Safety First. Empathy & Ethics in Everything.

Why The Longhair Laborer?

I Grew Up Around Construction.

     My grandpa on my mom’s side was a carpenter and general contractor. Most of the men on my dad’s side are lifelong DIYers who also work in the construction industry. We’ve got 3 civil engineers, a construction superintendent, a surveyor, a former general contractor, and probably a few others I’m missing. I’ve been putting up sheetrock, tiling bathrooms, roofing houses, building home additions, installing flooring, building decks, forming concrete, and a whole lot more, ever since I was a little kid.

     At sixteen, my first job was as a laborer and operator for a local cattle company in Ritzville, Washington. Over the course of four summers, two spring breaks, and a handful of winter days, I repaired and maintained center pivots, fencing, and farm equipment. I changed pipe, built irrigation lines, unclogged pumps, tore down old corrals and outbuildings, and welded new corrals together. I operated front-end loaders, telehandlers, tractors, a backhoe, an excavator, a dump truck, and a semi-truck. I swathed, raked, baled, hauled, and fed hay. I also sprayed more thistles than your average city-dweller sees in a lifetime.

     In the summers before and after my time at Washington State University, I worked for the Adams County Public Works Department. For those of you who know a thing or two about government work, you may be asking – should working for a county even count as labor? I can assure you that the prospect of government work did not affect my work ethic. Sure, at times I maintained roads from the luxury of an air-conditioned vehicle but, at others, I walked for miles alongside a chip-spreader in 90-degree heat, raking out bumps in newly laid gravel placed over hot oil.

     During my senior year at WSU, I landed one of my favorite jobs to date, working as a laborer (and occasional operator) for an excavation company based out of Pullman, WA. I installed septic and drainage systems, dug trenches for utilities, and prepped ground for concrete. Looking back, it feels like I spent equal portions of my time on either a skid-steer or a “Jumping Jack” compactor. If you’re unfamiliar, I encourage you to look up videos of those two pieces of equipment and take a wild guess at which one is more fun to operate.

I Missed Working in Construction.

     Lawyers get to solve problems but they don’t create much. I missed working with my hands. I missed being out in the elements. I missed operating equipment. I also missed the feeling that comes with watching a landscape change from my own labor over the course of days and weeks. The Longhair Laborer is my chance to get out and build something, instead of just sitting at a desk all day sending angry letters to strangers.

The Small-Scale Contracting Industry Needs Change.

     To the construction customers out there, do these narratives sound familiar?

• “I paid a landscaper $80,000 upfront to redo my yard and he never showed up!”

• “My contractor got halfway through roofing my house and had to stop because the city found out he wasn’t licensed.”

• “I haven’t heard from my contractor in months.”

     To my fellow contractors out there, do these narratives sound familiar?

• “I fronted the cost of materials and now the customer thinks they can cancel the project.”

• “I completed everything to spec but they’re not happy - it’s like they didn’t even look at the bid.”

• “I thought we had a handshake deal - it’s not working out that way.”

     From my vantage point, I see contractors and customers getting robbed left and right. Occasionally, it’s the result of genuine fraud. More often than not, it’s actually caused by bad communication, poorly written contracts, and avoidable misunderstandings. I’d rather lead by example than just be another lawyer sitting around complaining about it.

Who Does The Longhair Laborer Serve?

     I travel all over Washington, all year long. That’s why, unlike most small construction contractors with hyper-local service areas, The Longhair Laborer can serve customers across most of Washington. Sometimes hiring local contractors is great! Sourcing local labor and equipment often results in big savings. I don’t discourage it. However, at other times, sticking to your locale just doesn’t give you enough competitive options. The Longhair Laborer can help fill that need, especially in rural areas. That’s one reason I prefer projects outside of city limits, in the unincorporated areas of Washington Counties.

     As a general contractor, The Longhair Laborer can hire subcontractors and specialty contractors to assist in the completion of construction projects. Some general contractors prefer to stay off the job site, acting as brokers for a project and exclusively providing management services. I prefer situations where I can actually perform some of the work involved — I didn’t name the company The Longhair Laborer for nothing.

Tyler O’Brien | Chief Laborer

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