1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015
Nesbitt
Management
J
im and John Nesbitt decided to pursue
careers in the construction field,
following in the footsteps of their father,
Tom. They worked summers at the
company while in high school and college
where, ironically, Jim’s future career was
captured on celluloid.
In the mid-1970s while a student at
ASU, Jim and three friends were
approached by a television crew. “They
asked us if we wanted to be extras on the
show, Moving On. Our screen time was all
of three seconds,” Jim laughs. “We were
told to stand in front of a dump truck – and
not to look at the camera! The vehicle
turned out to be the world’s largest dump
truck, a 33-19 Terex Titan made by GM that
could hold 350 tons worth of rock in the
back.”
Jim, John, and Tom’s son-in-law, Mike
Elliott, eventually took over running the
company upon Tom’s retirement in 1995.
The trio continues to manage the firm.
Tom Nesbitt passed away in 2007.
Reflecting on the evolution in the
construction industry over his career, Jim
indicates that the building product often
remains essentially unchanged, such as the
sidewalks and curbs that Nesbitt
Contracting has constructed since 1955.
Asphalt recycling on Saguaro Blvd in Fountain Hills, 2015.
TWELVE- NESBITT CONTRACTING
“What’s changed is how we build it
and the additional costs such as
regulations, permitting, environmental
compliance and employees that take time
and money,” Jim says. “Highways
exponentially cost more today, maybe a
million dollars a mile. A lot of that is the
overhead or the indirect cost of the
product. People don’t see the hoops that
we need to jump through.”
Another challenge for Nesbitt
Contracting is attracting skilled workers.
“It’s a tough and honorable industry, but
it’s hard to bring into the business new
people who have the needed skills,” he
laments.