Starting off strong
September started strong with the biggest pour of many concrete workers’ careers. A six-truck pour of a loading dock in the heart of Minneapolis’ industry zone. With the help of Harbor Concrete and other miscellaneous finishers, TCCW was able to capitalize on this large opportunity. This shouldn’t overshadow the rest of the month, though, where we had other projects like driveways and sidewalks to improve homeowners’ quality of life.
Keeping it Going
September had some firsts for some of the crew members. Making retaining walls and pickleball courts. As well as a horseshoe driveway, which is an opportunity that doesn’t often come up. September was the time for fun-shaped projects and a chance to develop vital skills in construction. Many workers in the industry say the months of September and October are the “dog days” of the working season. But the fun projects made it worthwhile. The most enjoyable job of September had to be the three-car garage, along with the horseshoe driveway. It was fun figuring out the shapes and the curves to make it all flow with a purpose.
Minor Setbacks
The month of October was a tricky one. There were a bunch of projects we were trying to fit in while fighting the rain at the same time. There were many times we would look to the days ahead on the radar and would be days of rain. Thankfully, it would mostly clear up by the time we needed it to, and we were still able to pump out some amazing projects. There were two projects during this month that I would say I had the most fun with. The first was a driveway/basketball court that we did in Uptown Minneapolis. It was exciting because it was about eighty feet of a skinny driveway that balloons out to a large basketball court in their backyard. It was a project that took a week and was worth every minute to see the excitement and satisfaction of the homeowners. The second project was one in the heart of historic Minneapolis on Kings’ Highway. There we completed a colored driveway that curved around the house to complament it’s hispanic charm.
Finishing Strong
The final month of the season only lasted two weeks, but was just as satisfying. We started out right away doing a set of steps that was eight risers tall, easily the largest in my career, which led to a curved sidewalk into a patio. This was a project that I learned a lot about the shapes of steps and how tricky it is to get it set perfectly. The fun continued when our main operator of machines had to be out for a week. So I stepped in and ran a Bobcat Mt-100. Something I had no experience in before but became comfortable quickly. I managed to tear out a two car garage and clear the space for a patio while in his absence. Our last project was one that you usually don’t do at this time of the year. We ended up doing another loading dock that came out perfectly and went smooth all the way through. It was another great season and looking forward to the seasons ahead.
NicHarnComm304 