Week 20 Winners

Steve Novak
Novaks Landscaping & Snow Removal Inc.
Minot, N.D.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“The Bobcat® attachments and power units available today create great opportunities and possibilities. With some creative application of these tools, we can accomplish much more than we used to, with far less labor. The labor market has made it very difficult to obtain and retain employees. We can offset this shortage by implementing a yearly budget for attachment purchases. This investment offers substantial returns when the initial cost is weighed against the depreciation and residual income generated for years to come — and our attachments never call in sick.

“Our current inventory of attachments includes a laser-controlled grader, pallet forks, Tilt-Tatch™, combination bucket, landscape rake, scarifier, rotating grapple, and auger. With skid-steer, compact track, and mini track loaders coupled with multiple attachments, we can install retaining walls, subgrade, install topsoil, laser-grade for drainage or flatwork, do demolition work, cultivate trees, drill post holes, build and grade building sites, install piers for modular homes, unload mulch and sod, and prep for hydroseeding.

“In 2003 we were hired to correct drainage issues alongside a customer’s road which was set in a coulee with tight access and large elevation drop. The previous contractor tried to build the road using large equipment and failed. Using a 773 and an 864 with a grader attachment, we rebuilt the road, controlled the drainage, and completed the task quickly. The customer called this spring to send us a referral for a new home yard installation.

“Successful completion of the project and the impression the first customer retained translated into referral work later on. Approximately 90 percent of our work comes as referrals. The ability to handle not only the bid jobs but any additional changes that arise during our projects creates a reputation of professionalism that has a snowball effect as the years go by. The only problem this creates is the volume of opportunity that increasingly presents itself. We strive to continually improve our production rates through management and application of technology improvements. Oh, what a terrible problem!”

Michael Lowes
Lowes' Landscaping
Cuba, Mo.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“In October of 2004, I was deployed in Iraq and assigned to an engineering brigade. We needed small, multi-use, and maneuverable machines. The dated equipment we went to Iraq with could not keep up with the demands of a high-speed war. In April 2005, while working on the top of our building, I noticed a convoy heading toward our location. I could not believe my eyes as I saw four truckloads of Bobcat® S150s. Full sets of attachments to support these units were on the next group of trucks.

“The S150s were the answer to many of our needs. The S150 played a key role in unloading supplies and equipment out of CONEXes. They were small enough to go inside, pick up a pallet, and pull it out. Troops saved a lot of time and no longer had to manhandle and unload every item. The combat-ready S150s were loaded up to maintain roadways. The engineers used these machines alongside dozers and graders to build level roads for our convoys to use. The S150 was also light yet strong enough to place decking plates for bridge crews. The turnaround time for bridge repair improved and the bridges were opened for convoy traffic much more quickly. Without passable bridges, the main supply routes would be closed and many combat operations halted. Now, engineers do not leave without a Bobcat machine.

“In December of 2005, we received two S220s to call our own. This civilian machine found its way into every aspect of our daily military work. The S220s were used to unload and lift lumber, for housing construction, and for road grading. Every day, the S220s transported sandbags to be stacked up for protection against incoming rounds. The Bobcat machines played a key role in keeping solders productive, healthy, and safe.

“While deployed, I spent many hours in the hot seat. I knew if I could feel comfortable in a combat zone, I could feel comfortable at home. As a landscape contractor, I knew what brand to purchase. In the spring of 2008 we needed a new machine that was stable on hills, had at least 2,000 pounds of operating capacity, low soil compaction, and weighed below 10,000 pounds. The T250 was the answer. Our business is based on the ability to build retaining walls on slopes. This is never an easy task. Our machine is an animal. I can bring a pallet of block safely down a hill to build a segmented retaining wall.

“The serviceability of the T250 is great. I open the door and all the key maintenance items are at my fingertips. This is great for an owner-operator, since I can keep the machine working without having to send it to a shop. The Bobcat skid-steer loader has unleashed me. From combat to construction, Bobcat continues to keep me productive."

Rachel Stevens
Stevens Farm Inc.
New London, Ohio

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“I’m a farmer’s wife. Being a farmer’s wife often means waiting long hours for your husband to return home from the field. When he does return home, he’s tired, famished with hunger, and covered in dirt and grime. The very last thing he wants to hear is the list of chores and projects you’ve been thinking about all day and want done immediately. I fear that I was dangerously close to becoming a nagging wife before Bobcat unleashed me.

“Seven years ago, we purchased an old dairy farm and inherited a Bobcat® 630 skid-steer loader. We knew the machine had well over 9,000 hours on it, so the 630 spent a good deal of time in our shop receiving a long-overdue overhaul. The day I climbed into the cab and started up the old motor, a new woman was born. I ran the 630 for three hours straight; zipping through the woods, scooping up firewood in the bucket, and loading the trailer. My days of carrying and heaving wood into the truck were over. A smile spread across my face when I realized that this machine wouldn’t tell me that it was too tired and too busy when I thought the stone in the driveway needed to be spread. My Bobcat machine had the strength of 10 men and would never question why or how I wanted the boulder in my flowerbed moved.

