LE SILLON
A John Deere Publication
Fall 2024
Take the High Road
Success Owed to the Community
6 MIN READ
All journeys begin with a single step. When he formed Granite Excavation in Cascade, Idaho, in 2004, Josh Davis started his journey with a motor grader, a John Deere excavator, a couple of employees, and a dream.
It took a lot of gumption for a sophomore at the University of Idaho to start his own business. Many fellow students were still deciding on a major. But from a young age, Davis had a passion for machinery, running equipment on his father's cattle ranch. Over the next two decades, the company would grow into one of the largest and most respected heavy civil contractors in the Gem State.
Highways and Byways
It didn't take long for the dream to become a reality. The company experienced its first growth spurt in 2006 when Tamarack Resort and Whitetail Resorts began major expansions, sparking growth in Valley County. The company is currently at work on Whitetail Resort's third expansion, which includes widening existing roads and constructing 8,000 feet of new roads.
Located in McCall, Whitetail Resort is about 20 minutes from Cascade and two hours north of Boise along the Payette River National Scenic Byway. The climb along the winding river up to the cozy resort town reveals breathtaking views of rugged snowcapped mountains and pine covered forests around every corner.
As business expanded across Idaho and into neighboring states, Granite Excavation saw its share of highways and byways while completing highway work, subdivisions, and upgrades to city infrastructure.
The company plateaued for a few years coming out of the recession in 2008. But after opening a branch office in Boise in 2011, it grew exponentially from 50 to 150 employees in just two years. "We focused on building relationships," recalls Davis. "We just expanded to meet customer demands and growth came naturally."
To keep up with the work, Davis added equipment and did what so many successful businesspeople do: He surrounded himself with the right people.
Vice President Dusty Hibbard became employee number seven when he joined the company in 2009. He and Davis hit it off immediately. "We've been good friends for a long time," reflects Hibbard. "We both love construction, especially seeing a project from design through completion."
Project Manager and Estimator Brad Sayers started around the same time as Hibbard. "Josh is a great businessman and a great boss," says Sayers. "He started small and built one of the largest companies in the Northwest. We're very proud of that."
Davis still enjoys running the equipment, although these days his company's multiple projects keep him in front of his computer most of the time: "I still love getting on jobsites like the $2.5-million airport job we are working on with a 25- working day completion. When the wheels are in motion, it just puts a smile on my face because we accomplish a lot in a short amount of time."
"I still love getting on jobsites...When the wheels are in motion, it just puts a smile on my face because we accomplish a lot in a short amount of time."
Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
Today Granite Excavation employs over 250 people. The company is among only a handful of large contractors in Idaho that handle everything from wet utilities to aggregate production to mass grading and paving. It has a concrete division with a ready-mix plant, along with seven gravel pits providing over a million tons of product annually for company projects and resale.
Located in the beautiful 258-acre Hands of Promise Campus in rural Treasure Valley, the Idaho Youth Ranch Residential Center for Healing & Resilience offers individualized care, education, and healing for youth aged 11-17. The state-of-the-art facility helps young people develop resilience and hope for the future. Care teams provide a safe, supportive environment for tackling challenges like depression, trauma, and family conflict. Davis and his employees are grateful that much of the recent work is closer to home. The company works hard at creating a culture that supports work-life balance. "If an employee wants to leave early to see a son's football game or daughter's basketball game, we don't ask questions," says Davis. "We understand how important that is."
"Granite's culture is one of the best in Idaho," adds Hibbard. "I stand behind that statement. Ultimately, when we do better individually, we do better as a whole."
Retaining employees is half the battle. The company also does a great job finding young talent. In an industry struggling to attract new people, it's refreshing to find so many youthful faces on a jobsite. "We attend a lot narrow areas. To get the job done right in a timely manner, the company is running a 210 P-Tier SmartGrade Excavator recently purchased from the local John Deere dealership, Coastline Equipment. The 210 P-Tier SmartGrade eliminates the need for a second worker checking grade The company is also demoing a Hamm compaction roller. "I've been around Hamm all my career, and they are great rollers," says Sayers. "They are quiet, smooth, and easy to work on. They are great machines." of job fairs, and a lot of our work is word of mouth because we have an outstanding rapport with the community," Davis says.
The company's community work includes donating time and money towards building projects such as the Idaho Youth Ranch. The residential center provides a safe, supporting, and healing environment for youth dealing with difficult challenges. The company has been involved with the project from the start. "It's an opportunity for us to give back," says Hibbard. "We're able to see the youth flourishing in the facility we helped build. That's pretty cool."
Sayers is also proud of the company's impact on the community as well as the camaraderie. "At the end of the day, there's nothing better than showing up on a jobsite we just finished that everyone can hang their hat on. One of the great things about Granite Excavation, including Josh and Dusty and everybody, is that we've all been in this together. And we're in it to be the best."
"I've been around Hamm all my career, and they are great rollers. They are quiet, smooth, and easy to work on. They are great machines."
We're Digging It
On the homepage of it website, Granite Excavation proclaims, "We're digging this business."
The heavy civil contractor is also digging John Deere SmartGrade™ machines. In recent years Granite Excavation has invested heavily in the latest grade-control technology. This allows the company to get creative and more precise on projects such as drainage systems, parking lots, culverts, and other tasks while increasing efficiency and minimizing rework.
The Whitetail Resort project, for example, is unique, requiring "sliver" cuts and fills on steep embankments in extremely tight, narrow areas. To get the job done right in a timely manner, the company is running a 210 P-Tier SmartGrade Excavator recently purchased from the local John Deere dealership, Coastline Equipment.
The 210 P-Tier SmartGrade eliminates the need for a second worker checking grade and depth. "It helps increase production, which is key to this and every project," adds Davis.
"It is an all-around great machine," adds Project Manager Brad Sayers. "Our operators pick up SmartGrade technology very quickly. That's the biggest challenge in our industry — keeping up with the current times because everything is technology driven."
The company is also demoing a Hamm compaction roller. "I've been around Hamm all my career, and they are great rollers," says Sayers. "They are quiet, smooth, and easy to work on. They are great machines."
Sayers also worked around John Deere for many years when he ran a pipe crew. "I would never accept anything other than John Deere. I love the speed and power for putting pipe in the ground. And they're comfortable and easy to run."
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A John Deere 772GP-Tier Motor Grader utilizes SmartGrade technology for precise dirt-pushing.
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John Deere excavator efficiently digs and loads dirt into a dump truck.
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The Hamm compaction roller working on the job site
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A John Deere 772GP-Tier Motor Grader and Dump Truck on the job site
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