While his ninth grade classmates were cutting grass and washing cars, Tim Welsh, a Fredericksburg, VA, resident, was taking on his first contracting job.
“My great uncle sold property on the family farm to a developer who allowed me to remove the top soil,” recalled Welsh, now 28 and president of Rappahannock Construction Co., based in Fredericksburg. “He paid me 10 bucks a yard.”
The grading job required 14-year-old Welsh to take out a loan to purchase his first heavy equipment fleet –– a Case 1150B loader and a Galion motorgrader. It took nearly three years for Welsh to make good on his debt. He has since lived by the philosophy that “there’s nothing some men and iron won’t take care of.”
While working toward a civil engineering degree at Virginia Tech, Welsh returned home during summer breaks to move more dirt, clearing the way for new housing developments. On weekends, he would often return home with true entrepreneurial spirit to “dabble” in his business.
After college, Welsh continued contracting and worked alongside his father, who was building luxury town homes. In 1998, he purchased Rappahannock Construction from Chuck McCormack, who opened the firm in 1974.
“At that time, I didn’t have two nickels to rub together,” said Welsh. “It’s been crazy ever since.”
Rappahannock has 180 employees, a major jump from the 15 it had when Welsh purchased the company. With a year and a half backlog, he said his biggest problem now is finding people to run the equipment. “The local economy has been very good compared to the rest of the country. [Manufacturers] make equipment everyday, but it’s hard to find people to run them,” he said.
Clearing Ground
In the Washington D.C. bedroom community of Stafford, VA, Welsh’s crews are busy working on sections nine and 10 of a 1,200-unit housing development. Rappahannock is doing it all on the $3.5 million contract — clearing, grading, utilities, gutters and paving.
Crews are laying 5 to 6 mi. (8 to 9.7 km) of pipe and moving approximately 350,000 cu. yds. (267,600 cu m) of dirt at the development known as Stafford Lakes, which lies 3 mi. from I-95 near the Rappahannock River. Welsh has seven crewmembers doing the utility work and five maneuvering articulated trucks.
At the site, the orange arms of Hitachi excavators are in stark contrast with the dark brown mud in which they are working. Rappahannock Construction has 12 of these excavators moving dirt in preparation for utilities.
“I really have had no problems with any of the excavators,” said Welsh, who purchases his iron from J.W. Burress in Warrenton, VA. “I have no reason to call [J.W. Burress] –– except to get another piece of equipment.”
Rappahannock crews are also using a Gradall 4100 series II and a Gomaco GT3600 curb machine at the Stafford Lakes site.
In Spotsylvania County, VA, Welsh’s crews also are clearing and grading land in preparation for the $45-million Riverbend High School. Since the company began working at the site, it has moved approximately 500,000 yds. (457,200 m) of dirt.
“All in all, we’re close to schedule on both of these jobs,” said Welsh. “With all the rain we’ve had, we’re not in too bad of shape.”
One of the largest projects the company has undertaken is the Fredericksburg Auto Auction, where crews cleared 150 acres (60.7 ha) of land and paved 100 acres (40.5 ha) of that. And in the upcoming months, Rappahannock will move 1.7 million yds. (1.6 million m) of ground for a Wal•Mart Super Center in Massaponax, VA.
As for the future, Rappahannock Construction is “holding steady,” said Welsh. “Right now, we’re playing catch up. I’ve just been trying to catch my breath.”
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