We ask Miron Construction what it looks for in a utility vehicle
UTV fleets help transport crews and supplies from Point A to Point Z (and everywhere in between).
Miron Construction Co. Inc. is one of the premier construction firms in the country. As one of Wisconsin’s largest turnkey construction firms (established in 1918), Miron provides a bevy of innovative services — pre-construction, construction management, design-build, industrial and general construction. The company is headquartered in Neenah, Wis., with regional offices in Madison, Wausau and Milwaukee, Wis., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Miron is actually known as the “Official Provider of Construction Services for the Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field,” but the company has tackled big and small projects from hospitals to community centers.
Obviously, Miron is a large construction firm (one of the top 100 general contractors in the nation in terms of revenue), which means it has plenty of need for the quick jobsite mobility of a utility vehicle fleet. “Miron currently owns a total of 24 utility vehicles,” explains Pete Klosterman, vice president of field services. “We own brands from Gravely and Kubota to Bobcat and Polaris. We have four-wheel drive units, and 15 percent of them have two-row seating.”
Miron uses its UTVs for moving people, materials and utilizing attachments. While the company does not use winches or tool-racking systems, they do capitalize on broom and snow-blowing attachments to spearhead cleanup operations on busy project sites, but transportation services seem to be their key application. A good example of a busy Miron jobsite would be the company’s Lambeau Field North & South End Zone Stadium Improvement project, which was honored with a 2015 Associated General Contractors’ Alliant Build America Award in the Construction Management Renovation category. The $145 million contract included adding nearly 7,000 seats in the south end zone, new gates, rooftop viewing platforms, two HD video boards, sound system and an improved overall game-day experience for Packers players and fans alike.
These types of landmark projects have lots of moving parts and employees, and Miron’s UTV fleet helps transport crews and supplies from Point A to Point Z (and everywhere in between). “These machines strike a great balance between serving simply as transportation and performing as a true workhorse,” says Klosterman. “My advice to a construction company buying a utility vehicle would be to make your purchase based on quality, not price. Consider the ease of use, ease of getting in and out, starting/stopping capabilities and cab visibility.”
Klosterman and Miron seem to be big fans of Gravely’s new Atlas Job Site Vehicle (JSV). With its all-steel “Jobbox,” heavy-duty de Dion rear suspension and 1,250-lb capacity and 1,900-lb payload, Gravely’s Atlas JSVs are commercial-focused, rough terrain mini trucks that are ideal for construction.
“The biggest factors in our UTV purchasing decision are the ruggedness of the vehicle and its simplicity of operation,” says Klosterman. “Our JSV dealer is Joe’s Power Center in Little Chute, Wis. As for what topics factor into our purchasing formula, I would say the vehicle’s efficiency, longevity and ease of operation. What I like specifically about the Atlas JSV models is its ease of operation, load capacity and the movement capabilities of the machine when loaded.”
Those all are all great insights, and we hope to continue to turn to more top contractors like Miron to get their insights into brands and equipment categories that they use every day on real jobsites across America.
