Week 21 Winners

Angie Jones
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Louisville, Ky.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“At the Louisville International Airport, Bobcat® equipment has unleashed us to be number one in airport safety. Bobcat equipment has been the key element to our recent success and accomplishments on the airfield, and provided better snow removal around our terminal.

“We serve as the airport for the UPS WorldPort and safety is everything. During snow removal, we have several areas close to very expensive equipment and ramp personnel. A Toolcat™ utility work machine with an angle broom has allowed us to do snow removal in those areas effectively and safely. Thanks to the all-wheel steer capability, the Toolcat can maneuver in areas that before had to be cleaned by snow shovels. The old way required more people and posed a greater possibility of injury. This past winter, we added a de-icing tank sprayer on the back of our Toolcat machine. Now we don’t need to back a 1,000-gallon tanker into tight areas to de-ice.

“The Toolcat machine was a crucial piece of equipment for the front crew during a 14-inch snow storm this winter. It kept up with everything that got thrown its way. Winter might have unleashed an unusual amount of snow on the Louisville International Airport, but we unleashed our Toolcat machine on it! At the beginning of the summer of 2006, the maintenance crew that serviced the airfield began utilizing Bobcat equipment. Our goal was to have zero discrepancies in the ‘Safety Areas’ on the airfield, the grassy areas near runways and taxiways. As the crew began this new job assignment, they had ideas about the type of equipment that would be ideal in order to make the job faster and safer. Sure enough, there was always an attachment available to do exactly what we needed. We utilized the combination bucket, the regular bucket, and especially the landscape rake. We had three different types of equipment in one package and needed only one operator. Talk about unleashing freedom!

“We went from over 10 people doing hard manual labor and not making much progress to five people, with fewer injuries and more production. We also used our Toolcat machine, believed to be the first in Louisville, for cleanup and to edge the pavement. All-wheel steer capability let us angle the cab and the bucket just right to address any dirt and grass that might have been on the edge of the runway and taxiway shoulder. We surpassed our goal of no deficiencies, and were awarded an honorable distinction.

“For the years of 2006 and 2007, the Louisville International Airport won the Airport Safety Mark of Distinction Award from the Southern Region of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA said, ‘Louisville International maintains its facilities to high standards and is constantly working to improve existing procedures and develop innovations to be a leader in airport maintenance.’ Had it not been for the versatile abilities of Bobcat equipment and attachments, our achievements would not be possible. Thank you, Bobcat, for unleashing us!”

Gregory Stone
Excavation Details
Rock Stream, N.Y.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I owned a custom cabinet and millwork company for 18 years. Along the way, I had to make some life-altering choices and left it. After being away from the business for a little less than a year, I started again. It just was no fun at all. Every day, it felt like I was returning to the scene of the crime. I knew of an opportunity in my area that wasn’t being served. I wrote a very crude business plan on the back of an envelope while having my morning coffee. I met with Jim LaPlante at Bobcat of the Twin Tiers that morning and have never looked back.

“I live in the Finger Lakes region of New York, surrounded by miles of vineyards. Growing good grapes requires good soil drainage. There are miles and miles of drainage systems underneath the vineyards. To repair a broken drainage line is usually a pick-and-shovel proposition for the grower. I wanted to change that and start a new service.

“I had my heart set on buying a Bobcat® excavator when I first met with Jim. He listened patiently to my idea and said, ‘I’ll be happy to sell you an excavator if you are determined to have one, but if you can only own one piece of equipment, you will find more uses for a skid-steer loader with a backhoe attachment.’ I had never seen a backhoe on a skid-steer loader, so I was more than a little apprehensive. Jim brought one out to my first job and it was all I could have hoped for and more.

“My first job was installing drainage pipe for a new vineyard site in an open field. My time learning to operate a backhoe while maintaining a 1.5-degree grade was the definition of comedy. I use a laser on the stick now, but in those days it was transit and rod. On the machine, off the machine, check grade, on the machine, fix grade, and so on. Miles of drainage later, I laugh about that first job, but I was off and running.

