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Nov 06, 2024

Winning Formula | The Dirt

The Gallagher Asphalt team, of Chicago, IL, has impressive accolades in its trophy case: The company is the only contractor in Illinois to be awarded three Diamond Commendations by the National

The Gallagher Asphalt team, of Chicago, IL, has impressive accolades in its trophy case: The company is the only contractor in Illinois to be awarded three Diamond Commendations by the National Asphalt Pavement Association. An important way Gallagher Asphalt has gained a competitive edge is using the latest machines and technology from John Deere and the Wirtgen Group, including innovative loaders and cold-milling machines.

Chicago Asphalt Company Raises the Bar

5 MIN READ

Many sports dynasties have the same thing in common. A coach arrives who takes the team from being good to great. The coach sees the true potential of the team and pushes the players to the next level. They raise the bar, setting a new standard for excellence.

When Jim Trost, president of Gallagher Asphalt, started at the company 24 years ago, he joined one of the most recognized asphalt contractors in the Chicago area, with almost a century of history. "We have an outstanding team," says Trost, who became president last year.

The Gallagher team has impressive accolades in its trophy case: The company is the only contractor in Illinois to be awarded three Diamond Commendations by the National Asphalt Pavement Association. But Trost saw even greater possibilities.

Outside the University of Notre Dame's locker room is a simple wooden sign that reads "Play Like a Champion Today." The late Al Davis, former owner of the Oakland Raiders, would implore his team to "Just win, baby!"

Jim Trost's rallying cry is "Relentlessly raise the bar." "We want to challenge all of our employees to continuously improve performance in every area of the business," he says. "Everybody matters, from the machine operator to the truck driver to the plant manager to the CFO. Everyone must be engaged every day and believe that their work matters."

This initiative starts at the top. "We've done endless leadership training," says Chris Gallagher, director of construction and the great-grandson of founder James F. Gallagher, Sr. "We always say getting the work done is easy. Managing people is hard. That's when you see the leadership training pay off."

Trost is the first president of Gallagher Asphalt who wasn't a Gallagher. "That was a big deal and a great moment," says Gallagher.

"He [President Jim Trost] wants to instill the discipline it takes to go to the next level and be better than the competition."

An important way Gallagher Asphalt has gained a competitive edge is using the latest machines and technology from John Deere and the Wirtgen Group, including innovative loaders and cold-milling machines (see both sidebars). Trost is a member of the John Deere Customer Advocate Group that is helping the manufacturer design its obstacle-detection system, or SmartDetect™, for Deere loaders. The company also recently started running Deere motor graders equipped with SmartGrade™ grade-management technology.

"I'm very impressed with what both companies bring to the table to help us improve productivity and make better-quality pavement for our customers," says Trost. "They really care about the customer. You really feel like you matter and they want to hear what you have to say. We've built great relationships with them and look forward to continuing to take advantage of new technologies that they come out with."

Since it was founded in 1928, Gallagher Asphalt has paved and resurfaced thousands of miles of pavement. It also runs three state-of-the-art, high-capacity asphalt plants, and it partners on a fourth.

The company is a fourth-generation business. All six family members from this generation work for the company. "That speaks volumes," says Trost. "And our employee retention has been phenomenal. I'm proud of the culture we've built here."

The company mission is "Moving Families Forward." "Gallagher cares greatly about our employees and their families," explains Trost. "But more than that, our company is building an infrastructure that gives the motoring public the freedom to travel from one place to another."

A catchphrase long associated with the company is "Relax, it's Gallagher."

"We want the client to breathe a sigh of relief and say, 'We're in good hands,' " explains Gallagher. "I had an engineer we were working for tell me the first week on the job that he didn't know how we were going to complete the job on schedule. So I showed him the tagline. A few months later I was on-site as we were finishing the job, and he told me, 'You were right. It was a pleasure to work with your team.' "

"Everybody matters, from the machine operator to the truck driver to the plant manager to the CFO."

At the Port of Chicago, Gallagher Asphalt is milling about four inches of old pavement and repaving. The star player is the company's Wirtgen W 220 Fi cold-milling machine.

The beauty of this machine, according to President Jim Trost, is its ability to switch out between an eight-foot milling drum and a 12-foot milling drum. "On interstate jobs where there aren't a lot of obstructions and multiple miles of milling, we can put the 12-foot drum on it and get great production with fewer passes. On smaller jobs like the job we are on today, we can run the eight-foot drum for more flexibility. It's been a game changer to give us the capability of two machines in one."

Trost has visited the Wirtgen Group factory in Germany. "It was very impressive. Wirtgen is committed to continuous advancements in technology to make these machines more productive and reliable."

Twenty minutes away from the Port of Chicago job, a John Deere 844 P-Tier Loader and an 844K-II Loader keep production moving at Gallagher Asphalt's high-capacity asphalt plant in Thornton, Illinois. The machines shuttle materials nonstop to hoppers for the plant, which has produced as much as 8,000 tons of hot-mix asphalt in a single day.

The loaders are critical to the operation. If one machine goes down, the plant goes down. Fifty trucks feeding three paving crews are held up. Twenty outside customers pulling mix from the plant are also without supply.

The company has run John Deere loaders at all its asphalt plants for over a decade because they are extremely reliable. The machines typically run 10 to 12 hours a day, and sometimes 24 hours a day. That adds up to as much as 2,500 hours annually.

Using the John Deere Operations Center™, Gallagher Asphalt can analyze critical machine data, track utilization, review diagnostic alerts, and more. Its dealers use the Operations Center to keep a vigilant eye on its equipment by remotely monitoring machine health, diagnosing problems, and quickly providing solutions.

"Identifying a potential fault before it becomes a more serious issue is key to uptime," says President Jim Trost. "We don't want to risk stopping a plant because the wheel loader has a problem."

Trost has been impressed by the level of support the company receives from its local John Deere dealer, West Side Tractor Sales: "They understand how critical these loaders are to our operation. They take care of us right away. The dealer on our Wirtgen side, Roland Machinery Co., has been equally great supporting that product. We have a lasting relationship with both dealerships."

Gallagher Asphalt is serviced by West Side Tractor Sales, South Holland, Illinois, for John Deere equipment and by Roland Machinery Co., Bolingbrook, Illinois, for Wirtgen Group equipment.

A Wirtgen W220Fi cold milling machine prepares to resurface pavement.

A Hamm HD110i smoothly compacts the freshly laid asphalt, creating a seamless and durable surface.

A John Deere 844 P-Tier Loader effortlessly scoops up gravel with its bucket.

The John Deere 844 P-Tier Loader decisively approaches a gravel bin with a full bucket.

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