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April 29 2018 Vol. III • No. 9
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Customer-First Attitude Spurs Growth for West Texas Contractor A West Texas contractor has experienced meteoric just the first month’s payment down.” growth over the past decade: The formula? A cusJust two years later, Suarez’ young company was tomer-first attitude and a little help from its hometown creating 60 drill pads, on average, per month in the oilequipment dealer. fields just south of Lubbock, in the oil rich Permian Terry Suarez saw an opportunity during the down Basin. economy of 2008-09 to buy land cheap and begin what While oilfield work remains approximately 50 perwould become T&T Earth Movers in the small town cent of T&T’s business today, Suarez quickly moved of Seminole, Texas, midway between Lubbock and into commercial work. Steady, and without the ups and Midland. downs of the oilfields, commercial construction Suarez did what most “newbies” would do under spurred even faster growth for the young company. the circumstances: He walked into “the big guys’” Nine years after being shunned by that “big guy” showroom and told them he wanted to buy some equipment dealer, Suarez’ company is on a pace to do equipment to start a contracting business. nearly $15 million in work this year. “I was 25 years old,” Suarez said. “They didn’t even see T&T page 8 take me seriously. Basically, they didn’t want to give me the time of day.” Frustrated, Suarez called a dealership he would frequently drive by … Bee Equipment in Lubbock. “Wow, what a difference,” he remembered of his initial call. “The receptionist put me on with Everett, whom I later found out was the owner. After talking to me for a few minutes, By Jennifer Rupp he turned me over to Mike Kuehn, and CEG CORRESPONDENT we were on our way to being in business.” The Texas Department of The difference, Suarez added, was all Transportation (TXDOT), in about a positive attitude, and a program cooperation with the city of that Bee calls RPO (rental/purchase Round Rock and Williamson option). County, broke ground in July “They were very welcoming and 2017 on a $28.1 million very professional,” he said. “In a short improvements project period of time, I had bought a dozer and designed to enhance safety loader on their RPO program. I couldn’t and mobility along Interstate believe they let me haul them away with
Terry Suarez (R), president, T&T Earth Movers, reviews gravel paving plans for the Taylor County Expo Center with operator Paulino Hernandez.
TxDOT Crews Go ‘Nocturnal’ With Other Creatures of the Night for $28M I-35 Project
Eakin Industries LLC Earthmover Parts and Components.
Rebuilt Final Drives to Suit Cat Excavators Machines from 325 to 385
35 between U.S. 79 and SH 45 North. The project will address the existing traffic bottleneck north of SH 45N where more than 177,000 vehicles a day use I35. Crews will construct braided ramps see RAMP page 12 TXDOT photo
Crews place beams along side the McNeil overpass bat colony of more than one million Mexican free-tailed bats.
Do business locally! We are in Cleveland, TX 281-978-4351 Email: Damien@eakinindustries.com www.eakinindustries.com