A Solid Support System
Robinson Concrete Pumping aims to offer specialized services with a tight-knit team of workers
Rob Robinson first got into the concrete business in 1990. He bought a broken-down REED Sidewinder concrete pump from a man who was getting out of the concrete industry, paying with a handshake and a promise to compensate him for the part as soon as he was able to build his business.
Robinson struggled through that first year to buy another concrete pump—one that was a little newer and a little bigger.
“I worked that machine a few years before buying my first Schwing hard rock trailer pump. My business continued growing–with more machines and men to help keep up with the customer demand–as we spread out to more areas around Oregon, and working throughout the Pacific Northwest,” he says.
From the early days, Robinson has worked to build a niche for his Roseburg, Ore.-based company, Robinson Concrete Pumping, Inc. He and his eight employees are certified shotcrete nozzlemen, or concrete gunners. This means they can provide required special concrete replacement by gun–and gun only–in areas that are impossible to get a truck into. Over the years, his company has clocked in more than 8,000 hours of nozzle time. Initially, Robinson worked on projects such as swimming pools, structural certified shotcrete and koi ponds. He never wants to stop learning.
In 2000, he trained to begin doing concrete/polymer overlayments so that he could make old concrete look new again, or to look like wood grains, tile, brick or stone, for example. Robinson then got certified to perform shotcrete work in 2005, and has since been doing specialized work on projects such as highways and underground tunnels. Customers include PacifiCorp, Weekly Bros., Caldwell Construction Co., and even the government Then in 2015, Robinson Concrete Pumping bought a concrete barge company based in Lakeside, Ore., as well as a concrete pumping division of another Oregon company. Robinson now also performs concrete delivery, concrete pumping, pile driving and heavy hauling on water.
For Robinson, the challenges that come with a variety of jobs is a good thing. The company tackles various complex projects, such as shooting air balloons and turning them into concrete dome homes, and creating underground survival bunkers and wine caves.
“Each day is a different job,” he says. “But we get through it, no matter how tough. There is nothing that can’t be done or overcome when you are hardworking, imaginative and proud of what you do.”
Work Ethic
Growing up, Robinson was raised by his mother and grandparents. In particular, his grandfather was a role model and “huge inspiration.”
“He played the role of granddad, dad and best friend,” Robinson recalls. “He was always there to answer any questions or to teach me a better way to do something. He always had time. And his work ethic was huge. If I could be half the man my granddad was, then I’d think I did all right.”
In fact, for Robinson, there’s a fine line between work and family, which is why he involves his own family in his company.
At age 12, Robinson’s son began helping him pump concrete. His daughter would also be out in the field, helping Robinson with his work. They are in their 20s now, and Robinson and his wife are now adoptive parents to a five-year-old and a seven-year-old.
“My children were all taught at a young age to work, as I was,” he says.
Additionally, Robinson prides himself on treating employees like family and says he doesn’t see a lot of turnover.
“If someone has a problem, we’re all here for each other,” he adds. “We’re all pretty close.”
One of his workers, Michael McDowell, vouches for the company’s family-like atmosphere.
“Our boss takes care of us,” he says. “So I come to work with a smile on my face and ready to put the next job to the test and see what challenges are out there for me. It makes me want to work harder so the company can be successful and I can get out there and do more things.”
McDowell also likes the fact he’s learning something new every day, with Robinson serving as a mentor to him.
He also has adopted Robinson’s philosophy of going the extra mile to meet a customer’s needs.
“There was a customer that wanted to get a patio done the weekend before a family reunion,” McDowell recalls. “But we couldn’t get to it at that time. So the next week when we finished our other work, we went back to that house and worked until 11:30 p.m. They had the family reunion at their house the next day, so that was really exciting.”
Robinson also believes in using his company to help others in need. Last year, he and his employees helped some Eagle Scouts mix, pump and pour concrete for an outside bench area at a nearby high school. The company also volunteers its concrete pumping services for school programs and other groups in need.
Bouncing Back
After more than two decades in the business, in 2013, Robinson found himself to be the victim of embezzlement by a bookkeeper he had hired. The impact to his company was significant, and could have been devastating.
“In 2014, we basically started over with nothing,” he says.The company survived, Robinson believes, in large part because of his hard-earned reputation for being hardworking, honest and skilled.
“My customers believed in me,” he emphasizes. “They made sure we survived.”
Tony Shoptaw is the son of the man who first sold Robinson the concrete pump when he started his business. Today, he’s Manager for Knife River Corp., a local construction company—and is one of Robinson’s loyal customers.
“[Rob] decided to get into the concrete business when my dad and I were getting out,” Shoptaw recalls. “And now I send my concrete trucks out to pour foundation when he’s got jobs.”
The pair have known each other since sixth grade, both having been born and raised in Roseburg.
“Rob is an entrepreneur of sorts,” Shoptaw says. “He wants to get into every aspect of concrete application that he can.”
Robinson’s business is different from other local concrete pumping companies in that he has aspirations to go beyond local projects.
“He’s trying to make connections with the government and the state,” Shoptaw says. “Other concrete pump guys that I know do a day’s job and they’re done. But Rob, he never shuts it off. He just keeps going. He’s got a passion for concrete and making things work.”