Equipment World Digital Magazine
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Love for the equipment Part of the attraction of construction for Tom was his love for the equipment. "I'd operate anything," he says. The Sawyer fleet includes excavators, backhoes and skid steers, and Tom uses a mixture of new, used and rental acquisition strategies. For instance, he tends to buy compact equipment new. "It gets more abuse and you get the warranty," he explains. "But we're buying bigger equipment than we used to because our growth has led to larger jobs." On the other hand, Sawyer tends to rent compac- tors. "We'll need different sizes on different jobs, and it's not a machine we can use throughout the year," he explains. He relies on dealers for both major repairs and pre- ventive maintenance, finding that approach helps the company stay on top of things. "We were not getting things done in-house because it was too easy to say, 'We'll do it tomorrow,'" he says. That dealer support was critical one winter when a Sawyer Construction motor grader broke down one night – in a blizzard. "They came out to help us get going. The fuel pump had gone out, and Nebraska Machinery had the part in the next morning," he says. He appreciates the technology available on today's equipment. "We wouldn't be where we are today without GPS," he says. "It's allowed us to grow tremendously and has significantly upped our production. It was a major decision to get it, because it cost so much, but it was worth every penny." Although the GPS learning curve still has its challenges, the technology allowed Sawyer Construc- tion to take on bigger jobs without adding people. "It takes some labor out of the equation," he says. Work all winter The key to keeping high- level labor in Fremont, Nebraska, is offering work all winter long, Tom says. "We don't have a lot of turnover. We keep our people. If you've got good people, even when some winters have been pretty tough, things always get better." This attitude helped Sawyer Construction weather the Great Recession. In fact, the company was able to grow each year. Fortunately, Fremont was somewhat insulated from the hard hits other areas took. The local hospital built a $50 million addition, and there were projects at the Hormel plant in town. Repeat clients Tom believes he has repeat clients because he tells them how it is, and many times, that's not exactly what they want to hear. It's something his clients have noticed. "Tom always takes the high road when there are conflicts," says Steve Dodd, with Dodd Engineering. "I've been present when he's had to deal with difficult customers. He's always shown great composure and November 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 56 contractor of the year | continued [ ] Sawyer Construction kept busy – even grew – during the Great Recession.