North Carolina’s Bullseye Construction, Inc. hits the mark with adoption of latest construction technology

For Kevin Johnson, a fortunate turn of fate right after grad school led him down a successful career path in the construction industry.

“Like any smart college grad, I took the first job offer I received and started working for a family-owned, general contracting company,” joked Johnson, who is now the Owner and President of Bullseye Construction, Inc. “I had no background in construction before going to North Carolina State for my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering followed by a master’s in construction management. I knew my job choices were either engineering or general contracting.

“I was fortunate to really enjoy what I was doing, although I quickly reached a ceiling at the company,” continued Johnson. “However, I was still young enough that I could take a chance and start my own business.”

In 2003, Johnson teamed up with James Broughman and Lucky Silcox as partners, hired General Superintendent and Project Manager Daniel Manies and established Bullseye Construction in Pineville, N.C. After Broughman passed away, Johnson and Silcox continued as equal share partners until Johnson bought out Silcox in 2019.

When the company was first starting, it focused on public projects throughout the Charlotte metro area.

“At the time, we didn’t have a name for ourselves, so we did a lot of work for the City of Charlotte as well as NCDOT jobs,” recalled Johnson. “Through the years, we made some contacts and slowly transitioned into site development. Now we’re 100% private and focus on turnkey site-work solutions for residential subdivisions and commercial property projects throughout Charlotte.”

Typically, Bullseye Construction has 10 active projects that range from $1 million-$10 million. It has grown to 45 employees and partners with many large homebuilders in the area. Johnson attributes much of his company’s growth and success to the implementation of technology on the job site.

“We’ve transitioned from really old-school dirt guys to new school,” explained Johnson. “We’re able to fly a job using a drone and accurately adjust how much dirt we need to move in real time. Everything we do is tied in with technology.”

Intelligent difference

Adding GPS capabilities to its dozers and excavators was a natural step for Bullseye Construction. Today, its fleet of Komatsu equipment with integrated intelligent Machine Control (iMC) GPS technology includes PC360LCi-11 and PC490LCi-11 excavators in addition to multiple D51PXi-24 and D61PXi-24 dozers.

“GPS increases our operators’ speed and efficiency and eliminates the need to get out string line and measure,” said Fleet Manager Seth Burleson. “By pairing an iMC dozer and excavator, we can really reduce our completion times. An operator can turn on automatics in the excavator and cut a pad straight to grade before the iMC dozer slicks it up at the end.”

“Once we have a design for the site, anybody can get in the operator’s seat and go to work,” added Johnson. “The technology doesn’t allow an operator to dig past grade. I don’t know how we did things the old way; it’s like doing math manually and then using a calculator.”

At its Redwood Ridge job site, Bullseye Construction is building more than 100 pads for single-story apartments with attached garages. “We’re able to stay on schedule, if not beat it, due to the production and capabilities of the Komatsu intelligent machines,” said Manies. “We’ll take the project from clearing to final pavement before handing it over to go vertical.”

Other recent assignments include Matthews Charter Academy as well as multiple subdivisions for several large homebuilders. Occasionally, Bullseye Construction completes jobs that other contractors cannot finish.

“We’ve built a reputation with developers and homebuilders that we complete projects the right way the first time,” noted Burleson. “We get calls to come in and fix things if someone gets removed from a job, because the developers trust us. A lot of that has to do with the quality of the equipment we run.”

To find the best machinery, Johnson tested multiple options from various manufacturers. When comparing competitive brands, Bullseye Construction’s operators preferred Komatsu.

“The Komatsu dozer has better visibility than any of the other dozers, which allows me to see the front of the blade,” stated Operator Eric Hughes. “It has great power and almost runs itself once I’m close enough to grade. I appreciate the comfort as well, because I can go home at the end of the day and not feel wiped out.”

“When running the excavator, our operators like the strength and smoothness of the machine,” added Burleson. “Some of the competitive brands have so much happening in the cab that operators need special training to run them. When they get in a Komatsu, it feels like home.”

Linder gets it done

Limiting downtime helps ensure that Bullseye Construction stays on schedule and under budget. It relies on Linder Industrial Machinery’s parts and service department to keep machines serviced and running at a high level.

“Other brands have cost us a fortune in downtime,” explained Burleson. “With the Komatsu equipment, we’ve only had a couple of minor problems, and those were few and far between. When we do need a part, Linder brings us the correct one the first time. I can call anybody on their staff, and they’ll get the job done.”

The Komatsu Care program, a complimentary three year or 2,000-hour factory-scheduled maintenance service for Tier 4 Final machines and a warranty plan play important roles in Bullseye Construction’s relationship with Linder as well.

“Service through Komatsu Care is convenient and takes some of the machine maintenance off our plate,” said Burleson. “Through the warranty program, the DPF filter exchange has been phenomenal. We get two free replacements up to 9,000 hours, which is something no one else offers.”

When looking for new equipment, Johnson works closely with Linder Territory Manager Bill Cross to find the right machines for his company’s upcoming projects. Looking back on the relationship, Johnson can recall working with Cross to finance Bullseye Construction’s first excavators soon after the company was formed.

“In our first year, we worked with Bill to buy two Komatsu PC200 excavators because we jumped from completing $20,000 jobs to taking on a $500,000 subdivision project,” shared Johnson. “We hit some rocks as big as a dump truck, and those two trackhoes handled everything, which really put us on the map. We didn’t have a lot of money at the time, but Bill was willing to work with us and made sure we got the right machines. This whole venture could have gone in a different direction if we didn’t have those machines at the time.”

Looking ahead

Bullseye Construction plans to continue full steam ahead. With a high demand for housing in the Charlotte area, there is little sign of the industry slowing down.

“We’ve increased revenue every year since I’ve been in business, and I don’t see that changing,” said Johnson. “With the relationships we’ve built, we’re able to take on more work each year. My goal is not to double or triple in size, but to continue growing revenue-wise. The future looks promising.”