This month’s BYC “Spotlight Series” shines on Triangle Grading & Paving, Carolinas AGC members since 1991.  Triangle G & P, established in Burlington, NC in 1965, was founded by the late R.G. “Ronnie” Kirkpatrick and has operated under its corporate name since 1984. Triangle is a family-owned and operated complete site contracting firm and provides public, private and federal  construction services across the Southeast.  Since it was founded, Triangle Grading & Paving has been deeply involved in countless community-based outreach initiatives geared toward promoting construction career awareness to students and adults of all ages. From being active Build Your Career Ambassadors to being instrumental in developing and launching a new Heavy Equipment Operator program at Alamance Community College, Triangle Grading & Paving is a shining example of how our CAGC members are giving back to the industry that has given so much to them!

Since Triangle was founded, Ronnie Kirkpatrick was extremely passionate about facilitating the professional development of current company employees through extensive onboarding and training programs, and he also recognized the long-term value in educating future generations of workers entering the construction industry workforce.  He realized the key to the success of their company was a direct result of the company’s commitment to properly recruiting and training more qualified workers.  Being deeply-rooted in this fundamental company philosophy, Triangle Grading & Paving and the Kirkpatrick family was determined to preserve Ronnie’s legacy by launching a Heavy Equipment Operator program at their local Community College

In January 2019, Build Your Career announced that Triangle Grading & Paving and Carolinas AGC partnered together to launch an inaugural Heavy Equipment Operator program at Alamance Community College located in Burlington, NC (read full article here).  The new HEO program at Alamance CC follows NCCER standardized modules and was designed as a 3-part introductory course to provide even the most novice student a practical understanding of basic heavy equipment operation. Student participants learned the essential skills of earth moving, digging, trenching and loading, in addition to heavy equipment safety, preventive maintenance, and construction site fundamentals.

Build Your Career is pleased to announce that the first group of students enrolled in the inaugural HEO program sponsored by Triangle Grading & Paving at Alamance Community College has officially graduated from the program! The first session of the new HEO program saw 4 students complete and successfully pass each of three NCCER modules to become officially certified heavy equipment operators.  Ten students have already registered for the Fall session HEO course offering and Alamance CC even has a wait list of 15 more students on standby for the next available slots in upcoming semesters!  Gary Saunders, Vice President of Workforce Development at Alamance Community College said, “Our College was very excited to be partner with Triangle Paving & Grading and Carolinas AGC to create a new Heavy Equipment Operator Program for the Triad region.  Triangle Grading & Paving, James River Equipment and CAGC’s Build Your Career program were instrumental in the development and launch of this new course offering for our Burlington area residents.”  The need for more construction-related curricula offerings at local NC and SC Community and Technical Colleges is quite apparent given the fact that this new HEO program has maxed out student capacity at each course offering since the program launch.  The goal now becomes fulfilling supply for the demand of the program as Triangle Grading & Paving and CAGC's Build Your Career initiative attempt to successfully replicate it across the state.

James Kirkpatrick of Triangle Grading & Paving said, “Ronnie was passionate about educating folks on the importance of hands-on training. He realized the key to the success of our company, and the sustainability of the industry, relied on training more qualified people. He wanted to start his own heavy equipment operator school to develop his company’s most valuable asset—its people. That’s why Triangle Grading & Paving was honored to sponsor the first-ever Heavy Equipment Operator training program at Alamance Community College to preserve Ronnie’s legacy.”  The company donated the land on Kirkpatrick Road to the College for use to provide tactical field experience, as well as land on Alamance Road in Burlington, NC which houses the classroom building used to teach the HEO program.  Ultimately, Triangle Grading & Paving will now benefit from a new stream of highly-skilled future employee candidates coming out of the Heavy Equipment Operator program at Alamance Community College who are already certified to work on their job sites as equipment operators.

For more information on Triangle Grading and Paving, please visit their website at www.trianglegradingpaving.com or contact James Kirkpatrick via email at jkirkpatrick@tgandp.com. To learn more about the new Heavy Equipment Operator program being offered at Alamance Community College, please contact Gary Saunders via email at gary.saunders@alamancecc.edu or visit their website at www.alamancecc.edu.