THE SNIDER GROUP - Brandeis Focusing on Solutions magazine

Snider Group emphasizes safety and professionalism. . . continued(L-R) Steve and MikeSnider say theyappreciate the supportthey get from <strong>Brandeis</strong>’Indianapolis branch andSales RepresentativeRidley Stone.It was a fantastic machine. We’ve had manyKomatsu models since then and they’ve allbeen very good machines.”Currently, the company has a PC600, twoPC400s, a PC300 and a PC200, and rents specialtypieces as necessary, including most recently, acompact, tight-tail-swing PC35. “The smallestthing we had wouldn’t fit on the job we weredoing, but the Komatsu compact excavatorwould. It did a great job,” confirmed Mike.At the other end of the spectrum, Mike saysthe PC600 has enabled The Snider Group totake on jobs it might not have taken on before.“We bought it initially because we neededthe reach and production for a deep job.But once we had the PC600, we startedbidding other deep jobs. Even on jobs thatAugie Koch, who’s been a foreman at Snider Group for 28years, uses a Komatsu PC400LC-6 to load trucks at Oak Manorsubdivision in Westfield.don’t necessarily require a machine thatbig, the production we get from it makes itworthwhile. For example, although we maynot be going more than four or five feet in theground, we sometimes lay storm sewer with it.That may seem excessive, but we’ve found itups our efficiency quite a bit.”The Sniders say they also appreciate theservice they get from <strong>Brandeis</strong> and SalesRepresentative Ridley Stone.“Ridley and <strong>Brandeis</strong> have been veryresponsive to our needs,” asserted Steve Snider.“They’re an excellent distributor. When a partsguy will give you his home number, and youcall him on a Saturday evening because youneed a part, and he’s willing to go in and getyou what you need — that’s a good company towork with. <strong>Brandeis</strong> has done that for me.”Committed to qualityThe Sniders estimate that 95 percent oftheir business comes from repeat customers.“Our regular customers are committed toquality, and so are we,” said Steve. “Becauseof that, we’ve developed many good businessrelationships. We sometimes help our clientson the front end of a job by doing takeoffs, andoften, just by looking at a site, we can point outpotential pitfalls. Once a job starts, they trustus to make adjustments on the fly, help solveany issues that do crop up, and always treatthem fairly when those issues arise.”The Snider Group’s philosophy is to underpromiseand over-deliver.“We bid a realistic schedule at a fair priceand regularly meet or beat the budgets anddeadlines,” said Mike. “We do our best toalways do a job in a way that reflects favorablyupon both our company and our customers.Running a clean, safe job where the equipmentlooks good and the people are professionalenhances our reputation and the reputation ofour client. We think that’s important.”Down the road, Mike says he believes there’sroom for continued growth at The SniderGroup. “We think the market’s good and thearea is still growing, so the future looks bright.In this business, we’re all optimists,” he laughed.“If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be contractors.” n