Like a lot of contractors in Florida, R.F. Concrete Construction Inc. has spent a lot of its time with reconstruction since the 2004 hurricane season.

While it focused mostly on new construction before the storms rampaged the state, approximately 70 percent of its work involves rebuilding.

The general contractor, founded in 1982 by Ron Foulks, specializes in tilt-wall structures and steel buildings, as well as slab construction.

With all the clean-up work coming its way, R.F. Concrete has limited its focus to the four-county area surrounding its Vero Beach headquarters, said Charlie Bicht, general contracting division manager.

To assist with one of its projects, the reconstruction of the Greene River Packing plant in Vero Beach, the crew has brought a JCB 532 loadall, which was purchased from Pippin Tractor in Fort Pierce, to the site.

“We are doing some extensive work here at Greene River Packing,” Bicht said. “The hurricanes damaged the roof and skin of the warehouse and knocked down one end of the building that was a steel structure.”

Bicht described the site as “a war zone.”

R.F. Concrete workers are rebuilding the degreening rooms (in which citrus fruit is introduced to ethylene gas to create a more marketable color) and will do some wall and roof work on the cooling building.

“We use the JCB 532 loadall for a variety of jobs,” he said. “It can set materials on the roof with its 36-foot reach and, when necessary, it can pick up and place the steel beams for the buildings.”

Crews also use it as a personnel lift by putting a man basket on it and use it to get the men to work or as a platform. When the new steel building arrives at the site, Bicht expects to use the loadall to place materials and move workers around.

“We’ve had it for about six months and it really makes a difference in our jobs,” he said.

The roof replacement was 80 percent completed just a month after Hurricane Jeanne hit in September. It pulled off the site during the peak of the citrus season, but are preparing to head back to replace 60 ft. of the degreening building that was completely demolished.

Bicht expects to complete the project by September.

For more information, visit www.rfcconstruction.com. CEG Staff

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