McGee Construction, a residential, commercial, excavating, paving, and building contractor located in West Gardiner, ME, was started in 1976 by Steven McGee before he finished high school. His enterprise began as a trucking business, hauling lime, fertilizer and some construction equipment. With a vision to continue his company’s growth and with Thompson Machinery, of Lewiston, ME, providing equipment and support, McGee had the recipe for success. In 1983, the company focused on moving dirt and excavating as a growth area for the company. In 1985, when Thompson Machinery increased its product offerings to include earthmoving equipment, McGee purchased its first bulldozer, a John Deere 350, from them. Because the company was doing a considerable amount of residential construction, it also purchased a Hitachi excavator and a Trojan loader.As the company grew, Steven McGee saw the need to be a supplier of screen soils and aggregate materials in the Gardiner and Augusta areas He became the proud owner of a gravel pit in 1987, and in 1989 he purchased a Thunderbird 25x36 jaw plant from Thompson. That first plant has proven to be extremely durable. After many years of reliable service, McGee sold the screening plant that is still operating for another producer. In 1998, a Pioneer 25x36 crusher replaced the Thunderbird jaw plant.McGee believes that owning its own gravel pits keeps the company in a very competitive position with pricing. Currently, McGee is producing half a million yards of material a year, including sand, loam, gravel and crushed stones. Approximately 70 percent of the material the company produces is used on its projects with the remaining material being sold to area contractors. McGee operates five aggregate pits located in Augusta, Windsor, Whitefield, Dresden, and Monmouth, ME. When asked how much land his pits occupy, McGee said, “One of my hobbies is raising beef cattle. Between the beef cattle and the aggregate production, I own about 1,000 acres.” Because Thompson keeps McGee abreast of the latest equipment for the aggregate industry, it has added a JCI Kodiak 300 cone crusher with a 6- by 20-ft. (1.8 by 6.1 m) triple deck, closed-circuit screen to his complement of equipment. The cone crusher is able to break down 2-ft. (.6 m) rock to gravel, which increases aggregate production for the company. “I was never able to process ledge rock before, and this new machine makes it possible for me to do that. I estimate that it will double the life of my gravel pits,” McGee said. From his first purchase, Thompson has supplied McGee with all its screening equipment. “I have been doing business with Thompson Machinery since 1985 and I am particularly satisfied with my sales representative, David Clark,” said McGee. “David has a wealth of information on aggregate production. I have been very satisfied with the technical support that I have received. The parts and service support from Thompson Machinery has been excellent, and the durability of the equipment has always been beyond my expectations,” he said.McGee Construction is a diversified enterprise and as such, the company owns a variety of equipment including five semi-trucks with low beds, 17 excavators and 24 dump trucks. Much of McGee’s equipment was used on a $2-million site work project for the Winthrop High School, which was the largest contract for the company. However, a $1.6-million contract for the Amhi Hospital in Augusta also was a noteworthy project for McGee.From its humble beginning, McGee Construction has become a diversified operation employing 107 people. McGee’s son, Seth, and daughter, Amy, are planning to join the family business. Currently, Seth is a student at Central Maine’s Technical College and Amy is attending Western Kentucky University. And as in the past, Thompson Machinery is ready to provide equipment and service on which McGee Construction can depend.
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