Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/407095
EquipmentWorld.com | November 2014 51 because he is very effi cient at what he does." Doss Enterprises is also an active member of ISNetworld. This is a company that collects and verifi es safety, procurement, quality and regulatory information from con- tractors. Being a member requires contractors have a world-class safety record and program that is auditable and available for oil companies to review. If you want to work in the oil fi eld services busi- ness, ISNetworld is a requirement. Hiring the best None of this success would have been possible without good people. Doss relies on a highly experienced workforce of loyal supervisors, managers, operators and mechan- ics. Many of them have been with him for a long time. Out in the fi eld, when he intro- duces his guys, it's always with words of high praise, saying things like: "This guy is a genius. You're meeting the master. You can't fi nd a better dozer operator than this guy." He also says he's got two of the best welders and mechanics in the state working for him. What they all share in common with Dwaine is the ability to get demanding tasks done on time, regardless of how many hours it takes. In season, the crews work as much as 70 hours a week. Many make close to union scale wages. Dwayne says his greatest motiva- tor in all of this is the fact that he can provide jobs for these men, that he can put money in their pockets, food on the tables and enable them to raise families. Despite the intense schedule, Doss will not ask anybody to work on Sundays. He is a fi rm believer in the Sabbath. He will take volunteers but he understands the value of a day of rest. And Doss is not afraid to wear his faith on his sleeve. When asked about his suc- cess in life he always answers: "The most important thing is that I'm a Christian and believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior." Doss gets to work at 4:30 every morning, he says, and oftentimes works until 7 at night. He has never taken a vacation. He doesn't see the point. He puts everything he makes back into the business, only draw- ing out enough of a salary to pay his household expenses. High expectations Dwayne says he is a demanding boss, but fair. To work for him you have to deliver, excuses won't cut it. The energy/drilling companies he contracts to expect it. Deadlines have to be met. There is way too much money to be made for delays and overruns to be tolerated. "I've been around a lot of his em- ployees and he doesn't have a big turnover," says Johns. "So that tells me he takes very good care of them. I know some of his employees per- sonally and some of them left other companies to work for Dwaine." "Dwaine's biggest asset is his abil- ity to work and his desire to be suc- cessful," says Huffman. "Six or seven days a week he's in the offi ce." As far as entry level laborers go, Dwayne says he can and sometimes will take on a young man with lim- ited skills if he has the right work ethic. Even those that have some training often learn to do things different from what Dwayne and his supervisors need, so they have to retrain them, anyway. But it's the hunger, the desire to make things happen, the fi re in the belly that he looks for above everything else. Equipment matters Doss was quick to adopt GPS machine control when it became available several years ago. "He has really embraced technology and has two or three Trimble systems on his dozers and excavators," Huffman says. "Most of his equipment is new and he wants to be sure to only move the amount of dirt that needs to be moved." And with a big fl eet and a de- manding schedule, Doss makes ev- ery effort to make sure the yellow iron is well taken care of. "He is an excellent equipment manager," says Johns. "He is very meticulous with all of his equipment and Dwaine is the kind of guy who won't go out and buy just anything. He can get more out of any piece of equipment than anyone I've ever seen." Energy companies expect perfection and Doss Enterprises is one of the few heavy equip- ment contractors in the region who can tackle these challeng- ing mountaintop site prep jobs.