Exceeding Expectations

A FamilyCHAPTER SEVENJohn Vaughan, who works as a Project Manager for WBI, is a concrete finisher by trade.He says he is at Wayne Brothers because of the people, and enjoys his work there for the samereason. “I was attending Middle Tennessee State when Jim Lunsford and Keith Wayne cameout to talk with us; they sold me on the company, with their emphasis on strong work ethics,production of a quality product, and chances for career advancement. “ “I wasn’t disappointedwhen I got here, either,” he said, “the people were as good to work with as they said.” “There wasa family feeling starting with the name of the company and going through everything; it was abig company, but it had a small feeling.”CHAPTER“I got here at a bad time,” he remembers, “the recession was just getting real bad. We alljust wanted to get through it, even if it took some sacrifices from everybody. Everybody herejust came together, just like a family does in bad times.” Mr. Vaughan remembers thinking thathe liked being at a place where folks were trying to do the right thing, and were always willing tostep outside the box in order to find ways to do the job better. With his background in concretefinishing, he was interested in the company’s use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) as a wayto get superior results in some complex situations. He also became enthusiastic about a newproduct, Ductilcrete, when the company began using it.Ductilcrete is offered as a “virtually curl-free concrete slab system.” Fiber additives in theconcrete mixture make the concrete stronger, making the poured floor less likely to curl orshrink, and reducing the thickness required. It can reduce the need for rebar reinforcement,resulting in an immediate cost savings. Floors subjected to heavy usage, such as warehousefloors, can be poured in larger sections, reducing the number of joints and thereby reducingmaintenance and replacement costs in the long run.Vice-President and Project Executive John Ashworth is sold on the use of Ductilcrete. “WBIis now a member of the Ductilcrete Alliance,” he says, “as we believe this is another way ofdelivering superior value to our clients.” “At first, there was some question about whether theproduct would live up to its claims, but there are now some floors that have been in place for 10UNC-CharlotteFootball Stadium