GRADING CONTRACTORS
MJ Land Development — John Watson,
There has been resurgence in homebuilding in south Florida, particularly in the Fort Lauderdale area, where excavating and grading specialists scramble to keep up with new housing developments. John Watson — vice president of MJ Land Development and business partners with Mark Gibbons and Jeff Maclean — says it appears that the economy has turned a corner and residential developers are building again.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Watson, Gibbons and Maclean started working together in 1987, sharing their expertise in construction management. Watson says the demand for excavating and grading work performed with Bobcat®
compact equipment increased dramatically, and
the regions where the business partners worked were far apart. Each started his own company — MJ Land Development, Excel Equipment and Magnum Land Development — working in different counties in south Florida, on both the west and east coasts. Together the companies employ 75 individuals, including a group of experienced compact equipment operators.
Demand for new home developments has Watson and his partners pressed for workers, looking for more skilled operators to keep up with the many projects on their plate. Watson says one of the builders he works for sold more than 100 homes in one weekend. “Everyone is going full blast right now,” he says.
CORNERSTONE OF SUCCESS Bobcat compact equipment is a mainstay for all three entities, as far as site development for homebuilders: clearing land, creating building pads and grading around the new home sites. Keeping the sites free of trash and debris is also important to developers who are trying to attract new buyers.
TOP: A Bobcat E42 owned by MJ Land Development is operated at a new residential construction site in south Florida. BOTTOM: From left to right: Mark Gibbons, John Watson and Jeff Maclean
“We have multiple jobs now that the economy has picked up, and we have new housing developments starting all over the place. We use our Bobcat loaders with a grapple attachment and bucket to load debris and move dirt, rather than moving heavy equipment, which saves us a lot of money. We sweep the communities where we work, too. Builders want the sites swept on a daily basis to make the areas look presentable,” Watson says.
Having a diverse group of compact machines and attachments allows Watson and his operators to keep up with customers’
22 WORKSAVER FALL 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40