Remote Machine Technology Gives Business Owner Renewed Freedom

Anthony Cardoza was 16 when he lost two friends in a tragic head-on collision in the mountains 70 miles from his hometown of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Anthony himself spent two years in the hospital recovering from the accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. He is lucky and, as he puts it, “just stoked” to be alive. He had to learn to do everything different and immediately recognized his feelings of freedom and independence would be tested. On his own and in a wheelchair at 18 years old, Anthony realized he had to find a way to make a living … he knew he was simply not going to survive on social security alone.

“I was like, ‘Man, I need to better myself and do something,’” he says.

About that time, a buddy gave Anthony a riding lawnmower so he could take jobs in lawncare, and as he found more customers who liked his work, he knew he’d found his path. Anthony also knew he wanted to be his own boss.

Eventually, Anthony created Anthony’s Lawn Care & Snow Removal, which over 17 years has grown to include a crew of four working alongside him. “I get all the jobs, and they go out and basically do all the manual labor,” Anthony says. “I work with the Bobcat® loader for about 10 hours a day.”

Anthony, who works from his wheelchair, uses Bobcat MaxControl remote operation to operate his Bobcat loader in all types of applications, particularly field mowing. Anthony credits Josh Forsythe, store manager at Bobcat of Redding (California), with introducing him to the MaxControl system, knowing Anthony would prefer as much accessibility and freedom as possible. And that freedom was enough to make Anthony quickly eliminate competitive loader choices — which included a brand he’d owned for almost 20 years — and choose Bobcat.  

“The accessibility of MaxControl operation is just more freedom for me, and means not having to depend on anyone,” Anthony says. “And the hand controls are so smooth, with all the power you’d want from the loader.”

Finding Freedom and Drawing a Crowd

Nearly two decades after starting out, Anthony has transformed his regular lawnmowing work into a small commercial landscaping and snow removal business with his name on it. But being the boss and being restricted to a wheelchair don’t equate to sitting behind a desk. Anthony always preferred being an active owner, operating his machines for hours throughout the day.

He now finds efficiency, freedom and flexibility through being on the jobsite by himself, without having to take one of his team members away from another project to help him mow fields install materials. 

“With my old machine, I needed someone to meet me at the jobsite to unload everything and help me into the machine,” Anthony says. “With this Bobcat system, I just turn my phone on and unload it … I don’t have to depend on anyone.”

The technology even helps Anthony show off for his logging buddies in town.

“You'll get a little audience,” he says. “The machine will take it off and they're like, ‘Why aren't you in there? There's no one in there!’ I’m just like, "Don't worry about it … I got control.”

Family, Friends and Future

Within the next 10 years, Anthony hopes to turn over his company to his son, who is already one of his crew. But before that, Anthony wants to grow his business with the addition of a Bobcat compact excavator to help with fire abatement work. For guidance on his next machine, he plans to go back to Josh and Bobcat of Redding.

“It's awesome,” Anthony says. “I just call Josh, and he's like, ‘Hey Anthony, how's it going? What can I do for ya’, buddy?’ Outstanding people over there … and Josh goes all out for me all the time. It just makes me feel good.”

Anthony has overcome a great deal since the tragic accident 30 years ago that claimed two lives and changed his. He is deservedly proud of the business he has built and continues to grow, and he says the renewed sense of freedom with MaxControl has simply made his life easier.

“It’s such a relief, he says. “I can be more independent running machines with this system, and I didn't know that I could do that."