Village Earthworks finds success with a mixed fleet and diverse construction experience
A mix of industry experience matched with a diverse equipment fleet is proving to be a recipe for success for Village Earthworks.
Simon Martin and Reuben Musselman partnered in 2021 to create the company based in the Kitchener Waterloo area.
Musselman and Martin became friends in high school and after graduating set out on different paths in the construction industry.
Musselman, a third-generation excavator, spent the first 15 years of his career working for his family’s business. Martin studied civil engineering and went on to work across Canada for two of the nation’s largest contractors.
When COVID-19 emerged, Martin and Musselman started talking and realized they shared the goal of starting their own company.
“We have very complimentary experiences and skill sets, all in the same industry,” Musselman said. “Simon’s very hands-on in the office and I’ve moved more into an operations role as our crews have grown, but I’m still in the field a decent amount.”
Martin and Musselman continued to work full-time while they got their own business off the ground. In March 2024, they opened a new office and shop in Breslau, Ontario. The following month, Simon joined the business full-time.
Now, Village Earthworks employs nine people and continues to grow.
“Even though we’re small, we can perform quite large jobs because of our extensive experience within the industry,” Martin said.
A growing fleet
As the company grows, so does its equipment fleet. In the fall, Village Earthworks purchased their first dozer, a Liebherr PR 716 G8, as well as a Liebherr 920 compact excavator and a Komatsu WA270 wheel loader. The Village Earthworks fleet now includes two 20-ton excavators, a loader, dozer, two mini excavators, two skid steers, a dump truck and service trucks.
“I think with every equipment purchase, it’s a business relationship with the person selling. It’s the quality of the piece of equipment and some of the time it’s just the numbers too,” Musselman said. “Also, you have to run it every day, so you have to like it enough too, right?”
When it comes to fleet expansion, he added Village Earthworks’ approach is to own the machines, rather than lease.
“It’s an expensive purchase, especially for a company our size. Our philosophy is to buy the machine, take care of it and service it. That’s your bread and butter. That’s how you’re making your money,” Musselman said. “So, when we buy something, we want to make sure we really like it, because we got to sit in it all day.”
An ability to purchase the Liebherr PR 716 G8 dozer and 920 compact excavator as a package helped persuade Village Earthworks in their machine selection.
Alongside a growing need for their first dozer, the company also needed a second 20-ton excavator that could work on tight jobsites.
“A lot of our work is tight in-town work, but you still need good capacity on your excavator,” Musselman said. “The 920 was what we kind of thought was the best excavator on the market to fit that. It maximizes volume, power and reach, while still maintaining that compact need for our in-town type work.”
So far, the capabilities of the 920 have impressed the Village Earthworks crew.
“It comes with a blade on the compact, and I was surprised by how well it just pushed material, almost like a dozer,” Musselman said. “It’s like we bought two dozers. The 920 can handle so much material on the blade.”
He added the crew is also impressed with the capabilities of the new dozer.
“It has lots of power and it’s a smooth machine,” Musselman said.
“It’s definitely got some built-in tech that maybe other dozers wouldn’t have.”
Village Earthworks decided to purchase the Komatsu wheel loader to assist its growing clientele in servicing projects as well as snow removal.
“Our first excavator was a Komatsu 210. I’ve ran Komatsu most of my life, and I’m a big Komatsu fan,” Musselman said.
The new machines, all acquired within a month of each other, are now helping Village Earthworks tackle their wide range of jobsites. The company is finding clients in ICI, infrastructure, housing and commercial buildings.
“It’s a pretty diverse type of work that we do,” Musselman said. “There’s some really good clients, and we’re really fortunate to be in an area of Canada that allows us to grow.”