“I used our skid-steer loader for anything and everything. Gone were the days of using a pitchfork and wheelbarrow to clean up after the sheep and horses. I had taking the trash out down to a science. Little pothole in the driveway? Not a problem. I was able to complete time-consuming tasks with great efficiency. Not only did our Bobcat machine enable me to complete projects around the house that would normally require man (or husband) power, it helped our family as a whole work smarter instead of harder. Our 630 has delivered the performance needed to run a multi-generational farm. Our Bobcat machine is vital when scraping the barn yard, loading straw, handling seed pallets, delivering big bales to the cattle, back filling tile, or removing brush from fence rows. The 630 even carried a ewe and her half-frozen newborn twins wrapped in blankets to the house in the middle of a bone-chilling blizzard.

“When our son was nine months old, his father bought him a die-cast metal skid-steer loader. By age two, he had worn off the paint on the bottom of the bucket. The fact that our son said the word ‘skid-steer’ before he said ‘Mommy’ shows the importance of Bobcat machinery on our family farm. Our investment is returned and maximized daily. Now when my husband comes in the house for the night, I do not have a list of projects or chores I would like to discuss. Instead I ask him, ‘What do you think about a T300?’”

Ingrid Glassford
Michigan Bobcat
Lapeer, Mich.

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Long before I met him, my husband Vaughn worked for a local municipality and hurt his back on a local fire run. As he struggled to recover, he had to go on light duty and quit the second job he had with a local road construction company, running heavy equipment and wrenching. He would not learn until later how this injury would change the course of his life.

“As a workaholic, he asked his good friend and heavy equipment mechanic Dick about getting a skid-steer loader. Dick said, ‘Don’t get just any skid-steer loader, get a Bobcat® machine. It is the only one worth owning.’ So in 1988, my husband bought his first machine, a Bobcat 440, and started with small, local jobs. The demand for his work increased. Some people laughed that such a big guy would work with small equipment, but Vaughn figured the big guys had a lot more money invested and much higher operating expenses. Besides, big equipment leaves a big mess.

“Bobcat machines were quick, easy, and left little if any cleanup work. Vaughn could get into tight spaces, like the backyards of tight subdivisions and waterfront homes, inside small buildings to fill sand or break concrete, and under supported homes to dig and repair basements. He soon realized attachments were the key to a steady business. He started purchasing equipment and attachments that others in the area did not have. Even with his bad back, he is able to do an extraordinary amount of work and has become so talented that the attachments seem like an extension of his fingers and mind.

“In 1998, a friend referred Vaughn to me to drill post holes for livestock fencing. He easily did this work and I found many more jobs for him to do around my house. He put in a drain in one of the low spots around the barn, a water line and cement in the aisle, and cleaned my run-in shed. Soon, we were married. We purchased a 40-acre fixer-upper. Using every bit of equipment he had, we tore down and put up 40 acres of fencing and cross-fencing using railroad ties for posts. We cleared fence rows, put in 400 feet of pipe for automatic waterers, and built run-in sheds. We reran electrical, cleaned a huge riding arena using 30-yard Dumpsters, tore down old buildings, planted fir trees, put in 1,200 feet of driveway, made compost, and filled in and reshaped a pond. We drained low areas, built rock walls, and of course, moved cow manure. The money you can get doing this for other people is great, but it is especially sweet to do this for yourself.

“If it wasn’t for the Bobcat machines, I would never have met my husband, and we would never have purchased our farm. The Bobcat machines and attachments have enabled our dreams to come true.”

Ray Jr. Benoit
Eagle 88 Enterprises
Hay River, Northwest Territories
Canada

Bobcat Unleashed Me
“Eagle 88 Enterprises is a family-owned and operated business with four Bobcat® units and many attachments. We are celebrating 20 years of service based in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada, known as the ‘Hub of the North.’ In the four short summer months, we get nearly 24 hours of daylight and run long days. Even in the other eight months of winter, our Bobcat machines feel right at home working north of the 60th parallel.

“Our fleet of Bobcat machines has really unleashed the potential of our small family-run enterprise, where cost management is vital. Our motto, ‘No Time for Down Time,’ is something we take very seriously. Being this far north, parts are a minimum of 48 hours away by truck. We rely on these great units to work day in and day out and make us stand above the rest. We work on projects that range from delicate work around new building construction to huge capital projects such as the Mackenzie River Bridge, which was started this past spring. The bridge spans the world’s longest freshwater river and will be completed in 2012. We use the power of our Bobcat machines to clear the lines for power companies on icy winter roads and keep the lights on in remote northern communities.

“In April of 2007, we were working in the Rocky Mountains on the border between the Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Our two Bobcat T300s worked until late November, clearing trees and brush and beginning road construction for the massive $7 billion Mackenzie Valley pipeline. There is still much work to be done and Bobcat will be there from the beginning to end. Sticking to our motto of ‘No Time for Down Time,’ we must have only the best of the best while working in some of the harshest climates on earth. Whether the temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or 40 degrees below zero Celsius (that’s a 140-degree difference in Fahrenheit), our machines just have to work.

“Working above the 60th parallel, we face many unique challenges. You can drive all day without seeing any other people. There’s no cellular phone service, no radio, and truly untamed wildlife, but the biggest challenge has to be the elements. Snow, rain, mud, rock, permafrost — you name it, our Bobcat machines have worked it. On one project, our T300 ran for 24 hours a day from mid-September to December of 2005 without a minute lost to mechanical problems. We reached maximum productivity with our T300s. We got the most bang for our buck and that is one of the many reasons we return time and time again to Bobcat. We get great service from Dennis and Cliff at our Bobcat of the Peace dealer in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Bobcat lets us compete in all seasons and all conditions, and provide great service throughout the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.”