayed one of the five limited edition SK350LCs at its booth. Kobelco donated $20,000 of the purchase price of each of the five excavators to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Thousands of show attendees stopped by to have their picture taken with the awe-inspiring machine wrapped in patriotic graphics including the American flag, silhouettes of soldiers and logos from all five-armed force divisions. The bucket of the crawler excavator collected $19,317.75 in donations from booth visitors, creating a total donation to the WWP of $119,317.75.
"Before [ConExpo] Pete Baschmann and Bob Tracy [both of Baschmann Services] visited me and described what Kobelco was doing, and I made the decision right then and there to purchase one of these machines," said Union Concrete President Bob Hill. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. We are all very aware of the physical and mental condition that some of our vets are coming home in. We were aware of the Wounded Warrior Project and felt confident that funds going to that organization were being used the right way."
Currently Union Concrete’s Kobelco is being used on a project on Interstate 86 in Salamanca, N.Y., near the Seneca Indian Reservation. The Seneca leaders were so impressed with the look of the machine they asked if they could have it on display at their annual Pow Wow.
Union Concrete and
Construction Corp.
Founded in 1950 by George Hill, Union Concrete and Construction Corp.’s primary focus was commercial concrete work. In 1960, the company shifted its focus to bridge projects; by the 1970s, the company was primarily focused on public works projects. Today, the company is operated by Bob Hill, his brother, Gary Hill, and sister, Jodi Hill Osinski and focuses primarily on road and bridge reconstruction and rehabilitation. It often works with state agencies, which include New York State DOT, NYSTA, and local county, town, and city highway departments.
During peak season the company employs approximately 140 employees and its fleet includes approximately 150 pieces of heavy highway equipment. Union Concrete has had an ongoing relationship with Baschmann Services. Its past purchases have included KPI-JCI jaw crushers, impact crushers and conveyors, along with Kent hammers and a Kobelco SK160. According to Bob Hill, Union Concrete has had good experiences with all of the machines that it has purchased from Baschmann and has been satisfied with the machines and the product support provided by Baschmann Services.
"We also use Baschmann for an awful lot of our service and repair work on our fleet. They are just one of two locally owned equipment distributors in the Buffalo area and we have always felt that it is important to support locally owned businesses. Another factor that determines who we do business with is who we like to have around."
"We do a considerable amount of our own service work and it’s important to me that I be able to pick up the phone, call a dealership and get straight answers. That has always been my experience with Baschmann."
For more information on Baschmann Services, visit www.baschmann.com.
For more information on Union Concrete and Construction Corp., visit www.unionconcreteconstruction.com.
Wounded Warrior Project
A non-profit organization that supports a full range of programs and services for this generation of injured veterans and their families, the Wounded Warrior Project was formed in 2001 because its founders saw that many of the needs of returning wounded service members were not being met. The founders decided that the WWP would be a different kind of veterans’ charity in that the organization would not accept government funding and would remain true to the mission of "honoring and empowering wounded warriors."
The Wounded Warrior Project relies solely on the American public to stand behind it and to support the 20 different programs and services, such as Project Odyssey, TRACK and the Transitional Training Academy. These programs are designed to meet the growing needs of this newest generation of wounded warriors.
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