A Salute to a
Customer
WHM Construction Inc. focuses on clearing projects for pipeline contractors throughout the United States
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When Tommy Hammons and a couple partners started WHM Construction Inc. in 2009, their intent was to be a general earthwork contractor, but the trio didn’t last long. Of the original three owners, Hammons is the only one still at the company — which also quickly evolved into something else.
“We were building a road to a well site for a pipeline contractor doing a project in Louisiana,” recalled Hammons, President of WHM Construction. “They asked us if we could provide clearing and other services. It just grew from there.”
Mainline right-of-way clearing has been WHM Construction’s primary emphasis ever since. It also offers right-of-way restoration, installation of erosion control devices, disking and seeding, temporary and permanent fencing, sandblasting and painting of risers, and more. “We also still do some general earthwork,” said Vice President Justin Holman, who started as an operator a decade ago and now owns part of the company. “The more jobs you can do, the more opportunities there are. Diversification is essential. That said, our bread and butter is clearing. That essentially involves acting as a commercial logger. We take down trees and size the logs to whatever the mill we take them to specifies.”
President Tommy Hammons (left) and Vice President Justin Holman lead the WHM Construction team. Based in Jacksonville, Texas, the company offers a variety of services, but focuses mainly on clearing projects for pipeline contractors. An operator loads wood chips for transport off-site with a Komatsu PC240LC excavator.
WHM Construction handles the “slash” — leftover limbs and scrub — from logging the timber in whatever way the project calls for. In some instances, it is burned. On others, crews use grinders and chippers to turn it into chips or mulch that are either hauled away, sometimes to mills, or left on-site for other uses.
“Typically, we have one or two jobs going at a time,” said Holman. “Our projects tend to be large, so it takes a lot of people to ensure we complete them on time and meet customers’ schedules. One of the things we take great pride in is our reputation for quality work and meeting deadlines. That’s a big factor in why we have a long list of repeat customers.”
Knows how to handle challenges
Although the company is based in Jacksonville, Texas, clients have called on WHM Construction to do jobs throughout the country. To date, it has provided its services on projects in a dozen states and counting. It recently returned to Louisiana to complete a 134-mile right-of-way clearing job on a very tight deadline. WHM Construction cleared about 10,000 feet per day.
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“Challenges come with the territory,” stated Hammons. “For instance, that project had
