Partnering with CAT for More Than 50 Years
This is a direct excerpt from an article written by Cat®.
“At the end of the day, you’re only as good as your last project.”
Find out how Cat® customers, Stutsman Gerbaz Earthmoving, has partnered with Caterpillar and the local CAT dealer for more than 50 years of success.
“Cat® is the only machine I’ll ever buy” says Shay Stutsman, third generation owner of Colorado based, Stutsman Gerbaz Earthmoving.
From building multi-million dollar homes for well-known NBA stars, subdivision and hotel sites, to local community fire and police stations Stutsman Gerbaz works predominantly in the commercial and residential site development industry in and around the Aspen area. The more complex the job, the better suited for Shay and his crews.
“Stutsman Gerbaz has been a valued partner to Wagner Equipment Co., for generations. They drive us to raise our game as a Cat dealer, and we very much appreciate their loyalty” says Brad Cofield, Executive Vice President, Wagner Equipment Co.
Stutsman Gerbaz has roughly 50 employees, and manage a 95-percent Cat fleet. The equipment consists of more than thirty machines; including, excavators, skid steers, track and wheel loaders, and a dozer.
Over the years, the company has adopted a few slogans that it lives by:
-At the end of the day, you’re only as good as your last project.
-I’d rather lose money and do it right versus make money and do the job wrong.
-Perfection is our benchmark.
At work and home.
Shay’s passion for Caterpillar extends past the jobsite. He has been collecting Cat 1:50 scale models since he was a little kid, and now he owns hundreds that he proudly displays in glass cases at his home.
Cat® machines building site for the Town of Snowmass’ new Fire Station #71
Why Cat?
Shay provided the following insight as to why he is committed to the Cat brand:
“The Product” Cat products and services have helped his family’s business make money for over 50 years
“Reliability” Maximizing uptime and productivity to ensure he can meet his customer’s deadlines and exceed their expectations
“Relationships” He values the willingness of Caterpillar and Wagner Cat to work together and go the extra mile to help find solutions to his problems
“Support” It is understood that Cat and Wagner are behind him as true partners to protect his investments and help him make more money. Collectively, all will be successful.
“Green” Environmental sustainability is important to Stutsman Gerbaz (fuel burn, clean machines, Tier IV final, etc.) and Caterpillar is a leader in sustainability. They want to make sure they are doing their part to progress clean air emissions in the communities they serve. In fact, Stutsman Gerbaz promotes their commitment to sustainability which they feel enhances their probability of winning a bid.
When asked what advice he would give the entire Caterpillar team, Shay offered the following:
“Continue to reach out” – Ensure you have a good pulse on what the customer’s top problems are so that you can continue to stay in front and meet future customer needs.
“Technology is critical” – Technology is moving at such a fast rate. There is an opportunity to introduce simple technology, so that we can phase-in the tenured operators without intimidating them, and training new, younger generation operators. “We don’t have time for a class to train operators, and most often, they will not retain the information learned from the class.” Most of their operators are trained on-the-job.
“Little things matter” – Decal quality, protection of cylinders, etc. Shay’s pride of ownership is intense. His operator’s treat the machines as their own. Scratches or operator dings on the back of an excavator counterweight are a pet peeve of Shay’s. Every winter, each Cat machine is brought into the shop to wax, detail, and touch up the paint. This clean-machine image helps reaffirm his brand in the community for quality and reputable work. When the Cat brand is placed upon a machine, expectations are high – little things matter.