In the highly competitive market for construction of downstream processing plants along the Highway 225 corridor, most firms expect to win 10-20 percent of the jobs they bid. For Saulsbury Industries to win 60 percent of the projects it bids, there must be a reason.
Actually, there are at least three, said David Dool, vice president/general manager of Saulsbury Industries' Gulf Coast region.
"First is our safety record," he said. Saulsbury has won the Associated Builders and Contractors Diamond STEP (Safety Training Evaluation Process) award on multiple occasions -- most recently this year. "We have one of the best safety programs and records in the construction industry," Dool said.
The second reason is integrity. "We're going to tell the client like it is and be open with them. Our goal is to give them a fair price for a safe, high-quality project," Dool said.
This leads to the third reason: Saulsbury gives clients a fair price. "Our win ratio is north of 60 percent. That's extremely abnormal for our industry; it's normally in the 10-20 percent range," Dool said. He added 80 percent of the company's clients are repeat customers -- a major testimony to Saulsbury's safety and value proposition.
There is tremendous value to both the customer and the provider in repeat business. Each is familiar with the other's abilities and requirements, so projects can start faster and be executed with the utmost accuracy.
Safety, value and integrity have been part and parcel of Saulsbury's value proposition since its founding 50 years ago. "We talk about the Saulsbury way, the Saulsbury culture," Dool said. "I've been in this business for almost 30 years, and this is truly the first place I've been where there really is a 'Saulsbury way.' The way they've been doing it for 50 years, which has been instilled by (founder) Dick Saulsbury, gets the job done. We do it safely and for a fair price."
The company focuses on projects in the $5 million-$200 million range, according to Steve Horn, executive vice president of operations for the Gulf Coast and Power Group at Saulsbury. The team is currently staying in that size range because it's an area they're "very confident we can excel in," said Horn.
Dool estimates the Highway 225 office has completed approximately 150 projects in the past two-and-a-half years, which is an amazing track record.
While the company builds a variety of types of facilities, in recent months, Saulsbury has broadened its product offering and built a number of micro LNG plants along the Gulf on an EPC basis, including some in Florida. Many of these plants, with capacity of up to a half-million gallons per day, are used to fuel large oceangoing oil tankers.
As Saulsbury celebrates its 50th birthday in October, growing from Dick Saulsbury's two-person electrical company in 1967 to one that employs more than 2,000 people companywide, the "Saulsbury way" and the Saulsbury culture are the foundation of today's company.
Saulsbury is still family owned and operated, with headquarters in the oil fields of west Texas in Odessa. All its growth over the years has been done organically, adding services based on customer requests and as Saulsbury could find qualified employees who understand that "Saulsbury way." This has allowed the company to remain debt-free and still become a major force in construction, service and other energy industry fields.
With a company culture focused on safety and customer service, Dool and Horn both consider people to be Saulsbury's greatest asset. They are the main reason so many customers keep coming back for more and more projects.
As a fully integrated EPC company, Saulsbury provides complete turnkey services in plant construction. In almost every case, everything runs smoothly as each Saulsbury department knows its role and its schedule. Customers with a question or a change need only talk to one person: their Saulsbury representative.
Wherever you are -- on the Highway 225 corridor or elsewhere on the Gulf of Mexico -- Saulsbury is ready to put its experience and integrity to work for you, as it has for so many others. Its plant construction division continues in the tradition that's kept Saulsbury moving forward for 50 years.
For more information, visit www.Saulsbury.com or call (713) 267-5500.
