Construction Business Review

Fucich LLC
Exclusive Approach to Scaffold Support

Kenny Fucich, Owner, Fucich LLCKenny Fucich, Owner
The shortage of skilled labor in industrial contracting, particularly in specialized trades like scaffold building, is an ongoing challenge. Companies must continually adapt their strategies to attract and retain talented employees. Fucich has successfully navigated this hurdle by offering an exclusive approach to support its boiler repair and maintenance services. When its crews arrive at a worksite where boilermakers eagerly await scaffolding, a remarkable collaboration takes place. The company goes above and beyond by ensuring their boilermakers, welders, and helpers assist scaffold builders in their tasks. This kind of cooperation and camaraderie is rare but serves as a testament to Fucich’s commitment to providing exceptional services.

“One might wonder why we are able to ask employees to assist scaffold builders,” says Kenny Fucich, owner of Fucich. “The answer lies in our ethos—fair compensation and respectful treatment. By compensating our employees well, we create an environment where workers feel valued and motivated to go the extra mile.”

For example, Fucich allocated an impressive $780,000 for Christmas bonuses last year, ensuring its hardworking employees were recognized and rewarded for their dedication. Among those who benefited the most were scaffold builders, who play a crucial role in the company’s success.

A key factor that sets Fucich apart is its unwavering commitment to safety.

In an industry where accidents can have severe consequences, the company’s track record is truly exceptional. Fucich has implemented a simple yet effective safety measure known as the tug and release method. Under this approach, whenever scaffold material is passed from one level to another, the recipient must tug on it, demonstrating a firm grip, before the person handing it can let go.

This additional step significantly reduces the likelihood of accidents caused by dropped materials. Since the implementation of this safety measure, Fucich has not experienced any incidents in the past ten years.

Efficiency and timeliness are crucial elements in the construction industry, and Fucich has recognized the significance of streamlined scaffold support. By fostering a collaborative approach between scaffold supervisors and builders, the company ensures seamless operations. Leveraging its exclusive partnership with Sunbelt, Fucich eliminates delays caused by material shortages. Its flexible workforce deployment strategy also allows for an agile response to unexpected scaffold requirements.

In one instance, Fucich was assigned to construct a scaffold within an OxyChem plant, specifically inside a boiler. The plant personnel were astounded when the team accomplished the construction of an impressive 80-feet-tall and 35-feet-wide scaffold within eight hours. In another example, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a large scaffold company with an in-house contract for scaffold support at a power plant in Greenville, Mississippi, were in a predicament. Despite their position and resources, they struggled to find scaffold builders willing to come to work.

By compensating our employees well, we create an environment where workers feel valued and motivated to go the extra mile

The reason behind this was the prevailing circumstances at that time— an increased unemployment benefit was in effect due to the pandemic. Thanks to its fair compensation practices, Fucich could attract and retain skilled scaffold builders who were willing to work, even when others were drawn to the increased unemployment benefits. The company’s commitment to offering competitive wages proved instrumental in securing a scaffold crew to support the power plant.

“We strive to work closely with other contractors and disciplines to maximize productivity and realize the value of precise, accurate, and timely reporting of information associated with the project,” says Fucich.