Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/757428
December 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 54 ment operation for which R. Brown Construction is well known. And when Brown and his sons and employees aren't battling Mother Nature's erratic tempera- ment, they find plenty of work do- ing traditional civil engineering jobs in this beautiful slice of paradise. In big cities, most contractors would not help a competitor out, but Northern California has some of the most remote land in the coun- try. The ethics are different. Coop- eration is often more important than competition. "I like it here," says Roger. "All my kids and grandkids are here. We have a good relation- ship with the rest of the people around here." The lifestyle isn't too bad either, if you like the outdoors. Roger's office is adorned with numerous stuffed animals, trophies that he's hunted over the years. All three sons hunt as well, sometimes taking horses into the steep canyons and moun- tainsides, terrain where no vehicles could go. Beginnings Roger grew up in Arcata, California, on the coast about an hour west from Willow Creek. He went to col- lege and met his wife in Redding, and stayed there for 10 years before going to work at his father-in-law's construction company in Willow Creek. After turning 50 though, Roger was itching to try it on his own and formed his own company, eventually buying out much of his father-in-law's fleet when he retired. Part of that fleet included the first dozer he ran when he was working for his father-in-law – an ancient Cat D7. "People keep asking me why I keep rebuilding that thing," Roger says. "But it's just like part of the family." Roger started small, with a back- hoe and a dump truck, and then gradually worked up from there. "We took jobs we knew how to handle," he says. Logging was a part of the com- pany's operation at first, and good work for the boys, two of which were in high school. Roger and the crews would fell the trees during the weekdays and then bring the boys out to set chokers on week- ends. Restrictions on timber cutting in the Northwest, and the costs of insurance and licenses grew to be prohibitive, so the company contractor of the year | continued The company's work often involves challenging terrain in the mountains of Northern California.