“When someone calls with a job where I can use one of my attachments, I’m ready. Every year the attachments pay for themselves all over again.”— Gary McCord


The Bobcat business originally helped pay the bills when McCord was going to school — six months at the fi re academy, six months in paramedic school and another six months working in hospitals and in the fi eld.


“I purchased my fi rst Bobcat loader — a 722 — for snow removal,” says the resident of Big Bear City, Calif., a community located at an elevation of 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains.


“Once people discovered I had a loader, I was busy doing residential projects, ranging from tearing down buildings to digging footings to taking out tree stumps. When I became a full-time fi reman, I had to schedule my time carefully. Still, the work with my Bobcat loader has always been an economic success.”


The S220 is the seventh Bobcat loader McCord has owned.


“One of my beliefs is that there is always one


more job waiting for me and my loader,” he says. “The machine is so versatile because of all the available Bobcat attachments.”


Even though his attachments may sit idle for several weeks, McCord knows they are a good investment and important to his success. “When someone calls with a job where I can use one of my attachments, I’m ready,” he says. “Every year the attachments pay for themselves all over again.”


When an earthquake hit his area, several houses fell off their foundations. To break up the concrete into removable sizes, McCord was on the spot with his hydraulic breaker. “Having the loader and the breaker readily available kept me very busy.”


These days McCord works four 10-hour shifts a week, which requires him to try to schedule his construction projects far in advance.


“To have a successful second career, you need to do what you say you are going to do, keep in contact with customers and let them know if there is the possibility of a work confl ict,” he says. “And you need reliable equipment because you don’t want a breakdown after the customer has waited patiently. Plus, I only have so much time to get the work done before I have to go back to my regular job.


“My work with Bobcat equipment has always


provided a good secondary income,” McCord says. “It has been fun, but it wouldn’t be that much fun if I didn’t make money doing it.”


What I have learned about … OPERATING A PART-TIME BUSINESS


GARY MCCORD


Gary McCord, California fi reman and Bobcat skid-steer loader owner-operator


“


Productive, reliable equipment is so important when you only have a limited number of hours to work. That’s why I only use genuine Bobcat parts. I order from my dealer, which is located 40 miles away, and the parts are here the next day. At the fi re department we have some other brands of equipment and over the years have had some disasters getting parts in a timely manner. I remember machines being down for a month just waiting for parts. No business — especially a part-time one — needs a problem like that.


$$$”


Visit www.Bobcat.com if you’re interested in reading more about Bobcat equipment, checking product specifi cations or using the Build & Quote Tool.


WorkSaver Fall 2010 19


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