“I use Bobcat rental machines throughout the season. This allows me to never let an opportunity go by to supply a service. What better way to audit an attachment that you are thinking about buying? With rental equipment, you can quickly become the go-to guy because you can always offer a solution for your customer. I rent excavators and large-frame loaders for tough work. The T300 compact track loader is my favorite, but I can’t wait to try a S330.

“How many opportunities does a person get in a lifetime to start a truly needed service and have it turn out well? I have gone from despair to a job that is so much fun, and I’m amazed when people give me money for it. Have I been unleashed? You betcha! Thank you, Bobcat.”

Richard Meffert
Raeford, N.C.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I am a soldier in the Special Forces. I wanted your company to know the critical role your equipment is playing in the global war on terrorism. My Special Forces Group first purchased two Bobcat® S150 skid-steer loaders in early 2003. Today, we have a fleet of 28 different types of Bobcat vehicles and multiple attachment packages, which are utilized throughout Afghanistan by Special Forces operators. Bobcat equipment has proven to be worth its weight in gold at our outstations, where our troops live under austere conditions.

“Due to the size of Bobcat loaders and attachments we can easily move the equipment around the country to where it is needed most, helping soldiers. After receiving training on operation and basic maintenance, our soldiers quickly become masters of the equipment and attachments. At our staging bases, we use Bobcat machines to load bundles of critical supplies, ammunition, and humanitarian assistance products onto helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. At the outstations, Bobcat loaders with pallet fork attachments wait for the arrival of the helicopters and quickly unload the bundles. This reduces the manpower needed for unloading, and also reduces ground time for the helicopter. Most of the supply bundles are delivered by parachute from fixed-wing aircraft. We use a Bobcat loader and trucks to quickly retrieve the supplies from the drop zone and move them to a secure area, reducing the time soldiers are exposed.

“Our engineer sergeants use the bucket attachments to quickly improve force protection at the outstations. Bobcat equipment facilitates building fighting positions, filling HESCOE barriers with dirt, and creating obstacles around the perimeter. This increases the force protection and survivability of the detachment and helps them to effectively defend their base and refit for future operations. This allows detachments more time to conduct patrols, in order to distribute needed humanitarian assistance, provide medical treatment, and engage the populace to help build a safe and secure environment.

“Bobcat enables us to improve the quality of life of our soldiers. We continuously spread gravel at our bases to cut down on the dust, mud, and dirt that accumulates in our barracks and operations area. We use the backhoe attachment to create leach fields and direct water runoff. We use the concrete mixer to establish hard structures instead of using tents or wood, to improve our soldiers’ living conditions. I used the S150 skid-steer loader in 2004 to build an 8,000-square foot operations center that provides command and control to over 3,000 U.S. and Afghan soldiers to this day.

“Bobcat machinery has become and will continue to be the workhorse of the Special Forces operator. Your company and its dependable equipment have made an incredible impact on the soldiers’ abilities to efficiently and effectively conduct their missions. Thank you for unleashing our potential and enabling us to live up to our motto — "De Opresso Liber," or "Liberate the oppressed" — and build safe and stable nations.”

Jeremy Adams
Great American Ski Company Inc.
Cloudcroft N.M.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“In the fall of 1998, my father and I repurchased a ski resort that he had owned when I was a child. The resort is located in the mountains of southern New Mexico, where snowfall can be of great concern. In order to open on the least amount of snow possible, we mow and groom our slopes in the fall. Even our most gentle slope turned out to be a great challenge to mow with a tractor and brush hog. After turning it over twice in one day, we decided there had to be something better out there.

“While researching equipment on the Internet, I discovered the Brushcat™ rotary cutter from Bobcat® and arranged for a demo the following spring. Upon arrival, our salesman was sure this mower was the answer, but he wasn't sure about the 763 skid-steer loader’s ability on the steep ground. He told us Bobcat had a tracked machine coming out soon that would be the answer to our problem. By the end of summer, we realized that our snowmaking pond liner had deteriorated and needed to be dug out and replaced. This muddy mess stuck a backhoe and a dozer, so I called my dealer and asked for his opinion. He showed up two days later with a new 864 track loader. This machine was amazing. We could drive right down the bank of the pond, scoop up a load of mud, and drive right back out. Within an hour, we negotiated a rental rate and went to work. With the pond cleaned and relined, it was time to start mowing. Our dealer brought up a Brushcat rotary cutter and away we went, mowing three times as much as we ever could with the tractor. The machine’s stability on slopes and its visibility was what we had been waiting for. Within a week, we ordered our own 864 track loader and Brushcat rotary cutter.

