Falcon Contracting, Inc., a DBE/SBE company, is headed by Nikki Weiss, founder, owner and President.

A taxiway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport shows the precise and detailed work accomplished by Falcon Contracting, Inc.

Phoenix-based Falcon Contracting, Inc. (Falcon), once known mostly for parking lots and roadway projects, has fulfilled several highly visible pavement marking and maintenance jobs, including airports, parking garages and raceways.

“We’re affecting the industry in a positive way by bringing it up to speed with newer equipment options and increasing quality,” says Nikki Weiss, company founder, owner and President.

Falcon crews have completed multiple projects for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, including Taxiway Alpha Improvements, Terminal 4 Apron Improvements and the Rental Car Center.

“Every mark we place at airports is carefully determined and masked, if necessary, to assure a clean and accurate markings system,” Weiss says.

Midsize Means Versatility

Falcon’s growing portfolio of projects is the result of steady advances made by the company since it began in 2001. They are a full-service pavement marking and signage company that bridges the gap between large off-site pavement marking companies and small on-site pavement marking companies. With the acquisition of equipment and personnel, Falcon has grown to be a midline contractor that offers both on-site and off-site pavement markings, signage and asphalt pavement maintenance. Falcon can scale up or down to meet the needs of its targeted projects.

Falcon maintains a fleet of equipment and machines that accomplishes a wide range of pavement marking needs. Its Graco LineLazer V 200HS Hydraulic Airless Line Striper machines are used at airports and roadway jobs to provide high levels of accuracy and quick maneuverability. All striping receives two wet 15-mil coats of paint, resulting in a final dry finish of lines at least 15-mil thick.

Falcon also applies extruded thermoplastic with its MRL Mini Mac 400 ride-on unit and various handliner units. Thermoplastic is a process in which plastic powder is heated to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Falcon uses large 2,000-pound melter pots that pre-melt the material; it is then loaded into applicators and applied with extrusion dyes to produce the right line width for the required marking. At the same time, a coating of tiny glass beads is applied to create highly reflective markings, ideal for nighttime driving conditions.

The company’s unique low-profile, water-blasting equipment removes previous pavement marks (Falcon is a certified lead-based paint removal company) from roadways to parking garages. The equipment has the ability to blast from 5,000 psi to 40,000 psi, depending on the thickness of pavement markings to be removed. In addition, the company uses a vacuum system that picks up the debris and extra water.

The newest equipment addition is a paint truck that paves the way for the future. The JCL Equipment Co. paint truck allows Falcon to perform larger roadway projects since the truck holds up to 275 gallons of paint and 750 pounds of beads. It can also paint up to three different colors at one time, and the electronics allow for skip line programming for automatic spacing, which reduces the layout needed to perform the work.

“This paint truck affords us the ability to put down more paint in a given day on some of our larger airport and roadway projects,” Weiss says. “We purchased a short wheel-based vehicle to allow for maximum maneuverability while still having the capability of spraying up to a 36-inch-wide line when needed.”

The smaller paint truck along with Graco 200HS machines loaded with different colors offer more versatility and ability, which can lessen the disruption to a customer’s operations.

Grounded in Experience and Quality

Falcon also relies on its highly trained and skilled employees and their attention to quality work. The company employs an experienced crew of foremen, stripers, pavement technicians and laborers. Because of the company’s airport work, employees must have airport clearance badges and be approved for driving and escorting airside. This expedites completion of the work and serves to limit impact to airport operations.

Falcon’s standout reputation in the airport industry is evident from its work with a growing list of contractors and clients. This has afforded them the opportunity to work on even more airports, including projects at Phoenix Goodyear Airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport and Glendale Municipal Airport.

“When it comes to airfield markings, they (Falcon) are the most sought after striping contractor,” says Ryan Combs, President of Combs Construction Company, Inc., which selected Falcon for the Glendale Municipal Airport project. “The attention to detail and quality of workmanship their crews put out make them a pleasure to do business with.”

Besides the strictly regulated pavement markings, Falcon delivered on the airport’s request for a classic 12-point compass rose, measuring 85 feet by 70 feet. The beautiful blue and white star with an orange center provides basic directions for pilots navigating through the skies above.

Rooted in Diverse Scope Offerings

Falcon still counts asphalt striping as the largest portion of its ongoing work. However, a typical scope of work includes on-site pavement markings and signs, off-site obliteration, seal-over obliteration, temporary markings, final thermoplastic markings and signs.

Contractors rely on Falcon because of its versatility and “can-do” approach.

“We use Falcon Contracting exclusively for work calling for obliteration, striping, pavement sealant and signage,” says Chris Rocha, Vice President of Operations for Talis Construction Corp. “Falcon is a great company to work with and is especially accommodating with scheduling, often fulfilling shifts only available on nights and weekends. We consider them one of our key team members and have used them for work in projects in Phoenix, Peoria, Mesa, Goodyear and Gilbert.”

Because of its diverse capabilities, highly maneuverable and precise equipment and successfully completed projects, Falcon Contracting has proven that it can achieve the most difficult striping job, per any regulations, in a timely and cost-effective manner.

On the Horizon

As Falcon continues to grow as a leading DBE/SBE pavement markings contractor, keep your eyes open for some of their ongoing and upcoming projects, including PHX SkyTrain Stage 2 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport for Hensel Phelps, The Grand at Papago Park Center for Whiting-Turner and Goodyear Airport Taxiway A for Combs Construction.