While much of the industry’s focus is on fiber, large-diameter water infrastructure work continues to offer growth opportunities. Florida-based B&B Underground and Drilling recognized this opportunity.
“There are so many communities expanding around the area, and new water and sewer services are needed to support the growing population. In addition, many municipalities keep a watchful eye on communities that are actively installing reclaimed water systems. With so much attention on water usage, there will be a lot of work to come in this area as well,” said Lee Bennett, president of B&B Underground and Drilling.
The company was established in 2004 by brothers Glenn and Lee Bennett. Prior to that, Glenn Bennett was a horizontal directional drill (HDD) operator with experience dating back to the early ’90s on one of Florida’s first HDD projects. Lee Bennett was a salesperson for the turf equipment industry at the time. Even though Glenn Bennett was already experienced working with mid- to maxi-rig sized drills, the two started small and invested in a used Vermeer D7x11 HDD. They got to work installing fiber, coax cable and electrical lines.
“Building the business up to the level of doing bigger pipes had always been a goal of ours,” said Glenn Bennett, vice president. “However, achieving that goal takes time. It involves adding and training personnel, saving up, investing in all the equipment required to perform larger-diameter HDD work, and earning the trust of our customers.”
More growth through investment in equipment
As utility owners noticed B&B Underground and Drilling’s diligence and professionalism, the size and scope of the projects the company won grew and they expanded into water infrastructure.
“The income we earned was reinvested in the business, leading us to buy our first brand-new rig, a Vermeer D24x40 HDD,” said Lee Bennett. “This machine helped us land more water installation projects.”
The company continued to evolve its fleet as work continued to shift to larger-diameter utilities. The brothers decided to invest in a D40x55 S3 HDD. This allowed them to perform longer shots and install larger-diameter water and sewer lines. By acquiring this machine, they were given more opportunities for mainline water infrastructure projects. Consequently, they added a Vermeer D60x90 S3 HDD to their fleet.
Today, B&B Underground and Drilling operates four Vermeer utility drills ranging from a Vermeer D10x15 S3 HDD up to the D60x90 S3 and performs bores ranging from 1 in to 30 in (2.5 cm to 76 cm) in diameter. To help with slurry management, B&B Underground and Drilling uses Vermeer CS 1273 GT and CS 873 GT trailer vacs and a custom-built truck vac to support their three crews.
Vermeer D60x90 S3 HDD bores long shots
Deland, Florida, is among the many communities around Orlando that expanded their use of reclaimed water. Over the last several years, the city installed new reclaimed-water transmission mains to transport non-potable water from the Deland Water Reclamation Facility to various locations throughout the city.
B&B Underground and Drilling, Inc. was the local contractor selected for this water infrastructure project. The company was tasked with completing eight bores ranging from 370 ft to 600 ft (113 m to 183 m), fusing HDPE pipe, and pulling the product in place where it would be tied in with an existing 12-in (30-cm) line to the new pump station.
The brothers used their D60x90 S3 HDD to complete the work because it could handle the distances they were boring and was efficient at opening the holes to the required diameters. The bores ranged between 10 ft and 15 ft (3 m and 4.6 m) deep. Two reamer passes were performed after the pilot bore. They pre-reamed to 16 in (41 cm) on the first pass and then stepped up to 22 in (56 cm) while pulling the pipe into place.
The Deland reclaimed-water project took the team at B&B Underground and Drilling a little over a month to complete and involved some narrow rights-of-way and sandy soils.
Vermeer dealer provides essential training
B&B Underground and Drilling emphasizes the importance of training when pursuing larger water infrastructure work.
“We’ve been around long enough to know that untrained help is bad for business, hard on equipment and hurts the HDD industry,” said Lee Bennett. “We make sure our people are properly trained for the work they are going to be doing, and we often work with the team at Vermeer Southeast to support those efforts. They have helped us train equipment operators, locators and mud specialists.”
Glenn added that with all the advances made in drilling technology since he started, having a good dealer partner that prioritizes training has helped him stay current on the latest technology.
“More and more customers are asking for as-built information, so we recently started using Vermeer Projects bore planning tools. The Vermeer Southeast team has helped us work through the learning process. Their support helps keep us at the top of our profession,” Glenn Bennett said.
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by contractors in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
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