Whether it’s adding to the long list of gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops they’ve built from under the ground up to putting in the infrastructure for a new housing subdivision, the Milam brothers know how to keep busy.
“Being able to provide what the customer wants, that’s what it’s all about,” said Chris Milam, who helps operate Milam & Co. with his brother, company President Mike Milam in Birmingham, AL.
Those happy customers, and being alert on the job, also have resulted in a continuing string of new jobs, Chris Milam said.
For instance, the company provides upgrade services to tanks and dispensers at existing gas stations, and hears about plans for new stations through that connection, Chris Milam said.
“We also do test pits for geo-technical firms at potential subdivisions and projects like that, so we get a heads-up on that kind of work coming up, too,” he said.
Knowing the work is out there and bidding it is one thing, but performance is what really keeps the contracts coming, Chris Milam said.
In the past half-dozen or so years, the company has built nearly 70 gas stations, convenience stores and truck stops around Alabama and surrounding states, Chris Milam said.
That includes large facilities, such as “the big Pilot truck stop at the Arkadelphia exit off I-20/I-59 here in Birmingham. That was our first big job. They anticipated 20,000 gal. a day going out of there and were kind of floored when it turned out to be 40,000 gal. of fuel a day. They were making seven drops a day with diesel trucks,” he said.
Getting stations and stores constructed quickly and properly is a company specialty, Chris Milam said.
“There are deadlines on these projects and we know how to make them,” he said. “The sooner a customer can get his business up and running, the less it costs them to keep financing it and the sooner they’re making money.”
The Milams’ list of satisfied clients include major station operators like Moore Oil Co. in Birmingham. “We’ve built 40 or 50 service stations for Ron Moore,” Chris Milam said. “For his business to be that successful, he’s very demanding. And we work hard to meet his needs.
“We also do lot of work for Bernie Higginbotham of Higginbotham Oil. We’ve built quite a few of his stations.”
Milam & Co. also just finished its first job for McPherson Oil, an 8,000-sq.-ft. convenience store that is just inside the county line from a dry county. “That’s a really large c-store. That business is doing very well,” Chris Milam said.
Current projects for the Milams include a parking lot addition for Blue Circle Cement in Calera, AL; clearing and building a 70-acre lake in Brookwood, AL; a Cheveron station in Talladega, AL; a gas station off Highway 231 in Pell City, AL; a convenience store in Fultondale, AL; and a residential subdivision in Pinson, AL, for which Milam & Co. is responsible for infrastructure such as grading, streets, sewer work and water laterals.
“This is sort of new work for us, but we have superintendents on the job who have been doing this for the past 20 years or more,” Chris Milam said. “We’ve sort of ventured into this and it’s going well.
“We’ve got this new equipment — including a loader and two track hoes — and we’re keeping those things pretty busy,” he continued. The subdivision is a 45-acre site that will include 40 to 50 new homes.
Milam takes particular pride in the company’s specialized knowledge in the gas station construction and service industry.
“You’re dealing with environmental issues there, with safety issues. You have to know what you’re doing and you have to know all the rules and regulations that go along with that,” he said. “Everyone on the job has to know the issues, too, from the project managers to the subs. Remember, we’re dealing with things like explosion-proof meters and pumps.”
The family-owned company has about 45 employees and is divided into three divisions:
General Contractors: The company specializes in the complete turnkey construction of gas stations and convenience stores – including installing underground and above-ground fuel tanks – as well as the construction of office and industrial buildings.
“We completely design and build the facilities and make any changes during construction to suit the needs of the customer,” Chris Milam said. “We’ve been known to put a gas station or convenience store in as little as 50 days.
“We also can take out old tanks at an existing store, replace them with new tanks, backfill it and put in a new slab in as little as five working days.”
This division is under the direction of company President Mike Milam.
Operated Rentals: This is Chris Milam’s division. Its varied responsibilities include subdivision clearing work and working with other contractors who need Milam & Co.’s machines and operators for tasks at their job sites.
“That helps us keep machine utilization at a high level,” Chris Milam said.
That fleet of heavy machinery includes seven backhoes, two excavators, two dozers, two skid steer loaders, track loaders and tandem dump trucks.
“We run primarily Caterpillar machines,” Chris Milam said. “We’re firm believers in preventive maintenance. We buy our machines from Thompson Tractor with a preventative maintenance program.
“The guys who come to serve our equipment go way beyond our expectations. In a lot of cases, the Thompson technicians know what our machines need well before we do.”
“The first machine we purchased from Thompson was a Cat 963. It was originally a lease purchase. Now, six years and 6,000 hours later, it’s still giving us great service,” he continued.
Miliam & Co. Service Division: performs service work such as pump maintenance and repair, including computer module work, piping and anything related to petroleum transfer in that setting.
“We can repair virtually any equipment there,” said Tim Barrett, the division manager. “If it’s at a convenience store or gas station, we’ll fix it.”
Barrett said the Service Division also is a distributor for a long lineup of manufacturers and products that includes A.O. Smith (Fiberglas pipe), Xerxes (Fiberglas tanks); Red Jacket (submerged turbine pumps), and Petro Clear (filters).
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