McCody Concrete

In Williston, North Dakota, McCody Concrete has been the go-to contractor for diversified ready-mix concrete products and construction services for more than 15 years. As a member of the North Dakota Builders Association (NDBA) and Williston Area Builders Association, the company serves northwestern North Dakota, eastern Montana, Wyoming, parts of South Dakota and Washington State. With oilfield production ramping up in the region, McCody has positioned itself as a trusted provider of oilfield precast products and services – and even more recently, tilt-up construction.

More production means an ever-increasing need for products and equipment that can withstand the harsh and stressful conditions of the oilfield. McCody is meeting the demand with reinforced precast base tank rings, line blocks and more. “Precast concrete products for oilfield operations are the lion’s share of our work,” notes Bob Horab, secretary and treasurer of McCody. “But we’re quite diverse in our offering. We’re marketing more tilt-up construction, which isn’t a far reach from our precast division. We don’t chase one market – we’ve always been a diverse company.”

Growing diverse, complimentary services

McCody Concrete Products Inc. was established with the purchase of Williston Ready Mix and Williston Precast, which were started in 1976. Bob and his wife, Denise, now president of McCody, acquired the company assets in 1999, merging the businesses into McCody. “At the time, there were only four employees,” recalls Bob.

Today McCody still produces Ready Mix and precast products, but has also expanded its offerings to include concrete forming and finishing, retail products, overhead door sales and service, steel building sales and erection and tilt-up concrete buildings. “We now have a staff of around 100 employees serving North Dakota and well beyond,” says Bob.

In October 2008, McCody added a second location for more Ready Mix concrete production. “We converted to a computerized batching system in June 2010 and in January 2011, we expanded the construction division with our third location, adding overhead door sales and service,” says Bob.

Born and raised in the Williston area, Bob says he has seen firsthand the massive influx of activity coming to the area in recent years. “I’ve seen the takeover of the oil industry and the result of the energy boom,” he says. “People from all over the country are coming to this market and as a result, we’re growing our products, services and facilities to meet this demand head-on.”

Spring 2014 saw the groundbreaking of a new batch plant and precast facility for McCody. “This new technology and improved setup will help us serve customers more efficiently and with better quality,” says Bob. “Right now, we’re looking at an early 2016 completion date for this facility, which will also host a percentage of our precast activities and expand our capabilities in the precast and retail product lines.”

As far as concrete products and services, McCody delivers Ready Mix concrete, commercial and residential precast products, contractor supplies including retail sales in steel, rebar and hand tools, sand and gravel, concrete repair and even decorative concrete services for landscaping applications.

McCody’s construction division specializes in sales and installation services in the development of the Williston Basin. The company’s construction and overhead door services include an insulated concrete from sales and training, commercial walk door sales and service, natural architectural and landscape stone, tilt-up concrete construction and general contracting.

Teaming up for tilt-up

In 2010, McCody launched another expansion, entering the tilt-up construction market. “The market was flooded from the oil boom with a high demand for rapidly built commercial and industrial buildings,” explains Bob.
“Tilt-up is a means to expedite the construction process so we teamed up with a company out of Wisconsin that was well-versed in tilt-up to learn more about it.”

Bob says the market demand for tilt-up is still opportune because this form of construction offers added durability and thermal energy efficiency not found in other methods. Larger wall panels, assembled on-site, result in less construction time and lower labor costs. “With the winters in North Dakota, you can image the heating costs owners face,” says Bob. “Tilt-up concrete offers a more energy efficient envelope and it costs less to insure than a metal building. The top insurance claims in our region come from wind and fire damage. Tilt-up concrete buildings take a lot of that risk away. A good example is a 30,000-square-foot airport hangar we delivered for the city of Williston.”

In addition to saving time and money, tilt-up can also help a project achieve LEED points, incorporating energy-efficient wall systems, recycled products, regionally manufactured materials, supplementary cementitious materials and an extended life cycle.

In the pre-engineered, steel market, McCody has already completed a number of successful projects. “We’re also active in the agricultural construction field,” notes Bob.

Industry involvement

For McCody, no matter the project or market, quality construction is front and center. One way to ensure quality and professionalism in the industry is involvement with organizations such as the NDBA. The highly trained professionals who encompass the NDBA strive for best-in-the-business standards.

Under the NDBA, the Williston Area Association of Builders, of which Bob was a founding board member, helps promote the local contractor base. “The Williston Area Builders Association was founded in June 2009 to propagate networking opportunities with the large volume of work going on in the area and more builders coming in from all over the country,” explains Bob. “With the NDBA, we’re able to lobby for bills that save contractors from unnecessary codes and regulations.”

“We have the means to dissect the bills coming through and get into the nitty gritty of the language, which is often difficult to understand,” continues Bob. “If it’s an issue of safety, then absolutely – we’ll back it, but if it just means extra red tape and added costs, then we’ll lobby against it.”

Bob is still active on the local Williston board’s membership committee. “We help organize the annual home and garden show, which is a major fundraiser and showcase for local builders,” he says. “We’re also working on bringing more information out to potential members on the benefits of membership and the resources we offer.”

Through strong public relations and local government affairs activities, the two organizations are working to create a favorable environment for local builders. McCody Concrete continues to do its part through both industry advocacy and quality, dependable concrete and general construction.