Briefcase-Medium: Kicking a Messy Habit

It seems too simple, yet contractors are embracing it as something new, different and useful. What is this innovation?

It’s a box.

What exactly can a box do for your operation?

Ask yourself a few questions:

How valuable is it to keep materials like mulch, gravel and earth contained and ready to use on the job site?

What is it worth to keep those materials hidden from whiny neighbors and other potential customers?

And wouldn’t life be better if you could keep those materials uncontaminated and clean for use?

Contractors around the country face a dilemma: how can they stockpile materials during a project but avoid the usual hassles of storage? The answer is KicBox, a relatively new product developed by Mike Hughes, a Denver-based industry veteran. He’s just getting started, but the concept is catching on.

As Hughes puts it, KicBox is “really, really simple.” It’s a four-sided steel creation that holds and hides your materials or equipment onsite. One short side of the rectangular design folds down for access by crew members, a Bobcat or other means.

The product is designed to alleviate complaints from neighbors about piles of landscaping material crowding the street near the job. It also helps to reduce worries about materials running off into creeks or fresh water sources. Finally, it segregates one pile of stuff from another, preventing cross-contamination of the various materials you bring to a site. Thus the name KicBox – which is short for Keep It Clean.

“I met Mike Hughes three or four years ago,” recalls Scott Haugland of medium-sized J&S Landscape in Longmont, Colo. “He asked me if I’d be interested in something that would keep my product clean and not make a big mess. I said, ‘Heck yes.’”

According to Haugland, a lot of developments and homeowners associations use codes or covenants to prevent contractors from leaving materials on the road because of traffic and stormwater runoff  concerns. “We took a lot of flak from people for making messes around Boulder. There was a huge need to be able to leave the materials on the site and keep them neat and tidy.

“So, we use KicBox to store materials off the street and keep material clean and the area tidier. It fills a huge void and makes our life easier. It was a no-brainer.”

Each KicBox stores up to 20 yards of product – and when two or three units are put together, there’s room for materials and equipment on the site.

“It takes about a half an hour to mobilize from job to job,” says Haugland. “We transport it on the back of dump truck or a trailer. We primarily use it for stone and bark mulch, and may use it for sand.”

He also notes that it’s handy for storing small equipment overnight.

“We’ll put our stuff in there and it really cleans up a site. We’ll just park a Bobcat in front to ‘lock’ it up.”
KicBox offers both lease and purchase options, but Haugland bought a built-to-spec model outright for around $5,000.

Another Colorado contractor, Jamie McCawley of TurfMasters, echoes Hoagland’s comments about KicBox.
“It’s all about prudence,” says McCawley. “It solves problems in terms of site safety, site security and environmental compliance.”

McCawley took the extra step of having a spray-in bedliner – similar to those used in pickup trucks – installed to prevent corrosion and extend the life of his 16-cubic-yard KicBox.

“We use it for mulch and equipment that we leave on site like heavier Rototillers. It’s good for security and maintains topsoil consistency, but we really like it because it helps our environmental image. There’s no runoff or movement and it obviously prevents leaching. It’s been a great addition for us.”