B&N Land Management: CMI Dependability Delivers Explosive Growth
Brian Parker was running a successful diesel performance business when he got a crazy idea. After seeing a mulcher attached to a skid steer, he did some research and decided to give up the pressures of the diesel business to start a mulching company with a friend.
“I was burned out turning wrenches every day and dealing with a hundred people a week. I needed a change,” he recalled. Now, just a few years later, B&N Land Management has contracts with a large power company, commercial site developer, and a pipeline company.
B&N started small, using a mulcher attached to a skid steer. Parker and his friend got the equipment, “figured out how much fuel it used and set our rates,” and were ready to go. After a year, Parker wanted to move up to larger equipment and his friend preferred the smaller machines, so they parted ways.
Parker’s first attempt at a bigger piece was a Cat D3K2 dozer with a mulcher, but it wasn’t big enough, so he moved on to a Fecon FTX200 mulching tractor. He was unhappy with the Fecon’s reliability and the service he was receiving. When the machine failed—again—he called Columbus Equipment Company’s Material Processing Division in desperation.
“I called Jesse Garber, told him what was going on and said I needed a machine. I’d never even seen a CMI machine. Two days later, he brought a CMI mulcher to the job site. He said to run the C300 for a few days and and tell him what I thought about it. A few days later, I bought it.”
He later traded in the CMI C300 for a C475, then added a C175 to his fleet. Parker is very impressed with the performance and ease of using CMI machines. “Running the 475 is like running a 50,000-pound skid steer, it’s super agile,” he said. “Visibility is great, and the controls are right where you need them. It’s super simple, not overly complicated.”
That simplicity helps make the CMIs dependable and reliable, attributes Parker prizes in a machine. Before purchasing CMI machines “I had a machine that was down for six months out of 12, and when [the dealer] gave me a loaner, it broke. When that happens, customers think you’re unreliable and making excuses. Columbus Equipment Company really helped us dig out of a rut. We were way behind.”
Dependable equipment is just part of the equation, he added. “I don’t care what brand of equipment you have, there’s going to be a problem. It’s how the dealer handles it that makes the difference. I am a small fish compared to other Columbus Equipment customers, but Jesse has treated me like family. [Finance Manager] Jeff Reichert has fought for us for financing, and he always makes it happen.”
Parker also appreciates that Garber worked in the forestry industry and understands the business owner’s perspective. “He knows the ups and downs about needing parts and waiting on payments.” Parker credits Garber with helping B&N get a foot in the door with bigger projects, helping the contractor to find the right equipment as project sizes increased.
CMI also has its roots in the forestry industry, Parker noted. “They’ve been in the field themselves, and they know what it takes and what you need.”
The CMI C475 has an FAE 300/U fixed teeth rotor head and the CMI C175 has an FAE head with knives. The C175’s rotor has a bite limiter that limits the knives’ reach, reducing power demand and promoting a consistent working speed. The limiter also optimizes fuel consumption.
“The knife cuts quicker than a carbide, and the smaller machine takes less horsepower to cut as fast as a big machine,” Parker said. Depending on the terrain and size of the vegetation, he sometimes uses the smaller machine to save fuel and still get excellent production.
B&N’s primary services are clearing land for rights-of-way, electrical utilities, and site development in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Business has been doubling or more annually, Parker said. He recently purchased a Komatsu D61 dozer and PC210 excavator from Columbus Equipment Company. Next up, he plans to buy a CBI horizontal grinder. His goal is to have the right equipment to efficiently do any jobs his clients ask him to perform.
Brian Parker had already built a successful business before entering the land-clearing industry, so it’s no surprise he’s found success again. However, Parker would be the first to say that the Material Processing Division—including Jesse Garber’s industry expertise and exceptional service from Product Support Manager Aaron Dunham—have really accelerated the process.
