LAWTON – Shane Lupi is using technology to take the company his father founded to new heights.
Lupi, operations manager and co-owner of Lupi Construction in Lawton, began working for his father full-time in 2010 and was named co-owner in January 2016, two years after receiving his construction management degree from Oklahoma State University.
In his first year at the helm, the concrete and dirt work company grew 30% by becoming more aggressive in their bids for more lucrative projects. Since 2015 the company has grown 300%, Lupi said.
“We knew we had to diversify and grow,” said Lupi. “We do a lot of school projects, we do projects at Goodyear, the Farmers Market in Lawton and we’ve done commercial projects in Woodward and Altus. We’ve also done sidewalks at a new shopping center in Elgin. I hope it keeps going the way it is.”
Business boomed for Lupi Construction in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was our best year ever,” Lupi said. “We had a lot of work on the backlog, so we never slowed down. We were able to push through.” Adding, “This year hasn’t been as good so far, but we should stay on track as the year progresses.”
Lupi Construction has bid on several projects for the City of Lawton and a new development in the city should help if Lupi is awarded the contracts.
“People around here (southwestern Oklahoma) know us and the quality work we do,” he said.
Lupi Construction also offers concrete removal, basement waterproofing and concrete resurfacing as well as other services.
Operating with a seven-man crew that – coupled with high-tech equipment – Lupi Construction can perform the same amount of work a 17-man crew can accomplish.
“I can control my seven-man crew where these other companies have to low bid just to keep their people working,” Lupi said.
Lupi also has purchased about $200,000 in surveying equipment that he uses himself, a move that saves the company money in the long-term.
“That has made it immensely easier to do projects faster and easier,” he said. “You can rely on someone else, but that takes time and money. We get the job done quicker with less people because of the robotics we use and the GPS for surveying. There are a lot of areas where we can hone our skills.”
Charles Lupi started his company 36 years ago as a small light residential concrete business. Over time, the company began taking commercial jobs that included nursing homes and office buildings. Although his son runs the business side, Charles Lupi hasn’t retired. He still works as the company’s project superintendent overseeing the seven-man crew.
“He is always on the job. He hasn’t gone anywhere. I’ve just taken over running the business side of things,” Shane Lupi said. “He can’t stand the paperwork. But he’s there every day.”
One of the biggest issues facing Lupi Construction and other similar firms is the difficulty in retaining employees and filling vacancies.
“It’s hard to keep people doing labor intensive work,” Lupi said. “They tell you in school to stay away from this stuff. I spoke to students at the vo-tech, but it seems they could care less. But if they come to work in this field, they can name their price.”
Concrete masonry is one of the seven highest-paying trade jobs in the nation, according to the website kenrusk.com. The website states the national median wage is $21.87 an hour. Masonry work is growing at a faster-than-average pace, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.