About L.N. Rothberg & Son Inc.
L.N. Rothberg & Son Inc. is the leader in sitework, milling, asphalt paving and repair, excavating, utilities, emergency sewer and water repair, curbing and walks and tennis court services. Clients at thousands of sites have experienced the L.N. Rothberg way of general sitework. L.N. Rothberg pools from its 60 years of experience, resulting in faster, more accurate business decisions; more profitable relationships with clients and suppliers; compliance with safety regulations; research breakthroughs; and better service. Since 1948, L.N. Rothberg has been helping clients throughout New Jersey Move the Earth.
History of L.N. Rothberg & Son Inc.
Over the past 60 years, Louis N. Rothberg has seen a number of changes since founding L. N. Rothberg & Son Inc. Not only has he survived the brunt of a few recessions, but he has also witnessed revolutionary technological changes in construction equipment and the inception of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
THE EARLY DAYS
At 17, Louis Rothberg had joined the service. After spending a few years in the Pacific, he began working with his father in the homebuilding trade.
In 1947, he established L.N. Rothberg. Armed with only a hand shovel, a saw, and a jeep with a plow, Louis and his friend started trimming trees, landscaping and snowplowing. In the winter of 1947, he started out cutting trees during the ice storm.
Rothberg recalls, "I didn´t even have a license or a dump truck. I had to hire one."
Eventually, Rothberg had earned enough money to purchase a used dump truck, which he would load by hand. He even recalls loading up to five cubic yards of material by hand at times.
In 1948, he put a down payment on a Ford tractor equipped with a bucket. The tractor was great, he said, because from that point on he didn´t have to do as much handwork.
Later on, Rothberg expanded into digging cellars. The next additions to the equipment fleet were machines such as bulldozers and loaders. Soon thereafter, Louis had expanded into paving driveways and small parking lots, in addition to some minor utility work. The next natural step was to purchase some pavers and a grader.
Lou´s son, John would soon follow in his father´s footsteps. In 1974, John started from the ground up at his father´s company. He began working in the field and operating equipment and today, basically runs the company under his father´s supervision.
When John came on board some changes took place. L.N. Rothberg became more involved with paving and sitework, and little by little, grew into the successful contracting business it is today.
MOVING RIGHT ALONG
Since its origination a half a century ago, Rothberg has occupied a total of six different facilities, all of which were located in New Jersey. Steady growth dictated the need for more space over the years in most cases.
In the beginning, Rothberg operated out of an old house with a small garage on South Avenue in Plainfield, which was rented out to a car dealer and the Grand Union. The next move was directly across the street. After leasing this property to the local fire company, he moved up to North Avenue in Plainfield. After the post office and a local garbage company showed interest in the property, Rothberg leased it out and moved on to Piscataway. In April 1988, however, he leased out the South Plainfield facility and constructed the current headquarters.
Rothberg´s flagship today-a 12,000-square-foot, two-story building-sits on a five-acre parcel on Cedar Avenue in Middlesex, NJ. Its convenient access to the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 287 and 78 allows Rothberg to provide wide coverage in the State of New Jersey. The only areas of the state the contractor doesn´t work in are the northernmost and southernmost points.
According to Project Engineer Robert Hering, P.E., the sizable yard surrounding Rothberg´s headquarters provides more than just convenient access to major roadways.
"Having a larger yard makes it a lot easier for us to stockpile material. If we need it in an emergency situation it´s there." He continues, "We get a lot of emergency calls at night and on weekends, and you can´t get material at that time because the plants are shut down. It allows us to better serve our clients."
A CONTRACTOR´S LIVELIHOOD
Although there are many factors that determine if a contractor will stand the test of time, the deciding factor lies in the quality and diversity of the work it performs.
Rothberg has evolved a great deal since its inception. The days of trimming trees and digging cellars are long gone. Today, Rothberg performs sitework, land clearing, excavating, underground utility work, paving and heavy equipment hauling. On any given day, Rothberg mobilizes 10 three- to 10-man crews, which are supervised by 10 foremen.
"We do a lot of commercial industrial sitework," says John Rothberg. "Approximately 60 percent of our work is in the private sector and 40 percent is in the public sector."
Rothberg also performs miscellaneous jobs such as running tracks, tennis courts and ball fields for colleges and the boards of education. All aspects involved in shopping center reconstruction account for another large portion of the contractor´s work.
