Becker & Scrivens Concrete opens second location
By Sarah Gray | Simply Hers Magazine
The busy season for Aaron Scrivens and Becker & Scrivens Concrete is about to get much busier. The company is in the process of opening its second location in Montpelier Ohio. This will be the first time the company has expanded to a new location since the business began in 1940.
Becker & Scrivens Concrete is a fourth generation business started by Aaron’s great grandfather Leonard Becker. Aaron started working at the company while he attended Hillsdale High School. He then went on to get an accounting degree from Hillsdale College. Soon after graduation, he decided to make his employment at the family business permanent. He’s worked just about every position at the company starting out in the yard and moving into the office for scheduling and keeping the books. Since he has taken over at president, his role has become more defined – currently working out all the details of opening a new location.
Photos taken by Synergy Photography
Even after almost 80 years in the business, Aaron says customers still can be confused about exactly what kind of services Becker & Scrivens Concrete provides. “Many people still think we are contractors,” he says – which they are not. “We are service providers. We supply the product.” He likens them to a lumber yard. Customers come there to get lumber, but the employees who work there are not going to build the house for the customer – they are just going to supply the lumber. Becker & Scrivens works the same way. Customers will get a high quality concrete delivered, but the employees are just there to deliver. “We will help the customer as much as we can to ensure that their project is a success,” Aaron says.
Materials used at Becker & Scrivens are all regionally sourced. Cement is milled in Alpena, mix admixtures come from Pioneer, Ohio and aggregate is locally mined. Due to the nature of the product, Becker & Scrivens service a 25-mile radius of the Hillsdale and Montpelier areas. This gives them ample time to arrive at the site and unload the product. “Concrete is a perishable product,” Aaron says.
While the company is open year round, the busiest times are from mid-April to mid-November. This year, with the addition of a new location, company’s workload will increase even more. Aaron says he looked to expand to another location several years ago but nothing really panned out, then this location became available. He is planning on extending Becker & Scrivens quality and service to Montpelier. “We want to carry on the same thing we do here,” he says. “We strive to make what can be a challenging job go as smoothly as possible.” He hopes to be operational by April 1.
Aaron will be splitting his time between both locations and some of the current staff will also work in Montpelier. Four of the company’s 15 trucks will also go to the new location. Aaron knows opening a new location requires many details to be in place, but he is confident there is a good market and is looking forward to learning more about the area and its needs. “The market is pretty similar,” he says. “There are many great companies and a solid customer base.”
Becker & Scrivens is a leading ready mix concrete supplier in the area and are able to meet customers’ needs in all areas including industrial, commercial, residential, agricultural and governmental. Their fleet allows them to complete many types of projects including sidewalks, concrete patios and driveways.
“We do a little bit of everything,” he says. With a rural community like Hillsdale County, there are many different types of jobs the company is a part of including recently completing their first project with the Federal Aviation Administration with their work at the Hillsdale Municipal Airport.
In the last few years the company also acquired a form for a precast concrete storm shelter which is important to think about as the story spring season approaches. The seven-foot tall structure is ideal for any home without a basement and can be buried right next to the customer’s house with only the roof and the slanted steel door exposed. In addition, Becker & Scrivens also sells precast concrete steps and septic tanks.
A newer industry popping up from their business is decorative concrete. Mostly used outdoors, decorative concrete consists of stamps and is often time colored to give a unique look. The company sells all the supplies for stamped concrete and can color concrete for their customers.
Along with serving Hillsdale County and surrounding areas with concrete for more than 70 years, Becker & Scrivens also knows the importance of giving back. Over the years they have contributed to many non- profit organizations including the Hillsdale Rotary’s Sandy Beach project, Domestic Harmony, Kimball Camp, and Camp Michindoh. They have also sponsored local teams, schools and race cars. “It is important,” Aaron says to giving back to the community. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Giving back to the community is just one way Becker & Scrivens has earned the trust of the community over the years. Quality of service and the staff that works for the company has solidified its positive reputation. “The employees are what make the company,” Aaron says. “They are the face of the company.” He says that he enjoys working with the staff and being a part of a company for so long, they no longer feel like employees. “It becomes like a family.”
He admits there are challenges every day in his job but he and everyone at Becker & Scrivens strive to “make sure everybody is successful.”
Aaron is married to his wife Veronica and they have two children, Jorey and Marcus.
For more information about Becker & Scrivens Concrete call 517-437- 4250, visit their website www.beckerscrivens.com or find them on Facebook.