Nebraska crushing operation diversifies services
Diversification has been a key element to the success of Goree Backhoe & Excavating Inc. since opening its doors in 1976.
Today, the Fremont, Nebraska, company handles an array of projects, including site prep, demolition, concrete work, trucking, crushing and recycling. The company’s growth has been organic, and this steady, natural progression helped it thrive over the last 40 years.
“The diversification has been great for us,” says Roger Goree, company president. “If one area is slow, a different one usually picks up the slack.”
In an effort to diversify, the company added crushing and recycling services in 2011. The new venture has helped the business become more efficient.
“We were doing a lot of concrete removal and road construction, and we were paying to dump the old material and buying road base for our projects,” Roger says. “We had a trucking division, so we decided it made sense to start our own crushing operation.”
Roger turned to RoadBuilders Machinery and Supply Co. Inc. and Jeff Smith, longtime district sales manager, to purchase a crushing and screening plant. The investment paid dividends almost immediately, Roger says.
The company set up a full crushing/recycling operation at its Fremont facility and began taking in concrete and asphalt to crush into road base and other material as needed. In addition to saving money, the operation became a revenue stream.
“Nearly half of the material that comes in is from our work, and we also use roughly half of the material we produce,” Roger says. “The rest comes from outside businesses. We gladly accept concrete and asphalt from local companies, and if someone needs material, we’re more than happy to provide it to them.
“The decision certainly paid off for us,” he adds. “We save money on our demo and concrete projects, and our truck drivers are consistently busy. The crushing/recycling has helped the divisions work together and become more efficient.”
Roger estimates that the new crushing/recycling operation, which typically only runs when stockpiles get too large or material is needed, can process nearly 200 tph and produce up to 1,500 tons of material per day.
On one particular job, Goree’s crushing/recycling side was in full force. The company was contracted to demolish a 20,000-sq.-ft. building before a new expansion took place. It tore down the building, hauled the material to its facility, crushed it, and used the recycled material to develop the site for the new building.
“It’s a great example of all our components coming together,” Roger says. “We used our demo, trucking, crushing, recycling and site-development aspects all on one job.”
Long relationship
Roger’s decision to turn to RoadBuilders for crushing/recycling equipment was an easy one. Roger has called on Smith in particular for parts and service for more than 20 years.
Roger and Jeff also collaborated on the purchase of several Komatsu machines over the years. Currently, Goree Backhoe & Excavating has six Komatsu wheel loaders – two WA250s, two WA320s, a WA450 and a WA470 – in its fleet.
“We use the machines for loading trucks and moving material on site,” Roger says. “The WA320 usually moves to jobsites, and the WA470 is at our facility and is paired with the crusher.
The company also has a Komatsu PC210LC excavator, which it uses on dirt projects.
“The PC210 is awesome,” Roger says. “It has great power and handling, and it’s versatile – we can do a variety of jobs with it.”
In addition, the company relies on RoadBuilders for service, including Komatsu CARE, Komatsu’s complimentary service program for the first 2,000 hours or three years of the machine’s life, on its newer Tier 4 loaders and PC210 excavator.
Goree Backhoe & Excavating
A look back at the history of Goree Backhoe & Excavating shows that the company’s diversification has been gradual.
Gordon Goree started the business in 1976 performing underground utilities for a local plumbing firm. Shortly afterward, sons Roger and Greg joined the small construction business.
Roger was named president in 1992 and directs the company’s management, and Greg plays a key role in supervising work crews. The company has grown substantially by adding site-development projects, trucking and concrete work, as well as demolition, crushing and recycling services. Today, the company has 24 employees and performs jobs of all sizes in Fremont, Nebraska, and the surrounding areas.
“We’ve grown and added people, services and machines as needed,” Roger says. “Luckily, the Fremont area has been good to us, and we don’t have to travel far. Our crew stays busy and goes home every night.”
Information for this story courtesy of Komatsu America.