ForConstructionPros.com

In the last five years, Ellis Astin Grading, Villa Rica, GA, has gone from an $8 million company working on small public projects to a $50 million+ commercial and industrial grading contractor known throughout Georgia and Alabama. Ellis Astin, company president, feels the speedy transition is due in part to his firm's emphasis on high-production, high-quality services.

Ellis Astin Grading has helped excavate and prepare foundations for a wide range of public and private organizations, including manufacturing plants, office space, schools, churches, retail centers, subdivisions and roadways. "In one week, we might excavate or grade as much as 500,000 cu. yds. of dirt," says Astin. "Clearly, we need a top-notch team and tools to keep us performing at this level throughout the year."

Key in this effort has been the adoption of GPS technology into the company's everyday operations. The technology helps speed and improve accuracy of survey activities that are an integral part of every grading/excavation project.

In with the new
Ellis Astin first invested in GPS technology about two years ago to improve grading efficiency. Since then, the jobs have gotten bigger and the client requirements for speed and accuracy have increased.

"At any one time, we might have 30 jobs ongoing at once. Some of these projects are in excess of 300 acres," says John Sorrell, field engineer and surveyor. "We can't survey these sites with any speed using conventional equipment, and yet we didn't want to invest in the typically more costly surveyor's tools. We had an entry-level GPS system that helped, but simply lacked the power and flexibility of the newer systems."