Swimming in Opportunity
Michael Shoemaker says he makes a lot of money with Bobcat equipment.
During the last three years the growth in the backyard swimming pool market has significantly increased, according to industry observers.
Since 9/11 there has been a trend toward more family-oriented activities. As a result, there are untold opportunities for pool builders and installers. Michael Shoemaker and Bill Lambert have found that Bobcat® equipment is helping make their businesses more efficient and profitable.
Most productive machines
Bobcat products have helped Michael Shoemaker become one of the most successful custom pool builders in the South, and he is eager to tell why: “My loader and excavator are the most versatile, most dependable, most used and lowest maintenance pieces of equipment we have on all of our jobsites.”
Shoemaker Pool Services, Hoover, Ala., which works for both builders and homeowners, specializes in high-end residential and commercial Gunite steel-reinforced pools. The average cost of a project is $250,000 which, in most cases, includes the pool, deck, heating system, water and rock features, slides, multiple elevations and other landscaping.
A 334 extended-reach excavator is the perfect machine for placing materials for Shoemaker Pool Services.
The Bobcat equipment—an 843 skid-steer loader and 334 excavator—purchased from Loader Services and Equipment, Birmingham, is used on every pool installation project. A Shoemaker Pool Services employee transports the machines and attachments from job to job.
“These are very productive units, working 12-14 hours a day” says Shoemaker. “They are the key to getting our projects completed on time, even in bad weather. Customers are very demanding and because this is a service industry, we have to constantly do our work better, faster and deliver quality. To do that you need good employees and good equipment.”
Shoemaker points out that good equipment makes everyone a winner. “Our Bobcat machines are so dependable that our employees keep working and making money. Of course, that means the company makes more money and since jobs get completed sooner, our clients benefit as well.”
The 843 loader has been providing consistent, reliable performance for Shoemaker Pool Services for several years.
“About 90 percent of the time we use the 843 to dig the hole for the pool,” says Shoemaker. “It’s a fast, strong machine. The 843 makes it easy to get the grade and elevation correct for the pool shell. It also enables us to do a lot less trimming around the edges because we can cut so close. A skid-steer loader delivers precision in pool digging applications.”
At one time Shoemaker used a large tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB). “It was too cumbersome and inefficient,” he says. “At times the TLB was too large to get into backyards of existing homes and was damaging the driveways. The lightweight, compact Bobcat loader is a much better fit. It costs less and produces much more precise work.”
Whether in the front yard or backyard, an S185 loader makes pool installation easier for Perma Pools.
In addition, Shoemaker crews are finding new uses for the long-reach 334 excavator every day. “It’s great for moving rocks, digging footings, drains and plumbing ditches, removing stumps, cleaning up sites, grading driveways, and even moving spas into place,” says Shoemaker. “Some people might find it hard to believe that a compact excavator would be so valuable for a swimming pool contractor, but I wouldn’t want to be without it.”
He says his equipment has the same characteristics as a chameleon. “Bobcat products are very adaptable—they change with the demands of the job. Add an attachment and you have a completely different jobsite unit. This versatility, along with their reliability, are among the reasons we make a lot of money with our Bobcat equipment.”
The case for Bobcat loaders
Attorney Bill Lambert knows how to make an opening statement that’s direct and to the point: ”A Bobcat skid-steer loader is an essential tool for installing swimming pools.“
He’s his own expert witness. Lambert changed careers in 1999 when he purchased Perma Pools, an Indianapolis swimming pool installation firm. “Dealing with customers in the pool business is much more emotionally-charged than working as a commercial real estate attorney,” says Lambert. “That’s because a swimming pool involves their home and you must meet their expectations.”
To help meet those expectations Lambert and his 22 employees rely on four Bobcat® skid-steer loaders—two S185s, a 753 and a 773, all purchased from Bobcat of Indy.
Bill Lambert is impressed with the quality of his Bobcat equipment.
Perma Pools has two pool installation crews, each equipped with an S185. Once the hole is dug and the one-piece fiberglass shell is put in the ground, the loaders get a real workout.
“We have to backfill sand on all four sides and the bottom of the pool,” says Lambert. “We typically put 50 to 100 tons of sand into a 12-in. gap between the edge of the hole and the side of the pool. The loaders move the sand from the front yard and place it around the pool. The Bobcat loaders are perfect for this job. There is no better way to do it.”
In addition to moving materials at a pool installation site, the loaders remove extra dirt, rough grade, lift supplies and do general preparation and maintenance. Avariety of Bobcat attachments—buckets, trencher, soil conditioner, tiller, hydraulic breaker, auger and tracks—help make the loaders exceptionally efficient.
“Our Bobcat product lineup plays an important role in how we estimate a job,” says Lambert. “The ability to do so much work with so little equipment certainly affects the price we charge for a pool.”
Summarizing his experience with Bobcat equipment, Lambert says: “Our loaders have performed well. They are quality machines that are a good value.”