Sue Lund jokes that her husband, Jim, has dirt in his blood and rocks in his head. He didn't get that way genetically or by inheritance, however. "I started out from scratch. I didn't buy a company out. I had no one to teach me the ropes," Jim says. The closest tie to dirt work Jim had was his grandparents' Staples, Minn., farm. He planned a pathmilitary training, education and work experienceto own an excavating business. The Lunds started J L Excavating with one dump truck and a professional approach to breaking into a competitive market. They believe their success is due to a willingness to offer fair prices and more than what is required in experience, employees and equipment.

Before graduating from high school in 1990, Jim had started his career path by joining the Minnesota National Guard's 142nd Engineers unit, going to boot camp between his junior and senior year. As a Guardsman, he built roads through mountains in Honduras and replaced old wood bridges with culverts in Costa Rica. He served from 1989-1997. Tuition benefits allowed him to go to go through the two-year heavy equipment program at Central Lakes College in Staples. "It's the only program like it in the whole country," Sue says. Students get hands-on training with all types of equipment and learn how to operate it doing real-life work, such as digging basements. Jim also finished a yearlong machine shop program. After graduating in 1993, he worked for three businesses, including a Twin Cities excavating company. "I bought a dump truck and was working in the Cities during the week and my own business (in Staples) on the weekend," Jim explains. It was good experience, he says, working all over the state in different soils and doing different types of work. He paid attention to veteran workers and learned everything he could. Now, the Lunds pass on their business experience by accepting heavy equipment college students as interns. When working part-time, Jim purchased a few pieces of older equipment and took any job he could get: excavating for a neighbor who put in septic systems, graveling driveways and subcontracting grading work. By 2000, he had enough work to quit his job and go full time in his own business. Landing a contract with a township for maintenance work provided stable income. Breaking into the "old boy network" was not easy, Sue recalls. As a member of another township's board, she attended state meetings and learned about concerns and trends facing townships. "I knew what to look for as far as liabilities, building safer roads and timing of work done," Sue explains. "In our bid, we gave a good price, but also offered bonding and actual contracts instead of just a handshake." Within two years, the Lunds had seven township contracts and built their equipment fleet to get the work done in a timely manner.

Jim no longer uses his first dump truck, a 1979 Ford L9000, but his old 1960 Caterpillar 950 front end loader "still runs like a champ." He purchased his first grader, a 1960s 99E Caterpillar, for the township work. "Then it snowballed from there," Jim says. "In about two years we had all of our townships, so we were buying multiple pieces of equipment at a time," Sue adds. Prior to Hurricane Katrina and high fuel prices, they owned 40 pieces of equipment, including seven semi tractors. Because of higher costs and the shutdown of a couple of mills, which subcontracted equipment for log hauling, they sold semis and belly dump trucks. Now they own about 30 pieces of equipment including five Ford L9000 tandem dump trucks set up with wings, plows and sanders for plowing and graveling township roads. The Lunds also have three 17-yard CPS belly dump trucks. Jim uses his 773 Bobcat with quick attach and several attachments for all kinds of digging and loading jobs. He has three Kenworth semi tractors, two Caterpillar and one Komatsu front end loaders, and a Hitachi excavator. Old J.I. Case and Oliver tractors also come in handy. "We count on my dad, Jack, to mow the ditches," Jim says. Jack lives on the family's nearly Century-old farm and is a jack-of-alltrades.

Besides his father, Jim's aunt Linda, and cousin DeWayne Simons work for the business. There are eight equipment operators. Sue and Linda handle office and accounting work. "I don't know how to run Jim's equipment; he doesn't get to touch my computer either," Sue laughs. "I can't say how great these guys are," she adds about their employees. Many come to them with experience. Most were farmers or military men. Brian Labs, the job superintendent, was a police officer. "They have a wonderful work ethic. They are on time and work long hard hours." Sue says. "They're respectful. People from farms understand mechanics and know how to be safe around equipment." Employees run all types of equipment and do mechanic work. "That mixes it up so they don't get bored," Sue says. "Everyone of them is proud of the job that they do." Employees become part of the Lunds' extended family. They are invited to Super Bowl parties and other informal gatherings. The Lunds accommodate employees' work schedules so they can attend family events and be home every evening except for a few weeks in the summer. As parents of four childrenwith two children, 5 and 11, still at homethe Lunds believe in family time as a priority. One reason they wanted to own a business is to spend time with their children. They use a home office for much of their work.

Besides local township work, J L Excavating bids for roadwork in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota during the summer. The Lunds also own two gravel pitsone on the family farm and another they purchased in 2007. They also lease seven pits and have access to more. "I saw the importance in having my own material early on," Jim says. "I don't have to worry about (the pits) being open." He has access to all the materials he needs and sells to others as well. When the company downsized its fleet, Jim invested in mining equipmentscreens, crushers and conveyors. Having material helps reduce fuel costs hauling it. Foresight and planning also set the Lunds up to supply material to a road contractor when a big highway project was approved in Staples. A year before the project, they made lease arrangements with small gravel pit owners on both ends of town. Sue filled out long applications to obtain pollution control and other necessary permits, while Jim attended meetings to get permits and make bids something the pit owners didn't want to contend with. For example, the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) permit has to be dealt with weekly, and the Lunds have several sites. When the project was approved, the Lunds had the material lined up, making it easy for the road builder, providing royalties to the pit owners and earning extra income for their business. "Jim just has a good way of communicating with these old timers," Sue said. The Lunds also strive to be fair and not overcharge townships. Instead of guessing on future fuel costs, for example, and overcharging a bid, they charge a sliding scale fee based on fuel prices. Though it's more paperwork than required, J L Excavation employees keep thorough logs of what they do, when they do it, and how much material they are using. That provides proof for the township, Sue explains, if someone says snow wasn't removed in a timely manner, for example.

"I haven't dug a basement for two years," Jim notes about the decline of new residential construction in his area. With more competition and less workdue in part to the 35W Bridge collapse in 2007getting bids is a challenge. For example, J L Excavating recently lost a job to a contractor who bid $600,000 less than an engineer's estimate for the project. Being diverse, owning gravel pits and stability with township work are important elements of staying successful. In light of the economy, Jim would be content to maintain what he has now in the next five years. But he and Sue recognize potential in growing their business of mining and selling aggregate. Regardless of whether that grows, Jim can't imagine not moving dirt. He enjoys driving past former projects. He remembers the original contour of the ground and the leveling and hauling his crew did to achieve the final landscaping. He's proud of his crew's work in demolishing an old building, then preparing the site for the new Pelican Rapids fire hall, for example. He likes the way the crushed granite looks around the new Staples church, where J L Excavating did site work. "I drive around the whole state and see the jobs that I've done, and there's a lot of satisfaction in that," he says. And there's something else about his work that he appreciates: "I like to work on the dozer," Jim says. "I can't hear the phone ring."

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