Owning a construction business isn’t always easy, but with John Deere machinery, Griffin Contracting owner and president Brent Bazemore is finding it much simpler to operate these days.
Griffin Contracting, which was founded back in 2001, focuses on everything from site preparation to paving. The company has about 80 employees, and although it has grown quickly, Bazemore admits that it has not always been innovative along the way.
“Technology lagged around here for a long time,” Bazemore admits. “I went to CONEXPOCON/AGG® for the first time in 2017 and realized what we’d been missing — remote-controlled devices, satellite technology, time-entering software, and aerial intelligence. Right then, we decided to implement more technology throughout the business. We started with new accounting software and eventually upgraded our machines to make ourselves more productive and profitable.”
Incorporating John Deere
It wasn’t long after Bazemore’s exposure to new technology that he looked to John Deere to give his company a competitive edge. Now, Griffin Contracting project superintendent Richie West gets to reap the benefits.
“Before CONEXPO, you’d see a lot more people walking around out here with survey equipment and grade stakes,” said West. “But now we’ve got a huge advantage. We’re grading and cutting ditches and ponds — and there are no mistakes. We can work more effectively because we’re not measuring sites by hand.”
At one existing site, Griffin Contracting has the John Deere 672GP SmartGrade™ Motor Grader, a 700K LGP SmartGrade Crawler Dozer, and a 210G LC Excavator. Each machine is linked via GPS, improving efficiency on the job.
“You come in, connect your equipment to the grid, and get moving,” says West. “We’re able to save money by working fast — and by putting the right machines in the right place at the right time.”
Today, Griffin Contracting is serviced by the Flint Equipment Company in Garden City, Georgia. It continues to bring in new technology, such as the G-Series SmartGrade, to work even more efficiently for its clients across South Carolina, southeast Georgia and north Florida.
If you have any questions about how John Deere equipment can benefit your company, you can contact your local John Deere dealer.
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