ForConstructionPros.com

Years ago, when many contractors started striping pavements, maybe the only value they could offer was clean bright lines. But today pavement marking contractors can offer more. And the more they can offer the more value they add to their service - and the more revenue they can generate from each parking lot they stripe. So here are a few services you can add to your company. If you’re already offering them, good for you. If you’re not, it’s time to consider broadening the scope of your business so you can become a more valued problem-solver for your customers while adding revenue to your business.

Install lightweight car stops
A combination of the drive to recycle and the need for lightweight parking stops has created an industry of plastic or rubberized car stops, speed bumps, and speed humps.

"These are a better solution for property managers and for contractors," says Steve Engels, vice president of sales for GNR Technologies. "Contractors really have to look at it as selling ‘value added’. These offer an opportunity for the contractor to break into accounts he hasn’t been able to before and offer additional revenue-generating services to existing customers."

GNR’s car stops weigh about 32 lbs., compared to 300 lbs. for a single concrete car stop. They are black and feature white and yellow reflective markings or blue reflective markings for use in handicap stalls. The stops can be installed using an adhesive, but Engels recommends installing them in asphalt with two 14-in. rebar spikes or in concrete using two shorter lag bolts. In asphalt the holes can be drilled and the spikes driven in with a sledge hammer; a pneumatic jackhammer can install each spike in 7 seconds.

"It’s a 10-minute process start-to finish," Engels says.

He says the lightweight stops have advantages for the property owner over concrete stops, namely they last long, are easy to replace when damaged, and will remain in place.