For this month’s On the Job story, we spoke with long-time Vermeer customer Charlie Kasparian of Kasparian Underground, LLC about his relationship with the Vermeer Texas-Louisiana dealership. Kasparian shared that when he first got in the business as a young contractor, he didn’t have much industry knowledge and heavily relied on Vermeer to help consult with him on jobs. Over time, the growth of his career and his business, along with the development of his relationship with Vermeer, Kasparian has achieved much success in the underground industry.
Quality Equipment and Effective Communication Provides Solutions and Success for Kasparian Underground in Texas
Charlie and his wife, Kerry, founded Kasparian Underground 22 years ago as an underground electric utility installation contractor, and it has evolved into a full-service contractor serving power companies and companies with new construction projects in the north and central areas of Texas. Armed with Vermeer yellow iron and much more knowledge than he started with, Kasparian’s biggest challenge today is a bit of a blessing in disguise. The booming economy in Texas has made it challenging for him to find enough people who are skilled in the underground industry to help him keep up with the pace of the work.
Furthermore, in 2018, Kasparian acquired another company – H&B Contractors. That company has afforded him the opportunity to work on excavation, concrete and asphalt paving jobs for municipalities, general contractors and developers in Texas. These extended capabilities won Kasparian Underground a job where they converted overhead power lines to underground. The job was more conducive to blasting; however, the jobsite was near a hospital and airport. Kasparian rented a Vermeer T1055 trencher to tackle the job.
“It was some of the hardest rock I’ve encountered,” Kasparian explained. “The rock was melting the teeth nearly faster than we could put them in the ground.”
Facing this challenge, Kasparian reached out to local Vermeer Texas-Louisiana sales representative, Johnny Matthews, and sales manager, Mark Unzicker. Together they all worked with the tooth manufacturer to get the problem resolved and complete the job on time.
Kasparian said, “I’ve used other equipment, but with the Texas rock, Vermeer is the only one that has machines that can handle it.”
He further explained, “So, on the digging side, we just go with Vermeer. We get good service. Sure, there are snags sometimes, but the good thing with Vermeer, they handle it well. We have a good working relationship.”
Product expertise, strong vendor relationships and quality equipment are key factors in the Vermeer Texas-Louisiana promise. These are things that take investments of time and money, and Kasparian respects that investment.
“Sometimes people are looking for the best deal. The initial price is not always gonna be what costs ya,” Kasparian remarked. “Vermeer has really helped me out. I’ve had less downtime with Vermeer. That’s immeasurable to someone like me. With the dealer network, they’ve done what they could to go and find me what I needed to complete a job. You just don’t get that everywhere,” he continued.
In the underground business, it’s important to be nimble and flexible to meet the needs of the end customer. Kasparian has found success when partnering with Vermeer. He explained, “I’ve been to the Factory (i.e., Vermeer Corporate in Pella, Iowa) a couple of times. They are good with listening to customers for new ideas, thoughts, approaches. I, as a contractor, appreciate that.”
In speaking about his relationship with his local connection, Kasparian said, “Johnny’s a hustler. He’s knowledgeable. He takes care of business and always gets back to me. He makes me feel like I’m his only customer.”
Each job and relationship must be met with precision, professionalism and proficiency. As a result, Vermeer Texas-Louisiana celebrates successes with customers often, and we congratulate Charlie and Kerry Kasparian on 22 years of success. We hope to be right by their side for the next 22! Learn more about their business at www.KULLC.net.
