- Home
- Company
- News & Media
- Bobcat Stories
- Keeping Pace in a Growing Community with a Bobcat Toolcat
Keeping Pace With a Growing Community in North Carolina
Published on October 8, 2018
Chonzie McMahan began his career as a contractor working alongside his brother and father in the utilities trade. After years of working for the family business, he decided to pursue his dream of owning his own company. It didn’t take long for McMahan’s experience and general know-how to prove his company was capable of a lot more.
Chonzie McMahan began his career as a contractor working alongside his brother and father in the utilities trade. After years of working for the family business, McMahan decided to pursue his dream of owning his own company. In 2005 Chonzie, Inc., was established with a focus on custom grading work.
It didn’t take long for McMahan’s experience and general know-how to prove his company was capable of much more. Now, more than a decade later, custom grading is just one of the many types of work completed on a typical job. McMahan calls himself a “specialty” subcontractor, and his specialty is doing a little bit of everything – grading, footings, foundations, utilities, paving, landscaping and even snow removal.
Helping Build a Growing Community
His ability to do a little bit of everything is what landed McMahan the contract as the sole subcontractor for a large residential development in Buncombe County, North Carolina. “I do all the infrastructure, the roads, water, sewer and all the paving,” McMahan says.
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Buncombe County includes the city of Asheville and popular mountain retreat towns like Black Mountain. The housing market in the area is so competitive that homes are sold before they are even built, which has increased the need for housing projects to run seamlessly.
When McMahan was contracted for a new 250-home subdivision in Black Mountain, he knew he needed a machine with a do-it-all specialty like his business model. Bobcat of Asheville sales specialist Walker Purcell set up a demo of a Toolcat 5600 utility work machine for McMahan, and the rest is history.
“I was surprised by the versatility of the Toolcat machine. Nobody else has anything like it,” McMahan says. “It’s like having a skid-steer loader, UTV and a miniature dump truck in one machine.”
Bobcat attachments add to the versatility of the machine. And McMahan has a well-stocked selection, including a bucket, angle broom, salt and sand spreader, pallet fork, and snow blade.
“I have an equipment fleet that includes larger machines like a dozer and an articulated dump truck, but the true workhorse is the Toolcat 5600,” he says. “It runs every single day and is one of the best purchases I’ve made.”
Fewer Trips, Faster Return
The Toolcat machine is the primary means of transportation for the crew and for materials. The extra hauling capacity of the cargo box and bucket means fewer trips to the mulch pile when spreading mulch on yards. And the hydraulic dump box has taken the load off the shoulders of the crew – literally – by unloading thousands of pounds of mulch, rock and dirt without the need for shovels.
Year-Round Comfort
Located at what McMahan calls “the front porch of the Smoky Mountains,” the area gets an average snowfall of 26 inches. McMahan discovered quickly that the Toolcat 5600 not only increased productivity but also offers the comfort of an enclosed cab with heat and air conditioning – a luxury his previous utility vehicle (UTV) didn’t have.
“That’s one thing I couldn’t live without now,” he says. “My crew argues over who gets to use the Toolcat machine.”
Once the 250-home subdivision is complete, Chonzie, Inc., will maintain the HOA common areas providing grounds maintenance services and snow removal. The Bobcat angle broom and snow blade attachments make quick work of clearing the roads. And the salt and sand spreader attachment helps with icy conditions within the subdivision.
McMahan says he even occasionally drives the Toolcat machine to his home, not far from the subdivision, because the cab is warm and comfortable. Of course, he also finds a way to clear driveways as he goes. It’s just one more way he and the Toolcat 5600 utility work machine are keeping pace with the growing community.
More Recent Stories
View All Stories- Childhood Friends Become Landscaping Pros with Bobcat Equipment
Childhood Friends Become Landscaping Pros with Bobcat Equipment
Childhood friends Anthony Heathco and Colton Roush founded Roadkill Lawncare & Landscaping in Grand Junction, Colorado, starting with a Bobcat® MT100. - Rocky Mountain Stonecrete Completes Challenging Jobs with Bobcat Equipment
Rocky Mountain Stonecrete Completes Challenging Jobs with Bobcat Equipment
Founded in 2006 by Eric Niemann, Rocky Mountain Stonecrete has grown with Bobcat equipment and his loyal crew, by taking on challenging jobs that scare other contractors. - Houston-Based Sweetwater Farms HTX Combines Agriculture with Education
Houston-Based Sweetwater Farms HTX Combines Agriculture with Education
With the help of volunteers, friends, and a brand-new Bobcat® compact tractor, Chaz Daughtry is taking the Houston agriculture scene by storm. - Bobcat Mowers Expands CLK Lawn Care and Landscaping Business
Bobcat Mowers Expands CLK Lawn Care and Landscaping Business
Cody Kuebler started CLK Lawn Care and Landscaping at the age of 11, he expanded his business with two Bobcat ZS4000 Mowers and now his team only uses Bobcat mowers. - Omaha Contractors Provide Tornado Relief with Bobcat Equipment
Omaha Contractors Provide Tornado Relief with Bobcat Equipment
Local contractors in Omaha, Nebraska, including Ideal Construction and Mitera Landscaping, rallied with Bobcat machines to aid in tornado cleanup and community support. - Bobcat Compact Tractor Provides Solace for Mobile Crisis Clinician
Bobcat Compact Tractor Provides Solace for Mobile Crisis Clinician
Therese Swift, a mobile crisis clinician, mitigates work stress by tending to her horses and mules, with her Bobcat CT4045 compact tractor aiding in the upkeep. - Shades of Green Nursery Unites Community with Bobcat Equipment
Shades of Green Nursery Unites Community with Bobcat Equipment
At Shades of Green Nursery, founder Julie Holland uses Bobcat equipment to unite the community in Celina, Texas with inclusive gardening practices that support the local ecosystem. - Bobcat and RADshare Partner for Youth BMX Opportunities
Bobcat and RADshare Partner for Youth BMX Opportunities
Bobcat Company is supporting co-founders Steve Crandall and Nate Hanger of RADshare with Bobcat Equipment to provide opportunities for the youth to dive into the world of BMX. - JJC Tree Services LLC Grows with Bobcat Equipment
JJC Tree Services LLC Grows with Bobcat Equipment
John Shreaves of JJC Tree Services LLC launched and grew his business with his Bobcat compact track loaders and attachments to help him accomplish more. - Julie Rummer – Bobcat $25k Backyard Makeover Winner
Julie Rummer – Bobcat $25k Backyard Makeover Winner
After a tragic accident Julie Rummer's backyard was inaccessible and now thanks to Bobcat’s backyard makeover contest, it is an oasis, reigniting her outdoor passion.
What’s Your Bobcat Story?
Taking on big, ambitious challenges is what being One Tough Animal® is all about. Tell us how Bobcat empowers or inspires you to accomplish more. Whether it’s at work, at play or in life, share your story with us.
Share Your Story