She says, “Many might think I went overboard. But I needed to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could if the company was going to survive. To this day, I advise other entrepre- neurs to do the same thing— to get to know as many reliable industry experts as possible.”
Her plan worked well. Just two years later, Savitt’s company had grown to four employees, doubled its sales volume, built a backlog of work, paid all vendors and managed the $250,000 debt so that the business could run as usual.
In 2011, the company won its largest hauling job up to that point when it was hired to support hauling for the $55 million, 853,200-square-foot Consol- idated Rental Car Facility at Midway Airport. During 2011, AMS moved 2,000 loads. The company performed the job so well that it won several more large hauling projects, including the recent contract to haul what will be in excess of 6,000 loads, or 30-35 truckloads per day, for a project at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
SHIFTING TO A HIGHER GEAR
One of Savitt’s early strategic growth objectives was to expand her com- pany’s services beyond hauling for highway work, which slows consider- ably in the winter months.
Again, she looked to reliable industry experts. She says, “I learned that the biggest spend for road construction is materials. So it just made sense that a trucking company develop re- lationships with suppliers of materi- als and learn about the primary aggre- gate products.”
Key in those developing relationships was to get to know the largest supplier of aggregate in the area. She found a mentor and a 30-acre site to use as a material yard for stone and other prod- ucts in 2012. By 2013, AMS was the first WBE contractor in Illinois to supply stone on a public project.
AMS first contract was to supply aggregate to the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. More recently, the company won a big project in Lake Villa supplying stone to the Illinois DOT.
EMPOWERING HER TEAM
Savitt’s business philosophy remains focused on creating opportunities for her employees—both in terms of project backlog and skills. For example, she en- courages her drivers to learn to drive all different types of trucks so that they can work on multiple projects throughout the year. Thus far, she has cross-trained 15 drivers on dump trucks, flatbeds and lowboy semi-trailers.
Today, AMS has 11 trucks, 13 dump trailers, three flatbeds and one lowboy truck trailer. The staff has increased
to 16 employees, which includes 10 drivers, admin staff and a material yard operator. AMS has also become a sup- plier of aggregate, topsoil, sand and rock salt in recent years. The company was named 2015 DBE Contractor of the Year by the Illinois Tollway; Savitt was personally honored as a 2012 En- terprising Women of the Year award winner by Enterprising Women maga- zine and as the 2011 Chicago Business Owner of the Year by the National As- sociation of Women Business Owners.
Savitt concludes, “I’m not in business to get rich or to take over the world. I have 16 families who rely on me. When I hear that one of them has bought a new car or a new house, I know we’re on the right track. That’s really satisfying to me. My goal eight years ago is the same as it is today— to operate a company that provides quality service and empowers its people, one that allows them to provide for their families.”
Author Bio: Colorado-based Vicki Speed is a contributing writer with over 25 years of experience, specializing in the AEC industry.
The AMS Earth Movers’ team, including President Julie Savitt (center).
POWERED BY THE BLUE BOOK NETWORK - CHICAGO & N.W. INDIANA / FALL 2016
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