Robert Velazquez —founder of Semper Fi Land Services in Aurora, Ill.—is not your average business owner. He started his landscaping business in 2004 when he was still a teenager, fresh out of Marine Corp. training. Like many, his first landscaping jobs involved doing most, if not all, of the work himself while rounding up borrowed trucks and equipment, but today he runs a flourishing business with a large fleet of equipment and 35 employees.

Starting a business like Semper Fi wasn’t without its challenges. After building his customer base throughout 2004 and 2005, Velazquez got news that he was being deployed. “I was in the Marine Corps reserves, and we got notified that we were being deployed to Iraq,” Velazquez explains. “So all the customers I had built up from 2004 and 2005, I just sent them a letter saying, ‘Hey, I have an obligation. I’m going to Iraq, I’ll be back in a year.’ Didn’t really close the business, but put it on hold. Came back, sent them a letter and said, ‘Hey, I’m back, and I’m going to start my business again.’ Many of those customers I have still today.”

New 32,100-pound minimum-swing excavator offers reduced footprint, precision maneuverability and powerful bucket digging force and lift capacity for road and bridge work, utility, landscaping and general construction applications.

CASE Construction Equipment will introduce two all-new products to the landscaping industry at GIE+EXPO 2017 in Louisville, Kentucky, October 18-20, 2017. The company will exhibit in both an indoor booth (7216) and an outdoor demo booth (7546-D) where landscape contractors can operate the latest equipment and talk to product experts. Additional product offerings will include the recently introduced C Series mini excavators, G Series wheel loaders with CASE sectional snow push, and the SV340 skid steer loader – the company’s most powerful skid steer ever built.

The company will also sponsor, in partnership with PAVE TECH, the annual Hardscape Contractor Party on Thursday, October 19 at the Executive Strike & Spare Bowling alley (located outside the entrance to the exposition center at 911 Phillips Lane, Louisville, Kentucky). The event – which is free to all GIE+EXPO attendees – kicks off at 5:00 PM and includes door prizes, bowling, and free food and drinks.

Advanced technologies such as telematics continue to proliferate in today’s construction market, and these systems have become more accessible than ever before to contractors of all sizes. Many new machines now come right from the factory with integrated systems that make it easy for business owners to start using this advanced technology, but like anything that is new, it can be a challenge to decide how and when to take advantage of the benefits.

The truth is that these technologies are as simple or as complex as contractors want them to be. The technology itself is simple—what it comes down to is engagement. Adopters of these new technologies won’t see tremendous opportunities by just flipping a switch or ordering a telematics subscription. The real benefits of these systems are seen in how the data is leveraged.

CASE Construction Equipment, Sonsray Machinery, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Team Rubicon teamed up for a heavy equipment operator training and improvement project at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. Sonsray Machinery provided four machines – two CX80C excavators and two SR210 skid steer loaders – and Team Rubicon brought in four instructors and nine volunteers from across the U.S. for the event, which involved classroom instruction as well as practical hands-on training in safety and machine operation.

Located on the southern rim of San Diego Bay, the Refuge is an important stopover for migratory birds, and supports a diverse array of natural habitats for a variety of wildlife including rare birds, butterflies and other wildlife that are critical to the area’s ecosystem. In addition to training nine new heavy equipment operators, Team Rubicon also made improvements to an access road, and removed over 50 tons of concrete from an old dairy complex within the Refuge.

Editor’s Note: This informational article was developed in conjunction with CASE technology partner Leica Geosystems. For more information on Leica Geosystems drone solutions for the construction industry, visit leica-geosystems.com.

One of the hottest topics right now in the construction industry – or at least the one that sparks the most imagination – is the use of drones on jobsites. While the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may inspire some big thinking for future use, the practical uses of the technology today are already having an impact on the construction industry. Here are three ways that drones are impacting jobsites today, along with a word on certification/legality.

CASE Construction Equipment and CNH Industrial donated the use of a skid steer to the 9^th Annual Victory Garden Blitz, located in the Greater Milwaukee area. This year, over 300 volunteers installed 514 gardens – achieving a grand total of more than 3,500 gardens for communities throughout Milwaukee since the project’s inception.

Beginning with a group of friends in 2009—who installed 35 raised-bed gardens in a single day—Victory Garden Initiative’s mission focuses on empowering communities to grow their own food and re-establish the relationship between human and food ecology. In 2016, the Initiative built a record-breaking 555 gardens in fifteen days.

Britton Industries is a leading producer of natural and dyed mulches, screened topsoil, leaf compost and aggregate products. Servicing the landscaping and construction markets of Central New Jersey and South Pennsylvania, the family-owned and operated company has been in business for over 28 years.

The company operates a full wood product recycling center as well as a concrete recycling center—making crushed concrete for fill, as well as decorative stones and other products. They also produce and distribute a variety of custom soil blends for contractors and serve as a convenient disposal center for area businesses and homeowners.

CASE Construction Equipment introduces the all-new SiteControl CoPilot powered by Leica Geosystems. Available factory-installed or as a retrofit on select CASE M Series dozers, the CoPilot system bridges the gap between automatic and indicate-only systems and offers a cost-effective entry into 2D and 3D machine control technology.

The CASE SiteControl CoPilot system is the result of a global partnership with Leica Geosystems, and is comprised of an inertial measurement unit, wiring harness and in-cab display. The easy-to-use system allows operators to set a desired slope/grade reference, and automatically holds that slope/grade without the need for lasers, masts or GPS—regardless of underfoot conditions—enabling both seasoned and less-experienced operators to easily achieve and maintain a smooth surface, slope or grade throughout the work area.

Dealers across North America are recognized for excellence in sales and support of CASE construction equipment.

CASE Construction Equipment has named its 2017 “Diamond Dealer” and “Gold Dealer” award recipients as a part of its North American Construction Equipment Partnership Program. The awards recognize dealerships across the US and Canada for excellence in five categories including sales performance, marketing and communications, product support, parts support and training.