Erosion & Construction Solutions relies on positive workplace culture
Merrillville-based Erosion & Construction Solutions is much more than its reputation as a fast-growing company that offers innovative solutions to the environmental effects of construction.
The company’s story includes cousins “failing forward” and connections forged at church that helped solve the business’s problems.
The company found early on that its Siltworm product was in demand, but the power of a positive workplace led to its success.
What that combination can do, COO Michael Lorenzo says, is create “a place that really stands out in a sea of companies that don’t really care about you.”
“Everyone here is treated well,” said Lorenzo, who joined the company formerly called Siltworm in 2018. “It’s just a good place to work, and I’m very proud of that.”
The company now has two divisions: Siltworm and Erosion Construction Services. It also has ranked two years in a row on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, this year at No. 3,595.
Solving sediment problems
What makes Erosion & Construction Solutions a small but soaring business started in the late 2000s.
That’s when founder Joe Moore was working as a custom home builder with his cousin, DJ Moore, keeping the books during college summers. The company built several homes a year but always encountered the same hurdle, one that bothered Joe Moore because of his love of fishing, hunting and the outdoors.
Clean water laws require builders to prevent sediment from exiting their properties, so it won’t clog rivers and streams. But Moore said typical erosion control fences weren’t up to task. Hydrocarbons, heavy metals, oils, any surprise items found during excavation — all were escaping the dams created by the black plastic fencing.
“Sediment is the largest pollutant of our waters in the country, and the No. 1 pollutant source is construction,” said Moore, of Crown Point. “Whether we like it or not, as constructors and developers, we are the source of the pollutant.”
Moore searched for a solution, and “that was the birth of the Siltworm device and our company,” he said.
From product to purpose
The Siltworm device is a filter sock, filled with soft wood shavings sourced from construction waste, in a process Moore describes as “full-cycle green technology.” The product helps avoid erosion by capturing 97% of sediment.
Moore developed Siltworm on the side for several years. Meanwhile, his cousin DJ Moore, of St. John, got his MBA from Indiana University Northwest and went to work in logistics. DJ stayed involved with the home-building business as Siltworm’s popularity grew. By late 2016, he left his logistics job, and in 2017, the duo — now 50/50 partners — focused solely on erosion control.
But a few months later, DJ Moore said he had to “hire a professional coach I couldn’t afford” to overcome several problems. Customers weren’t paying; employees weren’t meeting expectations; making payroll was a full-body experience — sweating, heart racing, stress.
What DJ learned from the coach helped the company develop an entrepreneurial operating system for how to make decisions. It also brought personal clarity.
“My purpose is not erosion control or sediment control; it’s ensuring that people are being what they’re supposed to be,” he said. “This job allows me to build a place where people can do that.”
Professional clarity followed the personal epiphany. The business already had a product, but coaching helped build a purpose. Erosion & Construction Solutions’ mission statement spells it out:
“Honor God. Provide unlimited opportunity. Impact the world. We achieve these by providing high-value erosion and sediment control.”
Connecting and growing
With defined purpose came growth — and new challenges. The cousins started manufacturing and distributing more filter socks, then later added the Erosion Construction Services division. It installs Siltworm and other products throughout Indiana and the Chicago area to help prevent stormwater pollution.
They turned to a friend they met at church. Michael Lorenzo, 34, of Winfield, was working as pastoral associate for relational ministry at St. John the Evangelist church in St. John. Ministry, he said, was about “helping people live a more fulfilling life.” So is his role at Erosion & Construction Solutions, where he was promoted to COO early this year.
Lorenzo implemented a fixed-rate commission scale for Erosion Construction Services employees, which turned around the installation division from operating at a loss.
“It incentivized our guys to upsell and do more with less and to hustle,” Lorenzo said. “It overnight was a huge success for us.”
The efforts of the Moores, Lorenzo and the rest of the company’s roughly 50 employees all add up to an effective product and a responsive service, customers like Jeff Yatsko of St. John-based Olthof Homes said.
The company, Yatsko said, is quick to install Siltworm products where needed, especially where they can prevent sediment from running into streets or sewer inlets. “You can really just slice the sock open, and it’s just wood shavings inside,” Yatsko said. “The waste is minimal.”
The company’s future looks much like its past. Its leaders said they will continue producing and selling the original Siltworm device and a new biodegradable version called BioWorm. They plan to meet the challenges of small business growth head-on, including never putting a ceiling on employees’ talents and helping everyone involved increase their skills.
Read more stories from the current issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
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