A Salute to a Linder Customer: Terrahawk Civil Contractors

In 1969, Frank Horne began excavating ditches and canals for farmers south of Raleigh, N.C., near the South Carolina border using only a jerry-rigged dragline. His son, Kenny, took a keen interest in the industry and followed in his father’s footsteps, eventually spinning off his own commercial site-work business in the early 1990s. In 2015, Kenny’s son and third-generation construction professional, Daniel, opened Terrahawk Civil Contractors in Apex, N.C.

“As soon as I was old enough to work, I was in a machine,” recalled Daniel. “I started on a pipe crew with my dad’s company and then, toward the end of high school and college, moved into the estimating side. In 2013, I completed my master’s in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. Work and education have always been important to me.”

In addition to serving as a guest lecturer for North Carolina State’s senior engineering classes, Daniel practices what he preaches and offers scholarships to employees who wish to further their education. He attributes Terrahawk’s growth and successes to his dedicated staff. Terrahawk Civil Contractors currently employs more than 50 people.

Unique endeavors

The company spends 40 percent of its time on commercial work, an equal amount on residential and the remaining 20 percent on public projects throughout eastern North Carolina. For Daniel, the more complex the work, the better.

“We like the jobs that scare everyone else away. Our motto is to be the go-to contractor for the work that is too important to trust to anybody else,” said Daniel. “I developed that mindset from working on those types of projects with my Dad. There’s a real market for the more challenging contracts, and we offer the total package when it comes to field, office and staff management to do the job right.”

At any time, the firm is working on 10 to 20 projects ranging from $1 million to $25 million. Assignments typically span from one to two years and require the removal of at least 200,000 yards of earth. Currently, Terrahawk is creating a new type of subdivision, called an agrihood, at Wetrock Farm in Bahama, N.C.

“The concept is to create a sustainable neighborhood that is agriculturally based,” explained Daniel. “It’s a 230-acre area that will resemble more of a farming community once it’s finished. The housing lots are larger, and the layout includes access to orchards, gardens and a community barn for the residents.

“The infrastructure has been a very technical process,” continued Daniel. “We aren’t connecting to any county or municipal sewer systems. Instead, the neighborhood has huge drain fields at different locations that create a complex network of low-pressure systems. It’s a unique concept, and a project we’re proud to be a part of.”

Another challenging assignment has Terrahawk going back to school, so to speak, as it tackles a residence hall development at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham.

“We’re laying the groundwork for dorms in three locations, all of which have a lot of old infrastructure exactly where we’re digging,” noted Daniel. “In one area, we need to tunnel through rock and underneath an active 100-year-old steam tunnel buried 15-feet deepbelow a stretch of road. We cross under the steam tunnel multiple times, which requires shoring and support stabilization to make sure the weight from the road above won’t cause it to collapse. Essentially, we’re tunneling under a tunnel.”

The company also works closely with North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where crews recently removed 80,000 yards of material during the wettest season on record. They dug down 40 feet for a parking garage and a student housing project called The Standard, which is located near the heart of campus. Terrahawk coordinated with concrete and shoring subcontractors and then exported the dirt to a landfill where it was used as cover material.

Linder, Komatsu deliver

With a large number of projects happening simultaneously, purchasing durable equipment and limiting downtime are essential for Terrahawk. The firm turns to Linder Industrial Machinery and Sales Rep Matt Sharpe for all of its equipment and service needs.

“I’m always juggling a million things, and Matt is great about staying on top of what my company needs to be successful,” shared Daniel. “Heavy machinery is a large investment and the support is just as important as the product. Linder has been our partner since the beginning and continues to provide quality machines backed by excellent service.”

Terrahawk owns and rents a large fleet of Komatsu equipment, including dozers from the intelligent Machine Control D39PXi to a standard D155AX; excavators ranging from a PC88MR to the PC400LC; and a GD655-6 motor grader.

“If you wanted to compare to cars, Komatsu would be a premium brand and the competitors would be like an economy model,” equated Daniel. “Komatsus are balanced, and our operators don’t have to fight the machines to get them to do what they want. The refinement of Komatsu equipment in relation to competitive brands is night and day.”

“For example, the dozer cabs are quieter and provide the operator with a much better view of the blade,” continued Daniel. “Our five dozers with intelligent Machine Control technology are easy for an operator to use, and they aren’t jumpy like the machines outfitted with aftermarket GPS technology. The motor grader is very similar. It has greater power, and the blade is more responsive than competitive brands we’ve tried.”

Expanding west

Before finalizing any hiring decisions, Daniel studies housing and labor market trends in the area. While he plans to add staff in the summer months to meet the increased demand for construction work, he also recognizes the need to proceed cautiously.

“Right now, we’re at a plateau where we can either stay where we are or continue to grow,” said Daniel. “I want to fine-tune our process before taking the next step. I don’t want to get too big and have a freight train going down the tracks before the railroad is finished. Once the tracks are laid, the next logical step is to expand west into the Charlotte market.”

Linder offers a wide variety of new, used and rental equipment. Construction products, excavators, dozers, trucks, wheel loaders, milling machines, pavers, brooms and so much more. Linder Industrial Machinery provides an extensive OEM parts inventory, remanufactured exchange components, aftermarket parts for all makes of equipment, used parts, complete undercarriage rebuilding equipment, and a professional staff of Customer Support experts. Linder Industrial Machinery has branches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. They are conveniently located near the areas of Arden, Aurora, Concord, Greenville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, West Columbia, Ladson, Greer, Fort Mill, South Jacksonville, Orlando, Plant City, Ocala, Fort Myers, and West Palm Beach.