An ESOP Construction Company: An Owner on Every Project

The idea of offering employees ownership in the company for which they are employed began in the mid-1800’s, before the advent of social security. At that time, most workers lost their income entirely once they became too old to continue working. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) were a solution that set aside stock as an incentive for employees to work hard and dedicate themselves to their jobs over the long term. This structure is ideal for a construction company like Basic Construction, as our business relies heavily on the relationships between our employees and our clients.

In addition to benefiting employees in their retirement, ESOPs have become a valuable competitive advantage. An unfamiliar business structure in today’s economy, just over 11,000 companies in the U.S. are structured as ESOPs. However, for customers and clients of these businesses, the impact is often quite clear.

You want your asphalt parking lot or driveway to last decades. How do you ensure that it lasts as long as it can? Proper maintenance can extend the life of your paving project - but asphalt maintenance isn’t as tricky as it sounds. Asphalt is affected regularly by weather, heavy loads, oil and many other normal substances it may come in contact with. 

Clean your asphalt.

Remember when your mother said keeping things clean helped them last longer? Well, she was right  - in the case of asphalt at least.  Keep it clear of excess water, and yard clippings.

Asphalt is America’s most recycled material - so it makes sense that asphalt materials can help you earn LEED credits, right? If you’re thinking about sustainability when beginning a new construction project, then you should also be thinking about the materials going into the project. The LEED system was created to help encourage sustainable building habits - and now LEED accreditation is highly desired for many reasons, both monetary and morally. Many cities, counties, and states require LEED certificate for public buildings.

You know why LEED credits are important - but how can you earn them?  

Parking lots are a necessary evil. For a nation built on personalized mobility, rather than the mass transport that is ubiquitous and well-loved across Europe, we need places to store our cars while we’re off shopping, working, and exercising at the gym (since cars are immobile 95% of the time). Yet for all of the societal, environmental and aesthetic ills pinned on the forlorn parking lot, recent innovations in parking lot design may just pave the way for a more positive relationship between people and our parking spots.

How do you know when its time for parking lot resurfacing? The answer will help inform budgets, planning calendars, and construction timelines. Are there visual cues such as cracks or dips? Or is there a reliable timeframe for standard parking lot resurfacing, such as every 10 years?

Simply because a parking lot is showing wear and tear, serious cracking, or standing water does not necessarily mean it needs to be replaced. Resurfacing a parking lot is a great way to boost curb appeal without investing a lot of money.