HOW PARSONS WAS BUILT

“Someday, my children will build rock retaining walls up to eighteen feet high, with millions of square feet between them.”  Eamon Parsons- Parsons Walls Founder

I am proud to say that day has arrived.

Things have changed since 1946, when walls stood 6 ft. high and were little more than an outcropping of rock to stabilize a slope. A contractor’s most vital tools included a choker, a No. 2 shovel, a rock bar and a strong back.

Rock wall building advanced after the Rotoboom was introduced, but the attachment had its limitations: besides being poorly engineered and vastly underpowered, the Rotoboom fared poorly in Seattle’s extreme weather. Our operators struggled through Seattle downpours because the Rotoboom didn’t have a cabin. Winters were especially rough, as the machine’s feet were on steel plate. And it was difficult to keep the hydraulic tank cool enough to operate in the summer.

In 1980 a German rubber tired excavator, the Liebherr 901 with a clamshell, transformed our company forever. The Liebherr 901 could lift more, reach farther, and had a complete 360 degree rotation. This was our first major step on the road to success.

THE PEOPLE ADVANTAGE

Eamon, Kevin and Bill Parsons partnered to establish Parsons Bros. Landscaping and Rockeries in 1973.

Eamon Parsons built walls using a crane operator and a Bucyrus Erie H-3 on a ’67 Ford single axle. In 1974 he began focusing on sales.

Bill Parsons built walls, having used both the Ramey and the Liebherr.

Kevin Parsons managed the landscaping prior to his switch to building walls with the Ramey beginning in 1980.

These days I am pleased to see the myriad of people who have contributed to the success of rock wall construction.

Parsons Bros. expanded west in the late 1990s. We had built a rock retaining wall for an apartment complex in Reno, which was a unique concept for California developers. This led to the opening our first satellite branch in Reno, California in October, 1996.