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Frank W. Whitcomb Construction Corporation (FWWCC) has become a formidable presence since its inception during the 1930s. The construction contractor provides asphalt paving services for both public and private entities throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. The company was founded by Frank William Whitcomb and has been a family held business ever since. Frank Lowell “Chip” Whitcomb (F.W. Whitcomb’s son) is the corporation’s president, with his son Tyler and his daughter Allison working alongside. 

By staying close to home, the company has established a reputation as a quality road contractor. “Our company employs local people who care about the community and want to give their best effort,” says Tyler Whitcomb. “We enjoy building roads, and we want to be sure the best roads are built for the people who live in our area.” He adds that if any issues arise with the roadways the company builds, “we come back and fix them right away.”

Although it competes with much larger multinational companies, FWWCC has maintained an edge by implementing astute business practices. To control materials pricing and help control costs for its clients, the company owns and maintains a quarry in Colchester, Vt., which it uses to procure aggregate for roadway projects. Another separate company, Vermont Blacktop Corp., is also owned by Chip Whitcomb.  “Owning the asphalt plant helps manage that critical cost aspect of the operation,” Whitcomb says. 

FWWCC also is experimenting with ways to recycle old asphalt. “Because the asphalt itself is one of the more costly aspects of the paving operation, we see a lot of paving companies looking at ways to implement a recycling plan into their operations,” Whitcomb notes. > > “Our company is fine-tuning the heating-to-speed mix times to get the optimal consistency,” he says. “Recycling asphalt is definitely going to be the wave of the future.”

Another cost-control measure is the implementation of aggregate recycling. “A few years ago, we did a complete road rehab in Woodstock, Vt., using only recycled aggregate from the existing roadway,” Whitcomb declares. The crews stockpiled the materials as the old road was cold planed. The resulting used aggregate was screened and run into a pug mill, which mills and mixes the aggregate with some virgin asphalt to create a cold mix. No virgin rock or sand aggregates were used in creating this cold mix. “We built an entire five miles of roadway using this method,” Whitcomb attests. “Although it was pretty difficult, we saved the state of Vermont a lot of money.”

The company leases as much equipment as possible rather than purchasing it. “Because advancements are made so frequently to the paving equipment, we find it more beneficial to lease the equipment rather than buy it,” Whitcomb explains. “This way, we are able to turn over equipment every two or three years and get the newest equipment technology available.”

We work exclusively with Caterpillar equipment in our Colchester Quarry,” Whitcomb says. “We pay an hourly rate for the use of the equipment and Caterpillar takes care of all the service and maintenance for all the trucks and loaders.” He adds that it would be very expensive to keep an extra truck—just

in case one was needed as a backup. “Because we lease, our monthly costs are fixed, and this way, machinery costs are just an operating expense instead of an equipment expense. Leasing as well as renting equipment allows us to have any type of equipment readily available without the huge down payment or maintenance costs.”

Heavy highway construction requires a lot of planning and scheduling. In order to stay on top of this continually changing market, FWWCC is implementing new software technology to bring its current practices up to date. “We have been looking into estimating software to link with our scheduling and accounting systems that will allow us to streamline our entire office administration,” Whitcomb says. “This software could greatly reduce the lag time between field management and office management, which will improve production and allow for greater accuracy in determining our costs correctly.”

For the time being, the company will continue to focus its efforts on the Vermont marketplace. “We can be more competitive price-wise by staying close to home,” Whitcomb says.