Renovating Car Dealerships with Bobcat Equipment Puts Business on the Fast Track

Dom Del Monaco grew up watching his father do construction jobs, which inspired Dom to follow in his father’s footsteps. 

“My father taught me through his light-duty commercial residential contracting company how to work – and how to work properly – by hand and with equipment,” Dom says. “And from there I decided to start up my own company.” 

Dom started small when he began his contracting business more than 18 years ago. He owned a van and an older Bobcat skid-steer loader, which he purchased from his father. It wasn’t glamorous at first. Dom worked hard – digging and sweeping by hand and breaking concrete with jackhammers. 

His construction business took off. The training and work ethic he received from his father paid dividends for Dom. He also had the support of Bobcat of Long Island to provide the necessary equipment. 

“Within the first year, we doubled [the business], and then doubled the next year and doubled the next year,” Dom says. “During the last 18 years, we’ve been steadily increasing in gross [revenue].” 

Today, Dom is the president and CEO of Red Rock Industries. His company performs a variety of construction services on Long Island as well as in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

“We have a full-service company with engineers and architects on staff, structural steel crews, concrete crews and excavation crews,” he says.

Red Rock Industries specializes in interior demolition. Here, the crew is renovating an auto dealership’s service center in Plainview, New York.

Serving niche industries 

Like many entrepreneurs, Dom wondered how he could distinguish himself from other contractors. Three distinct industries stood out to him – cars, recycling and parking. 

“People are always buying cars, people are always dumping garbage and there was always a need for parking in our area,” he says. “I decided to fill a niche, fill a void where I’d build parking garages, car dealerships and recycling facilities.” 

His work at high-end, luxury auto dealerships often requires complex renovations. Much of the work is time-sensitive and in limited-access areas in crowded New York City. 

“On Long Island, especially in Nassau County, and New York City, we’re usually redoing buildings, adding to buildings and doing renovations,” Dom says.

Crews demolished the building’s interior, leaving just the four exterior walls and roof standing. “You need these smaller machines to get in and out of these tight areas,” says owner Dom Del Monaco.

Delivering high-end customer service 

Dom’s customers have come to expect a certain level of service from Red Rock Industries. One current project is the Ferrari of Long Island service center in Plainview, New York. 

At the service center, Dom’s crews did an entire interior demolition of the building, leaving just the four exterior walls and the roof standing. This allowed engineers to design footings, foundations and structural steel for a two-story parking garage above the existing service center. The renovated building will include a convenient service drive for customers to store their vehicles. 

“Most of the car dealerships are [on the] fast track because time is money,” Dom says.  

Red Rock Industries, once permitted, will have six months to complete the 36,000-square-foot, three-level Ferrari project. Around 65 to 75 crew members will be working together to get the job done on time. Because larger machines can’t fit inside the existing structure, the company is relying on its fleet of Bobcat compact equipment to complete the work. 

During the demolition phase, an E32 compact excavator grabbed existing metal shelves left by the previous building tenants and crushed them. Compact track loaders and skid-steer loaders then used industrial grapples to clear the material away to be recycled. In New York, contractors are required to separate asphalt, brick, wood, metals and concrete. The Bobcat loaders and excavators paired with powerful attachments made quick work of the sorting.  

When the demolition and sorting is complete, Dom’s employees will use three Bobcat loaders and a compact excavator to dig footings, set rebar, strip the forms, load the forms and carry the structural steel.  

“I love this type of work because you see the before and the after,” Dom says. “And when I drive by, I can always say, ‘I built that job.’ It’s a great sense of fulfillment to know that you could put it from paper to an actual job.” 

Because larger machines can’t fit inside many of the tight, existing structures where Dom Del Monaco and his crew work, they rely heavily on their fleet of Bobcat compact equipment to get the job done.

Compact equipment for compact spaces 

Dom’s employees rarely have the convenience of extra space when they’re working. Most of the work the company does is in confined areas – compact machines and attachments are a must. 

Bobcat machines are Dom’s chosen brand of compact equipment. His preference goes back to an experience he shared with his father when he was a teenager.  

“Someone owed my father money on a job and they wound up saying, ‘Why don’t you take this in lieu of payment?’” Dom says. “It was a Bobcat 610. My father didn’t want to do it and I was 13. I said, ‘Dad, that looks like a fun machine. Why don’t you do it?’ He took the machine because I asked him to, and the next thing you know, he started using it and realized that it was definitely a time-saver for work.” 

Fast forward to today and Dom’s company relies on a team of Bobcat machines and attachments. It’s grown from one skid-steer loader to three compact track loaders, a mini track loader and a compact excavator. 

“You need these smaller machines to get in and out of these tight areas,” Dom says. “I attribute most of our growth to the workhorses, which are the Bobcat loaders.” 

Before any of Dom’s employees can use Bobcat equipment, they’re required to work by hand, like Dom did when he learned the construction business.  

“So now in my company, nobody starts off on a machine,” Dom explains. “Everyone gets trained for machinery and safety, but before anyone can operate a machine, they have to first do hand labor. They need to appreciate that the machines they’re about to use are going to save them time and energy.”

Safety is Dom Del Monaco’s #1 priority. For his employees to be safe, Dom provides the proper training before anyone can operate equipment. He also ensures that his employees have the necessary personal protective equipment when they’re working.

Community-first focus 

Dom takes great pride in his work and wants the best for his customers and his employees. His passion is best expressed through Team Red Rock. Dom says Team Red Rock means he and his employees will “dig deep to rise.” He’s adopted it as the company’s slogan. 

“Every piece of our equipment says Team Red Rock,” Dom says. “We can’t grow without the employees and the customers and everyone being as one. So we’re very big on teamwork, and when something negative affects someone that we know, we want to be part of it to make them feel better and to ultimately make us feel better.” 

Last October, in honor of breast cancer awareness month, the company distributed rubber bracelets to help raise awareness of the disease. For every bracelet handed out, they made a donation for breast cancer research and awareness. 

“We like helping people and, because we’re so fortunate, we love giving back to our community however we can,” Dom says. 

Looking for the right equipment to bring your business dream to life like Dom? Find your local Bobcat dealer.