“When you’re doing a two- or three-story building, you have to know what you’re doing to get that building down where it’s supposed to go,” continued Cox. “We were demolishing a two-story building on Lake Street that was attached to another one-story building. If you don’t know what you are doing, the brick ends up on the roof of the one-story building. It’s an art form.”
Kjellberg feels his expertise, combined with that of his employees — many who have 10 to 15 years of experience in demolition and excavation — gives RJK Contracting an edge when bidding and working on projects. “A lot of guys bid demolition jobs cheap because they think it’s easy,” he noted. “They find out pretty quickly that their numbers have to jump up to make any money.”
“We’ve all been through the trenches, and we’ve pretty much experienced just about everything you can in this business,” added Cox. “So when problems arise, we have the solutions.”
Reliable equipment vital
Because RJK is a small contractor with a small equipment fleet, downtime really “kills” them, according to Kjellberg, who believes in buying new or nearly new equipment. “You might as well pay a little bit more and get a new machine with a warranty and know how it’s been treated,” he said. Kjellberg turned to Komatsu equipment from Road Machinery & Supplies Company when he decided to invest in new machinery. RMS Sales Representative Phil Major services the RJK account.
Part of the crew at RJK Contracting includes (from left): Operator John Jerde,
Estimator Robert Cox, Owner Roger Kjellberg, Lead Laborer and Operator Rob
Doble and Operator Jason Edwards.
RJK’s fleet from RMS includes one Komatsu PC200LC-6 excavator, a Komatsu PC150-6 excavator, a Komatsu D41 dozer, and a Komatsu WA380-5 wheel loader. “We’re also renting an Ingersoll-Rand DD24 roller and a LeeBoy 8000,” Kjellberg added. “We’ll probably use the rental as a down payment. We’re not going to be paving every day, but we want to be able to service our customers. I know if I have trouble, RMS will help take care of the problem.”
Kjellberg was introduced to RMS and Komatsu equipment when a friend totaled out Kjellberg’s backhoe. He couldn’t work out financing on a new machine with his regular dealer, so he talked to RMS’ Phil Major. “Phil had me come out and talk to a finance guy,” said Kjellberg. “I sat down there for 20 minutes, and three hours later I got a call saying, ‘You’re approved.’ I still have that Komatsu PC200. And every time I ventured off to another dealer, I got stung, so now I have a brand-new Komatsu WA380 front-end loader from RMS.”
Kjellberg noted that first PC200, a 1996 model, is RJK’s demolition work horse. “It’s still a good machine, but because it’s our demo machine, it’s not the prettiest thing anymore,” he smiled.
Treated like a “big company”
Kjellberg says he likes his Komatsu equipment and his relationship with RMS. “RMS treats us very well,” he stated.
“They treat you like a big company without being a big company,” explained Cox. “There is a stigma in this business that if you’re not one of the big guys, dealers don’t take time and they don’t care. Whereas RMS has always cared about the little guy as much as the big guy, and it shows. When you drive down the road, you see a whole lot more Komatsu equipment than you did in years past.”
Kjellberg also owned a Komatsu PC220LC-6 excavator, “but it didn’t fit us anymore, so we traded it in for the PC150-6, which was basically a brand-new machine,” he explained. “It fits what we’re bidding and doing right now. And as long as the equipment is standing up, I’ll keep it for 20 years. We’ve found that Komatsu equipment seems to hold its resale value.”
RJK relies on a nighttime mechanic to service his equipment. “We haven’t had any trouble,” he said. “I buy filters, cutting edges, teeth and fuel, and that’s my maintenance so far on the Komatsu equipment I’ve had.”