“With limited snowfall this past decade, our ski area has been anything but profitable. Since we were closed two of the last 10 years and some seasons only lasted 10 days, we needed another source of income. I put our Bobcat machine to work. Graveling driveways, backfilling ditches — nothing seemed to be undoable. I bought a set of grapple forks and went to work thinning subdivisions that could only be done by hand before because of their steep slopes. A few years ago, I bought an 811 backhoe attachment and started digging water and sewer lines that were too steep for a loader-backhoe. Even our local village borrowed the Bobcat setup to dig lines too confined or steep for their backhoes. After eight hard years of service, it was time to upgrade to a more powerful machine. In March, I purchased a new Bobcat T320 compact track loader. The added horsepower, joystick controls, and high-flow are like nothing I ever expected.

“This machine amazes anyone who sees it working, whether it’s moving snow to the chairlift, mowing, moving trees and brush, or doing dirty work in the summer. Bobcat has enabled me to stay in business. Without Bobcat equipment, I would not have been able to keep my ski area in these drought-stricken times. Bobcat hasn't just unleashed me; it has defined me.”

Gary Schultz
G.A. Schultz Concrete
Janesville, Wis.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“When I was young, I was consumed by the idea of working for myself. Coming off the farm at age 18, it wasn’t hard to get work with a local home builder and for a neighboring nursery. The nursery had a Bobcat® M440 loader. The builder had me backfill a foundation by hand. I didn’t mind the work but thought there had to be a better, faster way. So, the nursery let me use the Bobcat machine. The builder wondered what I was going to do with that ‘little toy.’ To make a long story short, he was dazzled. To me, running a Bobcat machine wasn’t work, it was fun. I used it to cut out the concrete drive and grade the yard for a home being built for the nursery’s owner. I had worked on road construction and had experience running farm machinery. I decided to go into business for myself utilizing a Bobcat machine and hopefully make a good living.

“Well, G.A. Schultz Concrete was born in 1963. My first task was to save about $2,000 for a new Bobcat machine. After a while working days for the builder and doing concrete jobs in the evening hours, I made the choice to go full-time. There was more money in concrete than working for others. At first, I used a 1954 Dodge with an electric hoist for my dump truck. When I had the money, I got a new 1966 one-ton truck and the old Dodge was history. Now, my fleet was complete. ‘Follow G.A. Schultz’ was written in gold lettering on the side, and I set an example in the city of Janesville lasting to the present day.

“My salesman, Gene, talked me into trading up almost every year. I moved from two-cylinder belt drive machines on to hydrostatic and four-cylinder machines. I was working from dawn to dusk, and all of my work was made so much easier by my right hand, a Bobcat machine. All of the work at home was also done with my buddy, the Bobcat machine. I used it for all of my site work, from cutting out the drive, to laying block and stone, to setting beams for my garage and carport. There is no way this could have been accomplished with any other equipment at the time.

“This last winter, we had the most snow I’ve ever seen. I had to borrow my friend’s T180 compact track loader in order to remove the big drifts in front of my home. That thing can pile snow! After talking to Don and Jessie at my local Bobcat dealer, I got an idea. Jessie gave me a copy of the book ‘Bobcat: Fifty Years of Opportunity, 1958 – 2008.’ I’ll buy a new S160 skid-steer loader with cab, heat, air and 2-speed, and make it a one-of-a-kind 50th Anniversary Bobcat machine that will be my last.

“I am 70 years old and can’t wait to get my new machine. I’ll have 20 or more neighbors to plow out in the winter. I’ll volunteer to plow the city’s walking trail: It looks like it came straight out of the Ice Age in the winter. I’ll also take on little digging jobs here and there. It’ll be fun again for ‘A man and his Bobcat machine.’”