Dublin graduate Levi Curry grew up helping his dad, who worked for J Mills for 25 years, on construction sites. “We always helped out and learned to run equipment,” says Curry. “[My dad’s] philosophy was: the more equipment you run, more job options you have.’” Now an equipment director for Quikrete over 6 states, Curry’s early education in construction equipment set him up for success.
Curry graduated from Dublin High School in 2007 and received a scholarship from the John Deere TECH Program to attend Navarro College in Corsicana. He studied applied science and earned a spot on the dean’s list, graduating in 2009.
As part of the scholarship, Curry had a guaranteed job upon graduation at a John Deere retailer, and he started working at Bramlett Implement in Stephenville as a technician. “I liked the hands-on [aspect],” said Curry. “I like fixing stuff that nobody else could fix.”
After seven years there, the high pay of oilfield jobs lured Curry out to West Texas, where he worked for Pioneer Natural Resources. “It was rough,” Curry said. “It was a lot of hours, days, nights. It pretty much just all ran together.”
He stayed there for three years until his son was born prematurely. “He was born at 27 weeks, and weighed one pound and nine ounces,” he said.
The stress of having a child in the NICU while he was working such a demanding job became too much, and he started looking for new jobs. He found one at RK Hall Construction as an equipment manager covering the entire state. When the company was bought out by Quikrete last year, Curry’s role expanded, and he now works as equipment director over six states.
On a day-to-day basis, Curry manages equipment replacement funds, oversees repairs and makes sure equipment is fixed in a timely manner. “Time is key for us to make sure we’re producing, because we manage all lines of the business,” he said. “We have crushers that crush rock at the quarry, so we feed those, and then we own Ready Mix, and all of our rock goes into the Ready Mix business. We also own an [asphalt construction and paving branch], so the rock also feeds into there. Our job is to make sure that all equipment is running, keep up with it, maintain it, and make sure that we can run every day.”
That means Curry is often traveling for meetings across the states he covers, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa.
Curry enjoys the fastpaced, interesting work. “Every day is a challenge, nothing’s repetitive,” he said.
He’s young to hold a director position. “I’m one of the youngest guys — we’re in the industry of guys that have been doing this for 30 or 40 years, and that’s been a tough thing to overcome,” he said.
Budgeting is also a big part of the job. “We’re planning for next year’s expenses, and asking, ‘What meets the requirements for repairs? What meets the requirements for replacement? How do we control costs and how do we lower costs at the same time as producing more?’” he said. “I really never thought I would be a finance guy, versus whenIwasturningwrenches.”
Quikrete covers 29 states and is valued at over 1 trillion. “Right now I probably manage $42 million worth of equipment,” he said. Curry hopes to stay at the company and continue moving up. “I want to be a VP, that’s the next stop,” said Curry.
When he’s not working, Curry enjoys hunting and fishing. “I hunt and fish all over Texas and Oklahoma,” he said.
For the last five years, Curry has lived in Sherman with his wife Caitlin, and their 12-year-old son Gunner. His mom, Lisa Mitchell, lives in Weatherford and his dad, Mick Pollard, lives in Stephenville.
Throughout his career, Curry has been motivated by the challenge of things people think are impossible. “I just like doing what people say can’t be done,” he said. “The main thing is just set a goal, have something to go after, and chase it.”
— Where Are They Now chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.