EARTHWORKS GRADING & CONCRETE - TEC Tractor Times

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A SALUTE TO A TEC CUSTOMER RELIABLE EQUIPMENT RESPONSIVE SERVICE EARTHWORKS GRADING & CONCRETE This Georgia contracting firm specializes in doing quality work for satisfied customers Earthworks Grading & Concrete Owner Brent Hawkins and his son, Jack, share a moment inside the cab of a Komatsu motor grader. Brent Hawkins started his construction career inside, as an estimator for a large grading contractor in the Atlanta area. By 1992, he’d had enough of desk work. “What I like about this business is being outside, getting things done, seeing the job progress from day to day, then seeing the finished project,” he revealed. “You don’t get that kind of feedback as an estimator. So in 1992, I bought a skid steer loader and went into business for myself.” His company, Earthworks Grading & Concrete, based in Marietta, Ga., started small, but has grown steadily. Today, Earthworks specializes in road grading and mass excavation for residential subdivisions and big-box commercial properties. By hiring trusted subs to do clearing, pipe work, curb and gutter and paving, the company also offers “turnkey development services” to its customers. Although Earthworks only has about a dozen employees, it is able to do large-scale jobs, thanks to an informal, joint-venture type of arrangement with a longtime friend. “We work closely with Brad Cox and his company, Magnum Contracting,” Hawkins explained. “Brad does the estimating, we consult on how we’re going to price a job, then we both submit one bid. If we get it, either of us might do the work — or if it’s a particularly big job, we might combine forces and work together. “The relationship gives me flexibility,” he added. “For example, I recently had a 650- acre job that took the better part of a year. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I was working by myself because I would have lost all my other customers by the time I was finished. I don’t know how well this kind of arrangement would work for anybody else, but it works for us because we’re friends who trust each other, we do the same type of work, and we have the same standards. The bottom line for both of us is customer satisfaction.” Giving value for the money As you can tell, standards are important to Hawkins. “We’re not the cheapest earthmoving contractor around, at least based on the initial bid,” he noted. “Some people will give a low price, come in and blow through a job, then are more than willing to come back out and make their money off change orders. That’s not the way we work. Our calling card is that we do quality work, we do it right the first time, and we give a fair price up front and stick to it. Anybody can move dirt. We just try to do it better and give our customers value for their money.”
That philosophy has earned the company an excellent reputation among developers in the Atlanta metro area. The company works primarily north of I-20 and west of Highway 400, while Magnum handles much of the work north of I-20 and east of Highway 400. “We have a set of developers we work for fairly regularly,” said Hawkins. “They trust us and understand that we’re pricing the entire job in our bid. They know that, although another company’s bid may look lower, when all is said and done, we don’t cost any more than they do and we do the job right, with a lot fewer headaches all around.” People are key While Hawkins is personally out in the field on the company’s jobs each day, he also relies on key employees such as Christopher Raimey and Walt Liles to help take care of business. “Chris is our main mass-dirt crew foreman. Walt primarily does GPS ground survey and our fine grading and flat work. We have a good group of guys, most of whom we’ve trained ourselves. We look for people with a good attitude, who are willing to work hard and learn the business, and we’ve found a group that fits that mold and works very well together.” Quality equipment/ responsive service Until just a few years ago, Earthworks’ primary method of moving dirt involved using a pull scraper and a couple of push scrapers. “In order to increase productivity, we bought a Komatsu HM300 (30-ton) articulated truck to pair up with a Komatsu PC220LC-8 hydraulic excavator,” said Hawkins. “We found one truck alone couldn’t keep the excavator busy, so we bought a second HM300. At that point, the PC220 couldn’t keep up, so we bought a Komatsu PC300LC-7 to load the trucks. Now we’re getting excellent productivity, and can move as much as 5,000 yards a day, depending on what we’re handling.” Today, in addition to the PC300, PC220 and two HM300s, Earthworks has three Komatsu To increase production, Earthworks purchased this Komatsu PC300 excavator and HM300 articulated truck. “Now we can move as much as 5,000 yards a day,” noted Owner Brent Hawkins. dozers (a D39, D41-C and a D65) and a Komatsu motor grader (GD555). “We like Komatsu equipment,” confirmed Hawkins. “I’m especially impressed with the excavators and the trucks. We have an eightfoot stick and a four-yard bucket on the PC300, so it’s outfitted for mass excavation and has done an excellent job.” Equally important to Hawkins is the longstanding relationship and outstanding service he has received from Tractor & Equipment Company. “When I first started, Stith Equipment Company, which preceded TEC, was willing to work with me when some other dealers weren’t,” recalled Hawkins. “Then, when TEC took over, they brought a level of service that really raised the bar in this area. I get excellent support from the Kennesaw branch and my salesman DeVaughn Pettit, who’s now also Continued . . . Earthworks’ fleet of Komatsu equipment includes this D41 dozer. The company has a PM contract with TEC to handle all its preventive maintenance services. “I get excellent support from TEC,” said Owner Brent Hawkins. RELIABLE EQUIPMENT RESPONSIVE SERVICE
Page 1 and 2: A publication for and about our cus
Page 3 and 4: IN THIS ISSUE BULLARD EXCAVATING, I
Page 5 and 6: A Bullard Excavating operator moves
Page 10 and 11: New equipment technology benefits E
Page 12 and 13: MANAGING YOUR BUSINESS SAFETY ECONO
Page 14 and 15: Putting safety first benefits all .
Page 16: MORE NEW PRODUCTS RELIABLE EQUIPMEN
Page 21 and 22: NEW QUARRY PRODUCTS RELIABLE EQUIPM
Page 23 and 24: KOMATSU & YOU RELIABLE EQUIPMENT RE
Page 25 and 26: Ricky Mathis 256/338-4574 Brian Hag
Page 27: NEWS OF NOTE RELIABLE EQUIPMENT RES
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Page 32: C.P.I. P.O. Box 1689 C.R., IA 52406

EARTHWORKS GRADING & CONCRETE - TEC Tractor Times

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