All-Wheel Steer Loader Builds Image and Business

John Gursoy

As a former employee of the Ritz-Carlton hotel organization, John Gursoy knows all about high expectations. He applies the same standards to his southwest Florida landscape renovation business, including relying on a top-of-the-line Bobcat® A300 loader.

Gursoy decided to change careers in 2005. He purchased the all-wheel steer machine from Bobcat of Naples just after hurricane Katrina arrived. He was planning to do cleanup work in Mississippi for six months. Then hurricane Wilma hit his area (Naples, Marco Island) and he began clearing his own property.

“People saw me working and hired me to get trees off their houses and move storm debris to the street,” says Gursoy. “One after another, neighbors asked me to help them. My business just kept growing.”

Cleanup customers became landscape customers. Now his company, JVG enterprise & Development, Inc., does a wide variety of projects, from tree and stump removal to hardscaping.

He was first introduced to Bobcat equipment in 1993 when he began renting loaders to do charitable work. “I occasionally used them for the next 11 years,” says Gursoy. “I was impressed with the amount of work you could accomplish.”

When it came time to purchase a loader he decided the A300 was best for him. “Initially, saving on tires was a big factor,” says Gursoy. “I saw people going through a set of tires every three weeks when they were doing storm cleanup. Tires on the A300 last a lot longer. The turffriendly features of the machine are also a plus. It’s easy on existing lawns and does not damage sprinkler heads. Both are very important to my customers. I get a lot of compliments about the A300. People marvel at what it can do. The loader hlps bring in business.”

Bobcat A300 with Grapple

The A300 is like having two machines in one—the smooth efficiency of all-wheel steer and the agility of skid-steer. The machine, with a 3,000-lb. rated operating capacity, has a vertical lift path design that provides superior lift height, reach, dump angle and excellent visibility for easy truck loading.

Gursoy says his long-term success is based on demonstrating a professional image. “I return phone calls, dress neat and keep my machine clean,” he says. “Every day I go through a checklist to make sure my A300 is ready to work. I also bring a two-way radio to each job so I can communicate with the homeowner while I am working on the property. Customers really appreciate being part of the process.”