MOB Traffic Celebrates A Decade of Excellence.  

Terry Alo was one of the first employees hired by Masters of Barricades shortly after the company he worked for shut down. He was grateful for the opportunity that led to traffic control night shift supervisor, day shift supervisor, and general manager. 

Next month will mark his tenth anniversary, along with a handful of employees who have been with MOB Traffic and its founders since the beginning. They include Mandy Frazier, Paul Ames, and Bill Shepherd — people who helped MOB Traffic become the company it is today after over a decade of excellence. 

“It’s incredible to think about,” said Alo. “We started as a mom-and-pop shop with one flatbed, a few personal pickup trucks, and an occasional rental with a logo magnet. We worked fast and loose, sometimes even bringing a friend along to finish the job. Today, we’ve grown up into a real company.” 

To put its growth into perspective, MOB Traffic now owns a fleet of close to 40 trucks, with about half of them flatbeds plus two minivans for flaggers. The size of the fleet corresponds to the equipment in the yard too. MOB Traffic owns more than 8,000 42-inch cones alone, more than quadrupling that number since its July 9, 2013 start date. 

The cones only scratch the surface of its yard inventory. The company maintains reflective A-frames, Type III barricades (road closures), channel drums, vertical plans, recessed cones, message boards, pedestrian devices, and more. 

“Right now, we have about 70 flaggers on staff and 100 technicians,” says Alo. “And we’ve staffed up in other areas like the planning department, ensuring we turn plans around in three days or less if we can manage it.” 

MOB Traffic has to strive for the fastest, more accurate plans in the barricade business. It’s not uncommon for the company to complete 100 to 140 tickets a day, which is easily twice as much as MOB Traffic founders have seen any barricade company manage. 

“We are setting new records but focusing less on growth and more on efficiencies to streamline our service,” said Alo. “There are a few areas we still can make some small improvements, but the company is really humming right now. It feels great to reach a milestone. Only about 35 percent of all startups celebrate their 10-year anniversary.”

The success of Masters of Barricades isn’t one anybody takes lightly, especially MOB Traffic founders Jeff Ames, Jason Woods, Scott Palmer, and Jeff Pritchett. Pritchett says he will never forget how it came together on the heels of a company closure.

“I had just finished lunch with a customer, and my company credit card was declined. So, I paid with my personal card. After lunch, I discovered my gas card had been canceled too. It wasn’t just me. It was every employee. And then the company we worked for wouldn’t take our calls.” 

Rather than pack up and head home, Pritchett, Ames, and Woods stayed on to ensure all of the company’s major construction job commitments were met, farming some of the jobs out to smaller providers and helping some coworkers set up jobs. Their willingness to do so eventually set the stage to start Masters of Barricades.  

“We didn’t know we were starting the largest privately owned barricade company in the region, but that’s what we did,” says Pritchett. “Looking back over my career with other companies — through all those buyouts, mergers, sellouts, and career opportunities — I’m proud to have worked for Masters of Barricades longer than other companies. We built something that has stood the test of time.”

More importantly, according to Pritchett, MOB Traffic has maintained some elements of a family-like atmosphere despite implementing corporate-like policies and procedures. New employees appreciate it too, whether it’s the chance to be recognized and rewarded as an employee of the month or a spontaneous free lunch when a taco truck parks in front of the MOB Traffic headquarters. 

“We’re still the kind of company where supervisors, managers, and even founders will pick up the slack by going out on a job to help,” said Pritchett. “There’s always an excitement in the air when it happens, especially when something unexpected or spontaneous happens.”

The recent Las Vegas Knights Stanley Cup rally parade was one example. Thousands of fans lined the Las Vegas Strip for a parade and then gathered outside the team’s home arena to celebrate the historic win. The motorcade proceeded from around Flamingo Road for about a mile before the rally at Toshiba Plaza. Some estimates reported more than 200,000 fans turned out. 

“In some ways, we were celebrating our own decade of excellence with the Las Vegas Golden Knights along the parade route and at the rally,” said Pritchett. “Years ago, George McPhee posted a quote by Bill Foley, who once said he wanted his team ‘to be committed to teamwork, service to this great city, and integrity in all things.’ I like to think that we started out the same way too.” 

With Masters of Barricades supporting some of the largest contractors and special events in Las Vegas with world-class customer service and responsiveness, it’s safe to say mission accomplished. Happy birthday, Masters of Barricades! May the next ten years be as memorable as the first decade.