DAVID H. MARTIN EXCAVATING: LEADING WITH INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY
This third-generation family-run contracting company credits a history of doing what it says for its continued success
Written by Dawn Killough
Produced by Stephen Marino
“Credibility comes from results. Everything else is just marketing.” If noted author, entrepreneur, and executive coach Richie Norton is right, David H. Martin (DHM) Excavating has a ton of credibility. The company, started by David H. Martin and now run by his grandson, Kirk Martin, has 57 years of experience providing excavation, site work, and survey services for construction projects throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. What started with a dump truck and backhoe has grown to over 200 employees, over 50 dump trucks, and over 300 pieces of equipment. DHM is headquartered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and has built a reputation as a company that does what it says and treats its employees, vendors, and subcontractors like family. “Our motto is honesty and integrity,” said Grant Benedict, Vice President of Operations.
“It’s not just something printed on our business cards or plastered on the side of our trucks.” Kirk Martin, current owner and President, credits their strong relationships within the industry. “I believe our strong work ethics and relational approach to our clients have allowed us to achieve strong partnerships within our industry. We get the contracted work completed, but in a way that provides security to our clients and builds relationships that have lasted for 57 years.”
Groundbreaking services
DHM provides various excavation and site work services in the residential, small commercial, and agricultural markets. Besides standard site grading, erosion control, underground utilities, paving, and landscaping services, they
also perform their own surveying, have a vac truck for site cleanup, and provide drilling and blasting services.
“Our
motto is honesty and integrity. It’s not just something printed on our business cards or plastered on the side of our trucks.”
Grant Benedict, VP of Operations
Two professional land surveyors are kept on staff, as the company feels they gain improved efficiency by not contracting out the service. Drilling and blasting services come in handy when dealing with the hard rock that is characteristic of the area. They also sell
topsoil, stone, and slate to the general public. With over 50 trucks and 300 pieces of equipment, DHM has a lot of equipment to maintain, and they do it mostly in-house in their 50,000-square-foot maintenance building and tire garage. Several technicians work hard to keep everything working in top order.
A trusted team
They don’t do it all themselves, though, but rely on a team of trusted vendors and subcontractors to help them excel. “We are a very loyal company, in that we don’t have dozens of subcontractors that we work with,” Martin said. “We have a select few in each division that we trust and work with together so we can control the timing and ultimate outcome of each project. In several instances, we now
David H. Martin Excavating
handle in-house much of the work we once subcontracted.”
Benedict said that having such a tight-knit team helps them be more efficient and allows them to respond when it’s needed. “We know what they can produce, and they know what we’re going to bring to the table. With the size of our workforce and the amount of equipment and trucks that we have at our disposal, we’ve got the option to rally the troops and really pull together on a job if we need to make a strong push to meet a deadline. Our subcontractors and vendors play a big piece in getting projects done on time.”
“We are a very loyal company, in that we don’t have dozens of subcontractors that we work with.”
Kirk Martin, Owner and President
Even with such a cohesive team, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement and new relationships. “We provide a lot of feedback from the field into the office and our purchasing department about what’s working, what’s not working, and where we may need to look for other subcontractors in a certain area or another supplier,” Benedict said.
A legacy of credibility
DHM was started in 1968 by David H. Martin as a one-man venture. In 1988 he turned it over to his sons (Jeryl, Edwin, and David), who ran it until 2018 when Kirk took over. In 2022, the company was rebranded as DHM Excavating.
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Kirk said he was greatly influenced by his father (Edwin Martin) and uncle (Jeryl Martin) in his career. Edwin was part of the management team and focused on business structure and long-term planning, while Jeryl worked in the field managing client relationships.
Jeryl Martin was responsible for hiring Benedict, who had only started in the construction industry a few years before, and they worked together for 22 years. Benedict
was most struck by the “way he interacted with our employees, customers, and competitors. He wasn’t the type to just jump right in and get to the matter at hand. He always wanted to start every conversation with something on a personal level, and he really got to know everybody as an individual. That always spoke to me. He had a natural ability to do that, but he would get down to business when it needed to happen, but that was never the first thing that he jumped into.”
Jeryl Martin “always wanted to start every conversation with something on a personal level, and he really got to know everybody as an individual. That always spoke to me.”
Grant Benedict, VP of Operations
Today, 28 years later, Benedict relishes his role and enjoys the variety the industry provides. “Every day is different, and just when you think maybe you’ve got something figured out, there’s a curve ball that shows up. There was a church we did an expansion project for, probably 15 years ago, and they had a slogan during construction that said, ‘Blessed are the flexible, for they’re not easily bent out of shape.’ I try to remember that during my day.”
The future is now
In 2024, DHM Excavating was awarded the Large Business of the Year Award from Franklin County Area Development Corporation (FCADC) in Chambersburg. Martin said, “I was very proud to accept this award because
it shows that our employees are executing our mission of providing excavation services with excellence and integrity.”
Martin’s main focus now is mentoring the future generation of owners at DHM, through his two sons Hunter and Chase. “I won’t be here forever,” Martin said, “and I’m willing to take on the challenge of imparting any wisdom that I may have gained during the past 38 years to our future leaders. I love my job and look forward to the next ten years.” His sons are pursuing master’s degrees in construction engineering and management, poising themselves to take over the business one day soon.
DHM is almost always hiring, though they are selective on who they take. According to Benedict, they want to “make sure we’re adding the right people, not just filling positions. It’s not uncommon for us to hire someone just because we feel like they belong here, even though we’re not exactly sure where they fit in best or how they’ll be utilized.”
“Blessed are the flexible, for they’re not easily bent out of shape.’ I try to remember that during my day.”
Grant Benedict, VP of Operations
