Making Solid Modifications
For True Line Coring & Cutting of Maryland’s president, nothing really is set in concrete
Six little words that come from Heath Morgan and Bobby Lundy defy logic: “You can now modify concrete easily.”
Concrete—with the skeletal rebar inside—is one of the most versatile and yet most durable building materials on earth. While it can be susceptible to the elements over time, concrete far exceeds other building products in strength and longevity.
Morgan knows what he’s talking about. He is President of True Line Coring & Cutting of Maryland, Inc., part of The Coring & Cutting Group (CCG), a cooperative of 22 affiliates in 12 states that specializes in what is called concrete modification. He is also CCG’s Chairman of the Board.
Lundy, Vice President, knows the demolition industry like no other—from working as a kid for other demolition contractors to owning his own demolition company called Hercules Construction Specialists, Inc.
These two met about 10 years ago and formed a friendship that developed into being successful business partners for the growing True Line Coring & Cutting of Maryland. Today, they employ 18 hardworking guys who are second to none in the industry. “We are very fortunate to have the best working for us,” Morgan says.
Whenever concrete of any thickness and in any location needs to be changed, what is required is diamond sawing or chopping through the hard-as-rock material. True Line’s services include slab sawing, concrete demolition and removal, core drilling, trenching, and robotic breaking and crushing.
“We specialize in difficult and unusual concrete cutting applications, even those that others think to be impossible,” Morgan says of the 25-year-old company, which is based in Baltimore.
He explains that concrete structures may need to be changed for various reasons. Sometimes, some type of structural, mechanical or electrical alteration to an existing piece of concrete is required. Or perhaps existing concrete has been compromised by nature or other forces and must be repaired.
“There are numerous modification possibilities—more and more than there used to be,” he says. “Jackhammers are becoming a thing of the past.”
Cementing Their Future
Morgan learned at a young age about hard work and the intrinsic reward received for work well done. Back then, however, it was a necessity to operate, maintain and fix the equipment that was being used. “Over the years, I wanted to learn exactly how all the equipment worked, why it does what it does, and I even explored the history of concrete cutting,” he says.
He eventually began working with a concrete cutting company in Tennessee 30 years ago. In this field, he got his share of working with heavy and sophisticated equipment. Concrete modification required powerful operations. And it was a good way to be introduced to the ever-changing technology, too.
Lundy, born and raised in Maryland, grew up knowing all of the contractors in the Baltimore area. Well known for being an upstanding contractor himself, he has worked in the construction and demolition industry most of his life.
Today’s concrete-altering equipment must perform advanced tasks, with remote-controlled and robotic equipment being the newest generation of concrete and breaking equipment. First, ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems determine whether there are any potential obstacles, like utilities in the way, before cutting begins. Then, workers use sawing and cutting machinery with diamond blades, bits and wire to slice through thick material.
It’s important to understand that the team does not crush through concrete with abandon. Concrete modification most often requires very precise work, especially so as not to adversely affect the remaining concrete and other surrounding building material on a site.
“Often, we’re just as focused on renovation and preservation, especially for a historic building, as we are on concrete modification or removal,” Morgan says.
Remotely operated or robotic concrete machines primarily demolish concrete. The ability for operators to stand well away from an active project is a major safety advancement.“We utilize some of the industry’s most advanced equipment, including Brokk robotic demolition equipment and state-of-the-art, high-frequency electronic equipment,” says Lundy. “We’ve invested over $2 million in equipment over the last four years.”
True Line has its own army of Brokk electronic demolition robots, including models 40, 90,160, 180, 250 and 330. The machines are ideal for places where demolition must be done in restricted areas or where the standing surface could give way and harm crew members.
“Robots can’t do it all, but you can put a lot of attachments on the end of an arm like a Swiss army knife,” Morgan says.
Watching the unmanned robot tear down a concrete shell of an ATM banking machine seems like a scene from a science fiction movie.
Cut to the Present
As a proven “natural” with machinery, and quickly advancing in his concrete project capabilities, Morgan helped start and run two similar companies—in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn.—before deciding to start the Maryland company. It was another good step for him and his family. He already had good familiarity with the market and all aspects of the work from his many years in Tennessee. When the group of affiliated cutting companies banded together to form CCG, he was an obvious choice to be a leader. Besides chairing the board, he serves as a lead training instructor.
The group that formed 35 years ago was originally a parent company with branch offices, but managers in those branches soon saw more advantage to selling off the individual firms and supporting those “affiliates” in ways to meet common needs.
The organization benefits from the unity of buying power, hiring efforts, insurance provisions, accounting, marketing, safety and training.
True Line and its employees cover much of New England and the East Coast. Morgan likes this region because of the specialized and even high-security projects that are available. Given the high concentration of federal government agencies in the greater Washington, D.C., area, True Line completes many high- and low-profile jobs.
Some of the projects are nuclear plants, dams and government office buildings.
At Washington Dulles International Airport, True Line removed 80 feet of an underground pedestrian walkway tunnel between the terminal and a parking garage to make way for construction of a new Metro light rail route coming from Washington, D.C. Slab, wall and roof removal had to be achieved even while protecting data and communication lines that also were present in the tunnel.
True Line also continues work on one part of the Clean Rivers Project, now in its third year. The Anacostia River stormwater upgrades is a large job for the company in which the crews use Brokk, wire saw and core drilling equipment to separate concrete sewer and stormwater sections so that stormwater does not cause the sewer to flow into the Anacostia River. This work ensures the integrity of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest of its kind in the world. The Anacostia section is part of a $2.6 billion civic project also involving two other rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
A Cut Above
Morgan is very committed to passing along what he has learned as a leader in CCG’s training program. He created the companywide training effort that ensures some 300 employees exercise the best safety measures on the job and are certified to operate the equipment used by the 22 affiliate firms.
Each crew member is expected to fulfill a 30-hour training program of OSHA standards. The class covers core drilling, wall sawing, hand sawing, wire sawing and flat sawing, along with Brokk training. Participants receive hands-on practice on different machines, from small hand grinders to 110-horsepower wire saws and everything in between. Additionally, the employees work with a variety of equipment of various ages and from various manufacturers—like Diamond Products, ICS, Husqvarna and Hilti—to simulate real-world working conditions.
“Each year at our annual meeting, we invite manufacturers and their families to attend as a thank you for the support,” says Morgan. “It’s a very entertaining time to relax and have fun. Sometimes that is a needed and much appreciated break for a few days.”
For people as knowledgeable and experienced as Morgan and Lundy, these relationships, the training to prepare their employees, and True Line’s proven performance in the field are all as “easy” as modifying concrete.