70 Years: Gaines Then Vs. Now
It’s 2024. Rewind 70 years to 1954.
The country is led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon. The U.S. Supreme Court just ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional in Brown Vs. Board of Education. A gallon of gas is a whopping $.29. The country is celebrating the iconic marriage of actress and model Marilyn Monroe to baseball star Joe DiMaggio. The first issue of Sports Illustrated is on the shelves.
And, the most exciting news yet (well, at least in our eyes), Gaines and Company is established.
Water levels aren’t needed to level to grade anymore. Now, Gaines uses lasers and GPS units to identify and calculate those measurements, ensuring quality and precision.
Now back to 2024. It’s obvious a lot has changed in the last 70 years since W. Lee Gaines, Sr. established the now industry-leading site development company in the Mid-Atlantic region.
But surprisingly, a lot has stayed the same, too.
W. Lee Gaines Sr. (right) and Lutherville Supply Salesman Ed Helmstetter (left) next to Gaines’s first hydraulic excavator – Koehring 666.
Equipment
Few companies owned excavators. In fact, local companies in the industry knew who had an excavator. It was a big deal!
“I remember when my dad bought a Koehring 666,” said Vice President Myrt Gaines. “Having a machine of that size was a big advantage for us!”
When Lee Gaines, Jr. took over as president, he upgraded equipment and increased the company’s fleet – including the hydraulic equipment.
“Instead of three crews sharing one rubber tire loader, each crew had their own. That really increased the efficiency of the business,” said Retiree Rod Naylor.
Tools and Materials
Gaines used to lay terracotta pipe, but it was heavy and brittle. Today, the industry now uses plastic pipes, which are then embedded in stone.
Speaking of rock, Gaines used to do a lot of rock jobs in the ’60s and ’70s. Dynamite wasn’t regulated then. Forman would keep it behind their seats for whenever they ran into rock. Now, of course, dynamite is well-regulated, and Gaines hires subcontractors who specialize in that work.
As for tools, Myrt remembers Gaines’s homemade, tried-and-true water levels.
“We didn’t have laser levels. Instead, we would fill a milk jug with water and dye and run a tube through it,” said Myrt. “When these water levels would break, we’d go to the tropical fish store for replacement parts.”
It’s not just Gaines’s people who have changed over the last 70 years. The industry changed too! Plastic pipe is now used instead of terracotta pipe (pictured here).
Safety
When OSHA was established in 1971, it began regulating trenching and excavation work. However, those regulations were in review for nearly two decades until Subpart P was published in 1989.
Gaines, along with other members of the Associated Utility Contractors (AUC), led the charge for Maryland in creating safety regulations.
“OSHA representatives came to our meetings, and we’d work together to establish the industry’s regulations,” said Myrt.
Retiree Rod Naylor remembers, “When we first started having to use trench boxes, we didn’t really know what to do. Neither did anyone else. But we did our best. And when the fire department came to make sure we were being safe, they were just happy to see us using a trench box even if we weren’t using it correctly.”
Safety standards are definitely more robust now than when this photo was taken in the early days of the organization. Gaines and Company – through the Associated Utility Contractors (AUC) – was an integral contributor to the establishment of OSHA’s excavation standards for safety.
That’s a lot of change! So what’s the same?
What’s stayed the same over all these years is the foundation of the Gaines and Company business. It’s still a family-run entity – now in its third generation – that treats employees like family.
“They take good care of us,” said Rod. After spending 47 years with Gaines, Rod still fills in as a foreman when needed. “I’m retired, and they are still taking care of me. They’ve moved a lot of people up in life, and I respect them for that. Gaines has literally changed my life.”
Whether in its infancy or as a well-known and respected site development company, Gaines and Company is passionate about delivering safe, quality operations to its customers. It treats employees and customers alike with respect, dignity, and integrity. Gaines and Company cares just as much about its work today as it did 70 years ago… and for the next 70 years to come!
Gaines and Company is a full-service grading and excavation company with offices in Maryland and North Carolina. The organization has 70 years of experience in underground utilities, grading and excavating, sediment and erosion controls, and road work. Gaines and Company delivers safe, reliable, turnkey site development services in Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Delaware on time and within budget.
