Lakeside Concrete Cutting, based in Maine, has evolved from an electrical business to a thriving concrete cutting and demolition contractor. Under new leadership, it has expanded to offer asbestos abatement and mold remediation services, forming key local partnerships and investing in state-of-the-art equipment for growth and success.
CEG photo
Lakeside Concrete Cutting cuts steel with NYE steel scrap shear on a Hyundai HX 380.
Based in Newport, Maine, Lakeside Concrete Cutting Inc. is a seasoned contractor specializing in concrete cutting, core drilling and demolition services. With decades of experience and reliability, the company has grown into a key player in the regional construction industry.
The company began with founder Earle Peters, who moved to Maine in the late 1970s as a union electrician working at the Sappi paper mill. In 1980, he launched his own electrical business, Lakeside Electric. By the 1990s, recognizing a growing demand for specialized concrete services, Peters began transitioning the business toward concrete cutting and core drilling.
"He started core drilling for plumbing companies and eventually began cutting concrete," said his son, Ryan Peters.
The evolution culminated in 2012 when the company officially rebranded as Lakeside Concrete Cutting Inc.
Ryan Peters joined the company early, working with his father during high school and college. After earning a bachelor's degree in Construction Management Technology from the University of Maine in 2006, he built a solid career in the construction industry. Between 2006 and 2012, he served as a field engineer and project manager for several firms across Maine, Massachusetts, and Maryland.
"I worked as a field engineer for PC Construction and Treviicos Corporation, and as a project manager for Blaine Casey Building Contractor," said Peters.
In 2012, Ryan began the process of taking over the family business. He became president and sole owner in June 2015, following his father's retirement. Under Ryan's leadership, the company experienced steady growth.
"When I first became involved in 2012, there were four of us total," he said. "We increased our staff to six over the first two years."
Today, Lakeside Concrete Cutting employs between 25 and 40 people, managing around seven projects daily.
Expanding Into Demolition
The company's entry into demolition was unexpected but transformative.
"We were cutting concrete at Brewer High School," Peters said. "It was a school renovation, and we had a $30,000 contract to cut a slab in the kitchen. The general contractor called and told me the demolition contractor wouldn't release the concrete cutting from his scope. He offered me $2,000 to walk away from the job."
Instead of walking away, Peters asked about bidding on the demolition itself — and won the job.
"The demo added $70,000 to the original $30,000, turning it into a $100,000 project," Peters said. "That was our first demolition job. After that, we started bidding more demo work, hired more people and focused on labor-intensive demolition — tearing down walls, ceilings, and pulling up flooring by hand."
Since then, Lakeside's demolition capabilities have grown significantly. A recent high-profile project includes the tank demolition at the former Great Northern Paper mill in Millinocket, a Brownfields project funded by the EPA. The project involves the demolition of infrastructure around the paper mill including two 2.3 million gal. tanks.
"We bid the project at just over $2 million, though the EPA grant was $1.5 million," said Peters. "We were awarded $800,000 for the initial phase.
"We are also engaged in a Brownsfield project in Waterville to demolish an old pub and a housing development," Peters added.
Diversifying With Abatement Services
In 2018, Lakeside earned its asbestos abatement license, opening the door to new opportunities.
"We were invited to bid on an 11-story hotel in Portland. Other contractors were too busy, so we jumped in," Peters said.
That project marked the beginning of a new chapter. In September 2020, the company acquired Abatement Professionals, Maine's first and leading asbestos abatement firm.
"Our staff doubled from 25 to 50, and our workload did too," said Peters.
The acquisition expanded Lakeside's service offerings to include asbestos abatement, mold remediation, lead abatement, vermiculite removal, roll-off disposal, and indoor air quality services.
Investing in Equipment, Local Partnerships
To support its growing demolition operations, Lakeside has invested in state-of-the-art equipment.
"We have two 2021 Hyundai excavators — a 380 and a 160," Peters said. "The 380 weighs 90,000 lbs., and the 160 weighs 44,000 lbs."
The company also purchased high-performance attachments from National Attachments, including a steel shear, concrete pulverizer and hydraulic ditching buckets.
"National Attachments came to us very highly recommended," Peters said. "Even though they do business all over the world, for us they are a local company and we wanted to build local relationships," Peters said. "Gabe Guimond of National Attachments gives us a great sense of comfort working with him. He has been around demolition tools for a long time, and it shows."
"The Nye demolition grapple and pulverizer are massive and incredibly overbuilt," Peters added. "We had some minor issues with a steel scrap shear, but Gabe resolved them quickly. We have used the products on several severe-duty projects and they do not show any signs of wear."
Building strong local relationships remains a core part of Lakeside's success.
"It's important to have support from people you can trust locally," Peters emphasized. "Gabe came highly recommended and has been very responsive and helpful. If you go shopping around to try to save a nickel now, it's going to cost you more later, so you're better off building a relationship with someone who will be there for you when you need them." CEG
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