Marks Clearing & Grading meets the summer heat with breaks and cold watermelon
The schedules do not pause for the temperature, the Wendell contractor says, so what changes is how deliberately it looks after the crews working in it.
The heat does not stop the jobs at Marks Clearing & Grading. The days are long, the sun is full, the equipment is heavy, and the schedules do not pause for the temperature.
What changes, the Wendell contractor says, is how deliberately the company looks after the crews working in it. It posted about summer on its jobs on Aug. 12, 2026. "The projects still have schedules. The grades still have to get built. What changes is how deliberately you look after the people out there doing it," the company wrote.
On the jobs, the company pointed to breaks and cold watermelon.
The company says the care shows up in those afternoons as much as in benefits, training and a path up. The post did not describe any formal heat policy.
The Shop and Fleet team got a night of bowling and racing. That team keeps the equipment ready, the company said, usually arriving before anyone else and often staying after everyone else has gone home.
About this story
By Sotwire Desk. Based on Marks Clearing & Grading's own announcement, with public records where cited. Erin O'Brien of Marks Clearing & Grading confirmed this account to Sotwire.
Key facts
- Marks Clearing & Grading
- Wendell, NC
- Company news
- Client confirmed
- Erin O'Brien
- Marks Clearing & Grading, a Wendell, NC, contractor founded in 2018
- More than 215, per an April 6, 2026, company post
- Breaks and cold watermelon
- A night of bowling and racing
- Benefits, training and a path up
Key events
- Company said it employs more than 215 people
- Company posted about looking after crews in the summer heat