Filling a concrete area of interest | Fredericksburg Commonplace

Anyone who spends time driving on the roads of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County has likely, at one time or another, viewed the unconventional little truck with the word “Sidekick” painted on the side. It stands out.

And that was exactly the point for Tim Bobo when he launched Sidekick, his short-load concrete business, four years ago. Bobo saw the opportunity for a service that didn’t exist in the area, and one that he had himself needed.

“Frustration, to be honest,” said Bobo when asked about what sparked the business idea. “I was a general contractor, and I was just always needing small amounts of concrete. I was doing a lot of remodels at the time, and I was always needing some for little additions, laundry rooms and patios.”

Bobo had several years of experience in the building industry and was aware of the difficulties and wait-times for concrete delivery.

“It was just difficult to get,” Bobo said. “Just doing all of that (mixing) by hand is brutal. And I just got the idea one night and said, ‘There’s got to be a business here.’”

Bobo called his father, also named Tim Bobo, to offer the idea to him. A week later, Bobo’s father called him back to express interest in the business idea but told his son that he would prefer they build it together.

Scaling down

The entire concept of Sidekick is based on the small.

Concrete delivery companies measure their supply by cubic yards and will refer to the amount of material simply by yards.

Bobo wanted to be able to deliver the small amounts of concrete for the jobs that the big companies didn’t want.

“So technically we’re called a short-load company,” said Bobo. “A short load to a big (concrete) company is typically anything less than five yards. So, we want to pour everything that the big companies don’t.”

Resisting the temptation to invest in larger trucks, Bobo listened to the wisdom of several other short-load companies across the country to use smaller two-yard trucks. Bobo’s company purchased two such trucks.

The two-yard capacity concrete trucks allow Sidekick to bring material to places that a larger truck could not access.

“We’re more versatile with a two-yard truck,” said Bobo. “We’re non-CDL (Commercial Driver’s License). We’re very light. We’re driving over pavers, driving over sidewalks, through yards, around people’s houses and can get under trees.

“If your yard is dry, we can drive through your yard, and we typically don’t leave any ruts.”

Bobo claims that his truck can go about anywhere that a regular pickup truck can go.

Self-marketing machine

The small concrete trucks have been a good investment for the marketing of the business as well. Bobo claims that it’s not uncommon for people to stare and even take pictures of the trucks. The small size makes for an odd appearance in contrast to the look of a typical concrete truck.

“We’re so unique that in a way, it draws your attention,” Bobo said.

When building the business Bobo went for a boots-on-the-ground approach to marketing. He parked the Sidekick truck at building supply stores and along Main Street. Bobo frequented job sites to pass out postcards and spread the word about the business.

The effort appears to have paid off.

“Every year we are either doubling our sales or growing more than 60 percent,” Bobo said.

The company name is playful, capturing the idea of a small-sized operation. Yet the name has purpose.

“Sidekick made sense to us,” Bobo said about the company name. “What is a superhero sidekick? It’s usually the smaller person that swoops in to help … very capable, smart, nimble.

“And that’s kind of what a sidekick is, someone who tags along, who helps push you over the finish line.”

The future looks promising for the small business. Aside from Fredericksburg, Sidekick is seeing increasing demand in Kerrville.

“We’ve just entered into our fourth year in business,” Bobo said.

“We want to grow to other cities, expand into Boerne and Johnson City … start getting closer to the big cities, Austin and San Antonio.”

Sidekick can provide services not only on weekdays, but also on Saturdays, helping customers with their projects when they have a hard time stepping out of the office.

Information on Sidekick can be found at their website www.sidekickconcrete.com.