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Stanley Mierzejewski (L), president of Mizzy Construction, and Matt LaDuke, sales representative of W.I. Clark, with a recently purchased John Deere loader.
Mizzy Construction, a large site development contractor based in Plainville, Conn., was founded in 1988. But the name goes back a lot farther, to company president Stanley Mierzejewski's father.
Mierzejewski, who said his last name is "too big to fit on a truck," chose to use his late father's nickname as his company's name.
"His friends all just called him ‘Mizzy' because Mierzejewski was just too much. I lost my dad when I was six years old, and I named the company after him," Mierzejewski said.
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The company provides a vast array of services, including site clearing, erosion control, drainage, utility installation, excavation, paving, concrete work, paver installation, landscaping and many other services. It prides itself on embracing technology and staying ahead of the curve, which typically translates into lowering the cost of projects during a time when keeping costs under control can be particularly challenging.
The firm has a reputation of being able to confidently tackle major projects and, when needed, to use its vast resources to solve problems quickly and offer engineering suggestions along the way. Mizzy also prides itself on the expertise of its employees, with each of its project managers being required to have either a bachelor's degree in construction management or civil engineering. The company has on staff two Connecticut licensed professional engineers.
When asked how he got his start in the construction industry, Mierzejewski said, "When I was a kid riding around with my mom in the car, if I saw construction equipment, I made her pull over and let me watch. I had an absolute fascination with construction and construction equipment from as far back as I can remember.
"I got a job with a local construction company right out of high school as a laborer, then advanced into a truck driver & then an equipment operator. At the same time, I went to college, got my education and with the experience I was getting on the job site, combined with my education, I ended up a project manager. After numerous years of hard work I ultimately ended up being an officer of the company.
"An opportunity came my way when a friend of mine who was associated with the telephone company presented to me the chance to do some of their construction work. To get started, I rented a mid-sized dozer and a 200- and 270-sized excavator, along with a wheel loader and dirt roller. Shortly after starting to work for the telephone company, we landed a project building a big subdivision. So, between the two of them we were off to a good start.
"Business was booming for the phone company. They were diversifying into the wireless market and there was a high demand for the construction of cell towers. Having a steady flow of business from a good anchor account put us in a position to expand aggressively into other markets. It wasn't long before, we were doing a lot of commercial excavation and foundation work as well as utility installations … really any type of project that involved excavation or site work."
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Approximately 10 years after the founding of Mizzy Construction, Mierzejewski found himself at a turning point. He had been taking a conservative approach to the management of his firm, being very careful not to grow too fast and not shying away from turning away work if he felt that it would press them too hard to accomplish the projects. Around the year 2000, he decided to change direction.
"We actively started to pursue new business. I hired new people and made it a point to hire good management level people whenever possible. I wanted to get away from being in the position that I had to be hands-on with every project we were involved in, and instead have quality people on staff to handle the projects and letting me get more involved in the big picture. As an example, right now we have four project managers. That gives us a great deal of flexibility and the opportunity to grow in different directions."
Mizzy Construction is currently involved in numerous site development projects throughout the state of Connecticut. The company also does a fair amount of business with local municipalities, CTDOT, and for major utility companies throughout the state.
"We have specialized crews to do work for the area utility companies. We currently have approximately 85 employees. Our equipment inventory is extensive. We have over 40 excavators just to give you an example, not to mention all of the other categories of equipment that we have."
Mierzejewski has a very traditional approach to equipment ownership. He very rarely rents equipment, and he typically does not want to purchase a piece of equipment that's been owned or operated by someone else. When he buys, it is typically a machine with zero hours.
"We just bought two new machines to replace two machines that had 20,000 and 18,000 hours on them, respectively. The expenditures for maintenance on buying used machines versus what a brand-new machine costs and the reduced amount of maintenance that you put into a new machine, there is no savings buying used. Buy new machines, properly maintain them and run them until there is very little life in them, that is an approach that just works for us."
Over the years Mierzejewski has converted a significant amount of his fleet to John Deere machines.
"As you start increasing your investment in a dealership, relationships also come into play. Originally, at W.I. Clark [Connecticut's John Deere dealer], I worked very closely with Ray Tripodina. Ray took great care of us and eventually retired, at which point I started working with Matt LaDuke. It doesn't seem possible, but that was 15 years ago. That relationship has continued to grow as Matt demonstrated a keen ability to match up the right equipment for our needs, make sure we are getting properly serviced and resolve problems whenever they arise.
"Buying new equipment from a dealership is just about the same experience no matter where you go. It's what happens afterwards that makes the difference. When the machine goes down, do they understand what that is costing you? How quickly do they return your phone call? Do they walk through your door with the part you need? If they don't have the part, do they get you another machine to keep you going?
"Those are all the things that Matt has continued to bring to the table since he became our representative. We've worked together so long it's now beyond just the equipment. We occasionally grab lunch together, but now we [also] go boating and fishing together.
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Mierzejewski and his fishing team regularly goes fishing for big fish, shark and tuna. A few years ago, they caught a 559 lb. Tiger shark off the coast of Long Island in Montauk to bring home the trophy in one of the tournaments they had entered. In fact, in the 12 years they have entered they've won it three times.
Mierzejewski may still not be sure if it was the quality of the fishing, the great service or the great machines, but today almost without exception every machine he buys is a John Deere —excavators, haul trucks, loaders, skid steers, backhoes, graders and dozers.
"There's no reason for me to look anywhere else. W.I. Clark's service and parts support was right there every time I needed them. If it can't be fixed or part can't be found, I've got a replacement machine to use until the problem is resolved," Mierzejewski said.
For more information, visit www.wiclark.com and www.mizzyconstruction.com. CEG
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