Timing is everything. You’ve heard those words plenty of times. They might come to mind when you score a deal on a new flat screen or get the last donut off the break room table.
They apply to almost everything, but they carry a lot more weight when it comes to your business.
Sometimes great success is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. There is plenty of skill and knowledge involved in the success Murphy Pipeline Contractors (page 40) has had over the past 17 years, but it would be hard to argue that timing didn’t play a big role, too. Company owner Andy Mayer found himself in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the opportunity he saw before him.
Mayer spent about 10 years working for British Gas and then started his own company. A little more than a decade after that, an American manufacturer recruited him to come to the U.S. to help a contractor break into the pipe bursting market. He had been exposed to pipe bursting and Swagelining back home at age 16, but those technologies were nowhere near as advanced in the United States.
When Mayer got to Florida, he realized people had no idea what prechlorinated pipe bursting was. There was huge market potential in the U.S. and he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Back in England he was just another contractor providing trenchless services, but in the U.S. his specialization was unique. Awareness of these technologies has since grown in the U.S., and Murphy Pipeline has grown right alongside it.
Empipe Solutions (page 22) has also grown, from the east end of Canada to the west. The company, owned by Stephen and Jelena Mercer, provides a full menu of services, from pipe cleaning and inspection to rehabilitation and hydroexcavation.
Stephen Mercer had a substantial background in sewer and wastewater, ascending over the course of 18 years to become a general superintendent for a major firm. When he saw the larger contractors struggling to find qualified subcontractors, he decided he could start his own company. He got the money together, bought a couple trucks, hired his first two employees and set out to make a name for himself.
The opportunity presented itself at a point in Mercer’s career when he could take advantage. He didn’t wait. He took the chance and today the company has nine crews working out of two locations, serving most of Canada.
You never know when the next big opportunity is going to present itself. It could come tomorrow or next year, or it might be staring you in the face right now. The important thing is responding when the call comes. Timing is everything, after all.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
