P.A.K. Construction Inc started business in May of 1990. Since opening the local business has done thousands of projects in the 20-mile radius near Guilford. (Submitted photo)

by Sophia Root,

Commerce Chenango

GUILFORD – This week, Commerce Chenango would like to highlight P.A.K. Construction Inc. in Guilford: a construction company specializing in concrete and excavation in the local area for over 30 years.

Owner Paul Knowles has lived in Guilford his whole life and started the business in May of 1990 with his wife, Barb Knowles. Since opening, P.A.K. Construction Inc. has done thousands of projects in the 20-mile radius around Guilford, almost exclusively in Chenango County. Knowles is grateful for his loyal customers, many of whom use his services repeatedly, some of whom since day one.

P.A.K. Construction Inc. offers complete site prep packages for residential and commercial sitework: offering everything “from the sill plate down.” The business does prep work for new homes, businesses, dairy farms, barns, facilities, and more. They move dirt, install septic work, install ponds, do land improvements, and pour concrete foundations. This is valuable because the complete site prep P.A.K. Construction Inc. offers is streamlined, so that customers don’t have to coordinate with multiple contractors.

On all their projects, P.A.K. Construction Inc. prioritizes quality and completion as their main objectives. Knowles is excited about his current effort: foundation removal and site reclamation on the north end of Oxford for the Blueox Corp. For himself, P.A.K. Construction Inc. is continuing work to complete their new shop, after outgrowing the facility they were located at for the past 30 years. Starting at 6 AM and working every day until the work is completed, Knowles is proud of the construction work he has completed for Chenango County.

The company also is involved in Chenango County, outside their projects. This past year, they invited the public to their shop for a Business After Hours Program. This introduced the public to their business in a new way, by being able to meet the central staff and see their facilities. Knowles often volunteers his heavy machinery for local Touch a Truck programs, an educational and hands on experience for children.

In the Bainbridge Guilford Central School District, P.A.K. Construction Inc. provides a $1,000 scholarship called the Dirty Hands Award. This award is not always meant for the top student in the class, it is given to a student who has a job and maintains a passing grade. The award is geared for: adding to a current business, purchasing tools to start a new business, or to attend a trade school.

Furthering their involvement in the community, P.A.K. Construction Inc. hosts an annual Clean up Guilford Roads Day to raise awareness of pollution and help make a tangible difference against roadside trash. The company takes grassroots approaches to strengthen the community; from the foundation up.