Walls & Patios Plus Testimonial

CONTRACTOR UPGRADES U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FACILITIES

Tony Romanish had nothing to lose in 1989 when he started a business building patios and outdoor walls near his home in the Skylands region of Greenwood Lake, New York.

“I was at the tail end of a divorce, and owed so much money, and it felt like there was no way out,” he recalls. “And the economy was bad. So, my whole mindset when launching this company was that if I start with nothing and end up with nothing, then I’ve lost absolutely nothing.”

Ultimately, the gamble paid off. After five years building patios and exterior walls for residential and commercial properties, things took a fortuitous turn when Romanish was asked to take on a small job for the United States Postal Service (USPS).

“I got hooked up with the post office for what basically started out as a one-day backhoe rental,” he remembers. That job, which involved digging footings in Ramsey, N.J., marked the beginning of a partnership which has lasted for more than three decades. By partnering with Lighton Electric, a federal job order contracting (JOC) company in Lakewood, New Jersey, Walls & Patios Plus found a niche and a steady stream of USPS civil work.

Starting with small-scale projects like sidewalk repairs and pothole patches, Walls & Patios Plus progressed to more complex undertakings. Today, they are heavily involved in the USPS’s initiative to establish electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for delivery trucks. The significance of these projects is immense, given the USPS’s stated plan to utilize 250,000 EVs nationwide. Crews from Wals & Patios Plus are currently converting a parking lot at a mid-sized distribution center in Edison, N.J. into an EV charging facility capable of housing and charging about 400 EVs.

“Starting on the inside, we helped modify the building so carriers from various towns can come here, sort their mail, load their EVs and go back to their towns and deliver to their routes,” he says. “Then the carriers come back here at night, charge the vehicles, and start all over again in the morning.

“It’s a very smart move by the USPS. They’re really making a significant investment in their infrastructure. We see it firsthand, because postal work is really all we do anymore.”

The right machine for the job

A key factor in the success of Walls and Patios Plus has been its reliance on Cat® equipment. On a number of occasions, the contractor has been tasked with interior demolition-a job that requires using machines with zero emissions. Romanish found the right machine for the job through his Cat dealer, H.O. Penn.

The innovative Cat 300.9D VPS with HPU 300 Mini Excavator delivers versatility in a compact size with a choice of diesel or electric power. This machine has zero emissions when used in electric mode, and also creates low noise, superior power and

control. Its ability to fit through a narrow doorway makes it an excellent machine for indoor demolition work.

“We literally had to go inside a bathroom to do some work, and the nice thing about these minis is that they fold up and will fit through a 30-inch doorway,” Romanish says.

 

“We had to remove about 2,200 cubic yards of concrete, and without the mini it would have been impossible. I couldn’t do it with electric jackhammers, and air jackhammers were not permitted in the building. So it was either saw cut it with electric and pulling out pieces, but that is very time consuming. The nice thing about that machine is it will run all day long with no problems, and it’s very quiet.

“We don’t know from one day to the next what the postal service will have,” Romanish continues. “But it makes us more viable to the postal service because they know we have the technologies to conform to their requirements. This is why we’re constantly upgrading our equipment, because now they require that everything be Tier 4.”

Safety first

There’s a common misconception that it’s easy to work around a post office, Romanish says. But in fact, the postal service strives to avoid property damage and injuries, while still getting the mail delivered on time.

“They want no incidents,” he says. “Safety is their main priority. We have frequent meetings with the USPS about safety concerns and safety issues to ensure that nobody gets hurt. If you were here at 10 o’clock this morning, the whole parking lot was full of cars and mail trucks. Everybody thinks it’s easy to work around a post office, but it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do because you have to work around for the light bases, while a 12-inch auger drills the holes for their schedule. We can’t hinder them whatsoever.”

 

 

Caterpillar’s continuous innovation has also played a vital role. The newer Cat machines are laden with advanced technologies that provide significant advantages.

“The backup cameras and grade control are nice features,” Romanish says. “They not only enhance efficiency, but also make the machines easier to operate for less experienced workers. One of my operators is a young guy who was learning the business and struggled with the manual controls on our old D3 Dozer. I put him on our new D1 and he had no trouble. It’s practically like you can operate it with your fingertips-it’s awesome.”

Attachments cut time in half

Walls & Patios crews utilize a variety of attachments, such as augers, a hammer, box blade, vibratory compactor and a broom for cleanup.

On the Edison distribution center job, crews are installing 600 bollards and 58 bases for lights. A three-foot auger drills holes the bollards.

“By drilling them, it’ll cut the time in half as opposed to digging,” Romanish says. “Two guys can do all of these holes, and we estimate doing 25 to 30 a day. Plus, we use an extra guy as a laborer to help keep everything clean. It just saves a lot of time. 

Working in sweltering conditions this summer with high humidity and temperatures hovering in the mid-90s, the air-conditioned, enclosed cabs of Romanish’s Cat machines make for a more comfortable and productive operating

environment.

“I think the biggest thing that Caterpillar builds into their equipment which nobody else can even come close to is the operator comfort,” Romanish says. “Caterpillar does a really good job to ensure that operators are comfortable. When they design these machines, they consider how ergonomically proper they can position the controls. You can run an eight-hour shift in a Cat machine and remain very alert to your surroundings.”

Dealer support aids growth

The reliability and efficiency of Cat machines backed by support from his Cat dealer were critical during the pandemic, when the postal service ramped up infrastructure projects. Romanish recounts a challenging period when they had to rely on rented equipment from other brands.

“We had nothing but problems with the machinery-it kept breaking down and we had to wait two weeks for parts,” he recalls. “On the other hand, I know when I own a piece of Cat equipment, I’ll have the part the same day or the next morning.

“If we do have a problem with a machine, H.O. Penn’s service department gets right on it-I can’t say enough good things about their parts department,” Romanish adds.” When it comes to financing, I don’t think we’ve waited more than 48 hours to have any financing approved by Cat Financial. And when we trade something in, H.O. Penn has always done very well by me.

“H.O. Penn has had a lot to do with the growth of this company,” he continues. “My sales rep, James Bennett, has been absolutely phenomenal as far as making sure we have what we need. He’s just a phone call away, and he always has the right solutions for me. Whether its parts, service, sales support or financing, I know I’m going to get the results I’m looking for when I call H.O. Penn.

Eight years ago, Romanish purchased a Cat CT660 On-Highway Vocational Truck, which he drives to this day and takes great pride in owning. However, not long after purchasing the truck, Caterpillar announced it was discontinuing production of the CT660 On Highway truck. He received a phone call from H.O. Penn dealer principal Rob Cleveland informing him of the decision.

“We were doing a job in Brunswick (New Jersey), and Rob called me first thing in the morning to tell me that over the weekend Caterpillar had pulled the plug on the vocational trucks and he

didn’t want me to hear it on the street,” Romanish recalls. “That really told me a lot about what kind of organization H.O. Penn is.”