The Clems start anew in Oklahoma, building a business and growing a customer list from scratch

In 2020, Beau Clem founded Clem Excavation & Land Services LLC in Mustang, Okla., after moving his family there from Arkansas. At the time, he had no contacts, no work and no prospects on the horizon, but he was confident he could make it work.

“I had been working in the oilfield industry for about 15 years, and I took a job in El Reno,” recalled Beau, who co-owns Clem Excavation & Land Services with his wife, Megan. “I drove back and forth for several years and finally said, ‘Let’s buy something in Oklahoma.’ I was missing a lot of family time, and starting my own business was a way for me to gain some of that back. I figured I could set my own hours.”

Beau decided to go back to his roots with the company. He grew up around a family business focused on dirt work, so he bought a mini excavator and set about making hundreds of calls to electricians, plumbers and other contractors letting them know he was available and asking if he could dig for them.

“I finally got my foot in the door with some homebuilders, word got around that I did quality work, and it grew from there,” said Beau. “Now, we’re offering everything from clearing land to pad prep, finish grade and laying sod. Anything with dirt around the house, we’re doing.”

In addition to site prep for home sites, Clem Excavation & Land Services offers grading and prep of private driveways, trenching, footings, erosion control, landscape services, pond construction, and material hauling. Most work is done in the growing Oklahoma City metropolitan area, but the company covers the entire Sooner State.

“We are in with several homebuilders now that keep us busy,” Beau stated. “We will have half a dozen jobs going at once. We’re still fairly small with only four or five employees, but prospects for growth are there.”

Beau added that growth during the past five years has been built on Clem Excavation & Land Services’ focus on three pillars: a customer-centric approach, expertise and versatility, and community and environmental stewardship.

Savings with IMC dozer

Beau pointed to a recent project in Edmond, Okla., for a local homebuilder as a typical job for Clem Excavation & Land Services. The company prepped multiple house pads on a new subdivision, moving about 200 yards of dirt in the process.

Clem Excavation & Land Services put the pads to grade with a Komatsu D51PXi Intelligent Machine Control (IMC) dozer with integrated GPS grade control that it purchased from Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc. (KSM) with the help of Territory Manager Josh Lee. KSM Technology Solutions Experts Keith Graham and Danny Williams ensured Beau and his staff understood how to install and design plans as well as use the dozer effectively.

“They brought it out to me, and at first, I was thinking, ‘What did I get myself into?’” Beau commented. “They worked with me for a couple of days to get me comfortable and have been quick to answer any questions I have.”

Beau added, “We’re more than comfortable with it now. The Komatsu IMC dozer is a game-changer, because you can put the plan in the machine and go with little to no staking and no surveying. On some jobs, we come in after the road is built and go off of curb height or the elevation the builder gives us, dial it in, and build from that.”

According to Beau, the D51PXi is saving time and fuel costs by allowing him and his team to put a house pad to grade more quickly. They typically rip the bare ground first, then start pushing and grading.

“We can cut house pads in an hour or two with the IMC dozer compared to five or six using a grade rod and stick,” noted Beau. “The accuracy is spot-on too. Being able to get them done faster means we can do more jobs and our profitability increases. There’s no way we would have been able to do as many pads as we have without the IMC dozer.”

Backed by KSM

The D51PXi is one of two pre-owned dozers Clem Excavation & Land Services has purchased from KSM with the assistance of Josh. He’s also helped the company acquire a Komatsu D39EX and, along with Rental Representative Brandon Haddad, has assisted with rental units as needed.

“I told Josh what I was looking for and my price range, and he found what I needed,” commented Beau. “I didn’t have any hesitation buying used equipment, especially from Josh, because he assured me that they were well maintained, had been thoroughly inspected and were in good working order. He was true to his word. Josh and the Kirby-Smith team have helped us grow our business.”

Beau continued, “We first got hooked up with Josh after a friend talked to me about skid steers, and I contacted him about buying a Takeuchi TL12. We moved into the dozers to help with bigger work. The D39 is a great all-around dozer that lets us push a good load as well as fine grade. The D51PX gives us the same abilities, and it has the wider tracks, so it has less ground pressure and is better in soft conditions such as when we’re building ponds.”

More Commercial Work

Beau said having a Komatsu IMC machine can be a good recruiting tool as he looks to expand Clem Excavation & Land Services.

“It’s appealing to be able to get in a machine and be productive quickly; you can put someone new into it, and it helps them stay on grade with the automatics,” explained Beau. “That will bode well as we look to expand. We have done a little commercial work, and that’s a market that I would like to grow.”

*The opinions expressed here are from the end user as quoted. The results described herein are those of these end users under certain conditions. Individual results may vary.