Although Rothberg has expanded its services over the years, the quality of its work has not suffered. "We stand behind our work," indicates Lou Rothberg. "If we can´t do a job right, we don´t´ want to do it at all." This mentality could be part of the reason an estimated 70 percent of Rothberg´s work comes from repeat business.
John Rothberg adds, "We provide good service and we´re loyal to our customers."
Despite the fact that Rothberg has the capability to take on large contracts, there is no discrimination by the contractor against smaller contracts. "We do jobs of all sizes," says John Rothberg, "ranging from $5,000 to $2.5 million."
SAFETY AS A REQUIREMENT
Safety on the job site is not an option for Rothberg, but a requirement. That could explain why it touts such an impressive safety record.
Following the formation of OSHA, the contractor quickly implemented a strict safety program. According to Dispatcher Larry Murin, Rothberg was probably one of the first to devise such a program.
When OSHA first started, many contractors were worried about the consequences, including Rothberg. "Because of the type of work we do," said Murin, "we went into it full force. No money is held back when it comes to protecting our workers. We don´t want any injuries."
Further demonstrating safety, Rothberg maintains a drug-free workplace by testing all employees every three months.
A DIVERSE EQUIPMENT FLEET
Louis Rothberg has come quite a ways since the days of loading a dump truck by shovel. The accumulation of Rothberg´s large, diversified equipment fleet has been slow, but steady in these past decades.
Today, the contractor employs more than 75 pieces of equipment including: backhoe loaders; front end loaders; excavators; bulldozers; scrapers; graders; asphalt and dirt rollers; pavers; a shear; chippers; a skidder; a shear buncher; a tractor; milling machines; concrete saws, vibratory compactors; and air compressors.
Rothberg also has two low bed trailers to haul larger equipment. Seven single-axle dump trucks are used to transport materials and smaller equipment to the job sites. Other trucks include two street sweepers, and a water and fuel truck.
Backhoes are believed to be the main workhorses in Rothberg´s fleet. "They are basically the wheel barrows of our fleet," says John Rothberg. Since the contractor does a lot of paving, that equipment is also an essential part of the fleet. And the numbers speak for themselves. In 1997 alone, Rothberg placed in excess of 90,000 tons of asphalt, according to plant records.
Lou Rothberg remembers the equipment of the past. "In my day," he recalls, "we didn´t have straight starting diesel engines. We had what they called a pony engine, which was a gasoline-starting engine that would switch over to diesel. We also didn´t have the angle tilt blades that they have today."
To eliminate downtime in the field, fleet maintenance is obviously an important factor for Rothberg. In the rear part of Rothberg´s facility is a four-bay service shop occupied by five full-time mechanics. Under the direction of Head Mechanic Joe Pollack, four other mechanics maintain more than 75 pieces of equipment, plus the truck fleet. This has been highly beneficial in allowing Rothberg to become more self-sufficient.
Maintenance in the field is accomplished through the use of two service trucks and a lube truck.
EMPLOYEES; "THE GREATEST ASSET"
When touring through Rothberg´s headquarters a sense of camaraderie and company pride is evident among its employees.
Rothberg has a total of 74 employees, consisting of five mechanics, an average of 50 workers and 10 foremen in the field, and 10 office employees. Constant communication is maintained between the workers in the field and the office staff with radios and cell phones, allowing work on the job site to flow smoothly.
Rothberg is also an advocate of ongoing employee training. Mechanics and operators are sent to various schools to keep up with the latest operations and changes in equipment.
"We have a company picnic every year, which is a fun thing for everyone," said Robert Hering. He added, "Employees really have a lot of input in what goes on around here."
"Employees are our greatest asset," says John Rothberg, who is a strong advocate of providing a comfortable working environment.
Lou Rothberg has his own theory about employees. "Good people don´t work for you," he says. "They work with you. We have some good people here. They´re very loyal."
THE ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS
There are a number of factors to which Rothberg´s success can be attributed. Larry Murin has his own views on the topic. "I´ve been with Rothberg for 15 years," he indicates. "I think one of the reasons we survived is because we always try to stay one step ahead. We´ve got good people here. A lot of companies go in business one day and they´re gone the next. We strive for the best all the time."
Rothberg has been a company founded on honesty and loyalty since the beginning, and will continue in that direction. "Be loyal to your employees and be loyal to your customers," concludes John Rothberg. And by doing just these things, Rothberg is sure to continue into the next millennium.
