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As a general contractor, Eckman Construction relies greatly on its partnerships with vendors, consultants, and subcontractors to ensure their clients receive exceptional service. Eckman’s relationship with Jack B. Parson Ready Mix Concrete is a perfect example of that ideal partnership.

How does this partnership benefit concrete construction projects and Eckman’s clients?

Long-standing relationships
Brad Berntson, Eckman’s Sales Representative at Jack B. Parson, has been working with Eckman for over 20 years. He attributes the long-term relationship to Eckman’s and Jack B. Parson’s aligned values of safety, quality, innovation, and service. Eckman’s dedication to their employees is another reason the partnership is so strong. “My relationships within the company are still intact because people stay at Eckman. Several people have been with the company for over 30 years,” reflects Brad.

In-house lab and quality control system keeps projects on time and within budget
Jack B Parson has been providing quality ready-mixed concrete in Utah and Idaho for over 60 years. With more than 35 different plants, a state-of-the-art dispatch system, and an in-house accredited testing lab Jack B. Parson is a key player in Eckman’s ability to deliver a quality product for their clients while preserving the budget and schedule. Jack B. Parson is the only provider in the Intermountain West to have an in-house lab. What does this mean for Eckman’s clients? The lab allows Jack B. Parson to continually check trends and quality, as well as quickly identify any corrections needed to ensure that the mix always meets specifications. Other providers in the area rely solely on third-party testing labs. Out-sourced labs cannot turn around tests in days like Jack B Parson. The rapid testing can shave days if not weeks from a project schedule.

Eckman’s clients a receive proprietary, fiber-reinforced concrete mix
Another benefit of the Eckman/Jack B. Parson partnership was the collaborative effort to create a proprietary, fiber-reinforced concrete mix used for concrete slabs on Eckman’s projects. The Eckman team is always looking for innovative ways to save their clients time and money. To that end, Eckman enlisted Jack B. Parson to create the mix. Traditional concrete slabs are steel reinforced with rebar. Construction of a traditional slab is more labor-intensive and requires more coordination due to the scheduling of rebar delivery to the site and the coordination of the team of “bar-busters” who tie the rebar into mats to be placed in the slab. By eliminating steel with the fiber-reinforced mix, Eckman cuts the cost of steel and labor to lay the steel and potential scheduling delays. The proprietary mix also eliminates the concern of equipment damaging steel while pouring concrete and allows for expanded control joints which save on the cost and time of labor required to cut joints.

Partnering with reliable and innovative consultants, sub-contractors and design firms allow Eckman an opportunity to provide the best service, best quality and best pricing to projects. Eckman looks for relationships like the Jack B Parson team provides in order to keep clients happy with schedule, budget and quality control. When asked to choose one thing that he would attribute most to the Eckman/Jack B Parson team’s success, Brad replied, “The Eckman team is fastidious about quality and demand perfection for their clients. We feel our partnership provides that to the projects we work on together. We’re a good team.”