BILL TACKLES A SEA WALL

PREFACE: This Blog is a continuation of “THE LIFE Of BILL” series. Among the most popular blogs in HMI’ history, Bill was first introduced in a February 2019 HMI blog publication. Readers are encouraged to read the initial blog and also the story of; “HOW BILL LEVERED BAD WEATHER TO DOUBLE HIS BUSINESS” in April 2019, “BILL – A YEAR LATER GRAPPLING WITH THE VIRUS” in April 2020, and “BILL IS NERVOUS ABOUT THE ENGINEERED BIG ONE” in June 2021. A review of these past blogs will provide history and context about the character and his progression in the polyurethane lifting business. First envisioned and created as a method to articulate an average day of someone in the trade, Bill has evolved to an almost real relatable friend to many customers who reference him with a smile when speaking with HMI personnel.

APPROACHING THE END OF SEASON 2024

Bill’s business has experienced stable and flat revenue this season. After continual growth since the beginning in 2019 it appears to him that inflation and the reduction of discretionary spending has finally impacted the concrete lifting and repair service. Bill has been laughing to himself thinking back to the fact that he thought he was a marketing genius during the explosive growth of the Covid years. He has come to learn from his account manager that most everyone in the trade experienced explosive growth during that period. Now operating two rigs Bill has also grown the high profit margin commercial segment of his business to a respectable percentage of revenue. He is not unhappy as he and his son are now enjoying a lifestyle that was only a dream at the end of last decade. But being an entrepreneur Bill has been thinking “what’s next” and what will be the next catalyst for the next phase of growth for his business.

Constantly interacting with his HMI account manager Bill has heard about many new products on the planning board for launch in the coming year. He is specifically excited about the strategic discussions which lead him to believe he will be able to market his business beyond concrete raising and leveling with a comprehensive list of Ground Improvement products and services. Bill has done a reasonable amount of deep injection projects, but he has yet to crack the marketing lock to allow him to garner a continuous volume of referrals for this service.

THE CALL THAT WILL MAKE HIS YEAR

In a casual conversation with a contractor friend who also owns a lake front home, Bill listened patiently to his whining about the pending failure of his sea wall. He explained to Bill that a Sea Wall firm had given him a ‘sticker shocking quote” as they further noted they could not get to him until the end of next season at the earliest. He asked Bill if there was anything that he could do to help. Bill immediately had the same feeling he had in 2022 when the Public Works Dept. called him to ask if he could handle a large project for the town. The feeling could best be described as fear approaching terror! Bill knew what he did not know and sea wall engineering was not in his repertoire of base knowledge. He started having anxiety in anticipation of things that could go wrong if he tackled such a project.

Bill had been aware of the use of HMI products for some sea wall repair, so he called his account manager. He was stunned by the “matter a fact” no problem confidence in the response to his question about taking on a Sea Wall project. He was also intrigued when his account manager noted that HMI’s soon to be released, minimally expansive SINGLE COMPONENT product would be an ideal tool for the job. Bill’s account manager connected him with HMI’s geotechnical engineer, Will. Bill started to feel confident and started to see dollar signs. He started to believe he had found – “what’s next!”

PLANNING THE PROJECT 

With one discussion with HMI’s engineer Bill understood what materials he could use for the of the project, but not where to put it or why?  Will supplied Bill with a list of information needed to engineer the project. After some investigating and a visit to the project site he secured drawings and pictures. It was determined that the sea wall was 10 feet deep.  The lack of soil supporting the wall was due to soil piping and erosion.  Damaged areas of the wall allowed for soils to wash away one particle at a time.  From the surface Bill noted how the soil dropped directly behind the damaged wall. 

Will suggested Bill target the areas of soil loss for the injection plan.  He also suggested that a soil investigation be performed to understand the depth of weak soils impacted by the erosion.  This information would help determine the zone of treatment and give a baseline to compare post-injection results. A simple dynamic cone penetrometer test was performed, and it was determined that there was a consistent layer of weak soil from 2 feet deep to 10 feet deep.  This was consistent with the rusted bolt pattern which was allowing soils to erode from behind the wall into the lake.  It also proved that soils were washing out from below the wall.  During the investigation it was discovered that crushed seashells were used as backfill for the wall.  This helped determine which product to use.  Had sand backfill been used, a thinner lower viscosity material would have been chosen to better permeate the soils.  Will’s plan for Bill suggested injection locations 1 ½ ft. along the wall and 1 foot away from the wall.  This would allow the material to permeate the weak soils, locking them together.  The material would also fill voids and prevent future erosion extending the life of the wall. 

THE PRE-PLANNING MADE THE JOB EASY

After HMI assisted in project design, they flew Bill’s Account Manager out to support him on the project assisting Bill and his son with further soil testing and installing the material. In the end Bill injected 1200 lbs. of Soil Link^® HS010 with a simple pump.  The project only took a few days to complete.  After the project was finished the soils were tested again to verify improvement.  Much to Bill’s surprise, they accomplished a 200% strength improvement by treating the soils with single component polyurethane foam. 

POST SCRIPT

Bill could barely believe it.  Bill invested less than $10,000 for equipment and    $10,000 in material for the job.  He sold the job for $30,000 and completed it with clean up in less than three days.  Not only did this first job cover his equipment investment, but it also provided him with his first case study.  He was now armed with graphic validation that he could remedy sea wall problems quickly with a comparably low-cost solution. The pictures and data offered proven results.  He is now aggressively marketing sea wall repair and levers the experience of his initial job, that initially scared him, to confidently sell more work.

Bill is now in the Seawall Repair Business! He is more excited than ever to learn more about “what’s next” with GROUND IMPROVEMENT! 

AUTHORS NOTE – The characters and events in this blog are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons is NO coincidence and absolutely intentional by the author. Watch for more about Bill In future blogs as he and his family grow their business beyond expectation.  

Read the entire BILL SERIES!

• A DAY IN THE LIFE OF BILL
• HOW BILL LEVERED BAD WEATHER TO DOUBLE HIS BUSINESS
• BILL – A YEAR LATER – GRAPPLING WITH THE VIRUS
• BILL IS NERVOUS ABOUT THE ENGINEERED BIG ONE

Paul DelFino is a principal of the consulting firm Opportunity Inc. For over two decades he has assisted entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, responding to economic downturns and merger and acquisition activity. He has consulted with HMI and RaiseRite for nearly two decades. His publications include “Avoiding Skewed Entrepreneurial Strategies” available from all on line booksellers.