Week 1 Winners
Marc Peterson
Premise Properties
Bloomington, Minn.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“In the summer of 2006, with use of our Bobcat® machine, my company was able to complete jobs like digging post holes for decks and property signs in a fraction of the time that it took in the past. The next spring, we used our Bobcat machine to replace bushes that in the past would have required us to dig holes manually or hire a subcontractor.
“We also used our Bobcat machine to sweep parking lots that were too large for us in the past. We had previously removed sand from parking lots by shovel. For the last three years, we’ve used Bobcat attachments to quickly remove snow and ice from the parking lot for the building tenants and employees we serve. We’ve also reduced our employee injury rate from slips and falls.
“We can do concrete demolition work in days that used to take us weeks. Thanks to our Bobcat machine’s heated cab, we can work safely and comfortably through the winter.
“We can prepare landscape and remediate large areas of grass. Our Bobcat equipment lets us work faster, prepare larger areas, and include better drainage. We have the power to remove stumps and bushes in three hours that would take two days without a Bobcat machine.
“We’ve already gotten work for this spring that we couldn’t have thought about before buying a Bobcat machine.”
Dennis Rankel
Rankel Excavating Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Bobcat unleashed me in the winter of 2007, January – March. My Bobcat® S250 skid-steer loader with tracks (over the tires) got me through a tough job. The company’s job was to place and compact about 1,100 tonnes of sand fill. This was a new house in a prestigious area of Toronto, Ontario. The S250 performed GREAT. We had to backfill the rear yard and pool before the owners could move into the house in early spring.
“This summer, I took on a job building a large rock wall using mined limestone weighing 900 to 1,700 pounds. The contractor on-site was amazed with the S250's ability to place these stones with the fork attachment.
“Twenty-five years ago, all the big contractors said to me, ‘What are you going to do with a little Bobcat loader? Get a loader backhoe!’ Today, they all call me when they have a tight area to work in. My best moment was on the HGTV Canada television show ‘Real Renos.’ I was operating my 773 skid-steer loader and pulled out a fence post in one swoop. I now hear that other people who saw the show are using my technique.”
Ivan Jacobs
Marcus Farms, Inc.
Dansville, N.Y.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I am lucky enough to work for a company that allows my productivity and efficiency to be UNLEASHED by Bobcat® compact equipment. Marcus Farms, Inc. was founded in 1985 by brothers Steve and John Marcus. It has grown from a small Christmas tree farm to a large-scale wholesale nursery operation, employing as many as 30 people at times. Sadly, John is no longer with us, but his son Graham has recently taken a position in the company as Vice-President. Much of the company’s growth has occurred since 1998, when the farm purchased its first new Bobcat loader — a model 873 from Bobcat of the Finger Lakes (then Jennings Tractor) of Fairport, N.Y. The then multi-branded fleet was quickly replaced, starting with the addition of a 773 in 1999 and three 873Gs (all Bobcat models) over the next three years. In 2003, one of the greatest Bobcat innovations arrived on the farm: the ultra-versatile T300 compact track loader. The benefits of this machine were instantly obvious. Trees and tree blocks experienced a dramatic decrease in damage, side-hill performance was found to be far superior to rubber-tired machines (even those with steel tracks), and performance at the high end of the lift capacity is also superior compared to wheeled machines of similar R.O.C. It was also discovered that, depending upon the year, the T300 could add as many as two weeks to the digging schedule, meaning tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue. Needless to say, another T300 joined the fleet in 2004, replacing the oldest 873.
“Today’s lineup of machines includes a model 975, an S250, an S300, a T300 (all K-Series machines) and a G-Series 328 excavator … Our dealer, Bobcat of the Finger Lakes, supports our machines with quick turnaround on parts, service and support. On the rare occasion that a machine needs to go to their shop for service, a loaner machine of adequate size is provided, and they're 50 miles farther away than the other brand’s dealer! It probably goes without saying that when it came time to purchase a machine in 2007 we went back to Bobcat and our favorite model, the T300 …There can be no doubt that Bobcat equipment is the best-built, best-engineered equipment available on the market today. All of this at a competitive price, and still manufactured and engineered right here in the U.S. That's why I'm proud to be UNLEASHED by Bobcat.”
Eric Austin
Austin's Landscape Construction, Inc.
Yorba Linda, Calif.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“… I started working as a paralegal after I got my degree and I hated it. I like being outside and always saw myself in the construction field in one way or another. One day, I got out of my desk and gave the office manager my two weeks’ notice. The office could not believe that I would leave the cushy indoor, dress-nice lifestyle for an outdoor, manual-labor job. I started doing debris removal. I was starting from the ground up and figured demolition and removal was a good place to start. I had recently sold my condominium and had some money in the bank. I bought a two-axle dump trailer and I found a 1996 used Bobcat® 453 like one I had rented before for $5,000. I paid cash for it in April of 2002 (since then I have paid that thing off probably 50 times over). I used it for everything I could possibly use it for because it was just me — and it allowed me to do grading and demolition, rip out small trees, concrete removal, etc. “Work smarter, not harder” is the motto that should go along with skid-steer loaders. It was the best investment I have ever made.
“I became a landscape contractor in 2005 and started Austin Landscaping. I was able to get a loan from the SBA and bought a used 1996 Bobcat 320 mini excavator. I thought I loved my 453, but when I started digging trenches and breaking concrete, grading, demolition, etc., I fell in love all over again. I use the mini excavator more than anything else I have. It is awesome. I can’t tell you how many times I have rolled on to a commercial project to dig a trench in a small area and people just point and laugh. I see them laughing because it is so little compared to what they are used to seeing, and I just shrug it off. I figure, ‘Hey, I am making $110 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so I can laugh all the way to the bank.’ It never fails — by the time the trench is completed, the jaws drop. They all, without exception, say to me, ‘Man, when you first showed up with that little thing, I thought, look at the Tonka toy this guy has. What is he going to do for us? That thing is good for sprinklers maybe, but come on! But now that I have seen what it can do and how much time and labor it saved us, because of the tight fit, I am impressed and will call you for all my tight spot digging from now on.’ I just smile and say, ‘Here is my business card, and yeah, it really is an incredible machine …’”
Robert Stovall
Platinum Touch Construction
Winston Salem, N.C.
Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Bobcat Unleashed me — in so many ways — by helping me get my jobs done many times faster than hand laborers could ever dream. In October 2006, I contracted to build houses in Yadkinville, N.C. I knew I would have to get a machine to help with this endeavor, so I did research on compact track loaders. I found that Bobcat had the best value, reliability, and customer service in my area. I went to my local Bobcat dealer and purchased a T190. It proved to be indispensable. Since I do most of the work with my own crew, I use my T190 a lot! We use it for site prep, footings, moving masonry materials, backfilling, grading, moving concrete (when it was too muddy for the concrete trucks to drive through), bringing framing lumber, moving pallets of roofing, final grading, lawn preparation, debris removal and many other miscellaneous tasks. I taught my sons how to use the Bobcat® T190. Although one of my sons is no longer with us, there is something about the T190 that always made Brent excited to jump in it and do whatever needed to be done. He learned to drive it better than me! Though some hand work is unavoidable, my co-workers and I are so grateful to have the T190 there for the bulk of the work, and it has saved me countless hours in manpower. Our Bobcat T190 also makes weekend trips to the Thunder Valley Motocross Track to build and reface the track and sometimes rebuild new tracks. It is absolutely necessary for this application.”