For over 100 years, Alexander Lumber has built its business by recommending the right materials for the job.

So when the Aurora, Illinois-based company announced plans for a new retail yard in Champaign, contractor Stark Excavating won the project bid by doing the same.

“The plans called for asphalt paving throughout the yard and customer parking lot,” says Brad Jameson, project manager with Stark’s Champaign office. “But from the start, we knew concrete would make more sense.”

Working with the team at Prairie Material’s Champaign yard, Jameson and his associates at HDC Engineering proposed concrete paving that would give 20-plus years of trouble-free service and reduce construction costs.

Doing the math

The original plans specified 3 inches of asphalt laid over 10 inches of aggregate. Stark proposed 7-inch concrete paving over dirt subgrade for the lumber yard, which totals 13,500 square yards. For the 3,300-square-yard customer parking lot, where vehicle loads would be less, 5 inches of concrete were recommended.“The switch to concrete cut hauling and labor costs dramatically,” says Jameson. “Alexander saved thousands in first-dollar costs.”

Durability where it counts

The strength and stability of concrete are major dividends for Alexander, which operates 18 retail yards in Illinois and 6 more in Wisconsin.

Lumber yard surfaces must withstand the constant stresses of semi trailers and other heavy equipment, Jameson points out. “Concrete can handle the pressure!” he says. “Whether they’re starting from the ground up or replacing old paving, we tell our customers that concrete will cover their asphalt problems for good.”

A strong partnership

Even though Stark has its own ready-mix operations in Bloomington, Illinois, the firm chooses Prairie to provide concrete for jobs in other areas of Central Illinois.

“We depend on Prairie for excellent service and support,” Jameson says.

Owners are often surprised to find how affordable concrete paving can be, says Denny Oedewaldt, general manager for Prairie’s Central Illinois operations.

“For years, everyone viewed asphalt as the least expensive choice,” Oedewaldt says. “But as oil prices rose, the savings all but disappeared. And properly placed concrete doesn’t require constant repairs the way asphalt does.

Alexander Lumber joins Federal Express as one of the leading companies opting for concrete paving. Learn how FedEx cut parking lot construction costs by 50c per square foot at its Bedford Park, Illinois facility.