CHILTON CONTRACTORS - TEC Tractor Times

A SALUTE TO A
CUSTOMER
SITEMASTER, INC.
Augusta, Ga., company specializes in commercial
site work “done right and done fast”
Kenny Durden,
Owner
Steve Cole,
Owner
When Kenny Durden and Steve Cole started
SiteMaster, Inc. in 2003, they wanted to develop
a reputation as the company to turn to in
Augusta, Ga., when you need site work done
right and done fast. They’ve accomplished
that by bringing an urgency to their work,
which consists of full-service site development,
specializing in small commercial properties.
“Our calling cards are speed and quality,” said
Durden. “That’s what we hang our hat on. When
you’re having work done, whether it’s a church,
an office building or a store, you want it done
as soon as possible. When it’s a retail business,
time is literally money — the sooner you open,
the sooner you can start making money. That’s
where we shine. At SiteMaster, we’ll help you get
your doors open sooner than anybody else.”
How fast are they “We had a fast food
restaurant that served its last hamburger at 10
p.m., and we started tearing the building down
at 7 o’clock the next morning,” recalled Cole.
“In 75 days, they were selling hamburgers out
of a brand-new building on a totally rebuilt
site with new parking, new storm drain, new
SiteMaster keeps its overhead low by co-locating its headquarters with U.S. Equipment,
which is also owned by Durden, on Wheeler Road in northwest Augusta.
everything. We’ve done that several times with
several different businesses. Our reputation is
that we’re a ‘can-do’ company. When a job has
to be done right and done fast, our customers
know they can count on SiteMaster.”
Because of that ability to meet and beat
tight schedules, SiteMaster has grown rapidly
since opening its doors just seven years ago.
From what Cole calls “humble beginnings,”
SiteMaster has grown into a company that
does millions of dollars worth of work each
year and employs about three dozen people.
“We started out with just Kenny and me. We
had one or two guys helping us out when
we needed a crew, but we were a pretty
bare-bones operation. Kenny warned me that
we would probably grow faster than I could
imagine — and he was right.”
Retirement didn’t work
If Durden had any hobbies, there probably
wouldn’t be a SiteMaster, Inc. today. He retired
in 2002 after having sold a highly successful
company that he started and ran.
“I was only 43 years old and after about a
year of retirement, I was bored stiff,” Durden
remembered. “Working was what I had always
done and was what I enjoyed doing. When Steve
and I started talking about this, I got excited
about the possibilities. It sounded like a lot of
work, but that sounded like fun, and despite the
challenges posed by the economy, it has been.”
The history and individual reputations of
both Durden and Cole contributed largely to
the rapid early growth of SiteMaster.
“Kenny and I both had long histories in the
Augusta construction community,” explained
Cole. “Together, we knew many people in the