B&B Site Development Expands Its Impact in South Florida with Komatsu Equipment and Linder Support

Phil Baughman and his wife, Michelle, built B&B Site Development Inc. the old-fashioned way with one machine, one job and one hard-earned opportunity at a time. What began as B&B Rental in 1981 has evolved into a site development company that now handles major infrastructure and commercial work across its home region in South Florida.

“I started with a prayer and a little bulldozer that had a three-speed transmission,” Phil recalled. “We didn’t have much, and we bought what we could afford just to get going. It wasn’t fancy, but it gave us a way in.”

After early work in equipment rental and septic systems, B&B expanded into house pads, clearing, earthwork and utility installation as demand grew in and around Okeechobee, Fla.

“Customers began asking us to build house pads, and then to build them faster and handle more of the workload, and that kind of snowballed for us,” Phil shared. “We just kept adding what we needed, so we could do more work, and do it better. Now, we love technical work. There aren’t a lot of contractors in this area, and we’ve been a resource for much of the development here. We enjoy being able to have an impact on our community. In every spot in this little town, by the grace of God, I’ve done something. I’ve either developed it, repaired it, fixed it, or demolished it and rebuilt it. So, I’m proud to be in Okeechobee County and very blessed to know that God is the reason we are where we are.”

Over the years, B&B has expanded into a sizable operation with 88 employees. Second-generation co-owner Brent Baughman, Phil’s son, has been an important factor in helping his family’s legacy grow.

“Brent has spent time learning every role,” Phil said proudly. “Now, he can estimate, build, run and manage a project from start to finish. He’s way ahead of where I was at his age. He’s my right-hand man. I couldn’t do what I’m doing without him.”

Building Lakefront with Komatsu

Currently, B&B is performing infrastructure work at Lakefront, a 567-acre development designed to support a growing residential community in Glades County.

“They brought us in for an entrance, then a pond, then more and more infrastructure,” explained Brent. “We kept doing what we said we would do, and that trust kept building. Now, we’re helping shape the whole site.”

The project includes seven lakes, more than 1,000 house pads, roadways, sewer, water, electric and other underground utilities for a community that is expected to exceed 1,300 units at full buildout. For B&B, it is the kind of long-term, high-visibility job that reflects both its capacity and its reputation.

“We’ve taken this one personally,” Phil declared. “It’s not just another project to us. Years from now, we want to be able to say we built something that mattered here. There’s pride in that.”

To complete earthmoving work, B&B has built its fleet around Komatsu machines that have delivered the uptime and durability the company needs to stay productive. While Phil has used a wide range of brands over the years, one early Komatsu excavator changed his expectations for what a machine should do.

“I rented a Komatsu 220 in 1992, fell in love with it and bought one, then did a whole site with it,” Phil remembered. “That whole time, it never broke down. That machine lasted 25,000 hours. After that, I started replacing other stuff with Komatsu because I finally saw how it was supposed to work.”

Today, B&B’s fleet of Komatsu equipment includes PC490LC, PC360LC, PC138USLC and PC88MR excavators; HM300 and HM400 haul trucks; and D51PXi and D39PXi intelligent machine control (IMC) dozers. The machines are spread across multiple jobs, with the largest concentration at Lakefront, where production demands are high and consistency matters.

“We love having Komatsu equipment because it makes our job a lot easier,” Brent stated. “The machines run hard and keep running. On a project this big, efficiency matters every day. If the equipment is dependable, the whole job moves better.”

At Lakefront, the Komatsu equipment is doing more than moving dirt. B&B is excavating lakes, building road base from on-site material, and creating finished grades on a site where usable aggregate, stabilizer and fill can all be sourced internally. That material advantage creates major savings, but only if the machines can produce without interruption.

“One of our PC360 excavators has around 10,000 hours and still works like it should,”

Phil reported. “The other one has about 15,000 hours and works just as hard. They lift well, and they’re fuel-efficient.”

Brent added, “The IMC dozers have helped us work more efficiently, and we wouldn’t be able to take on a project of this scale without them. Because we’re moving so much material around the job, the dozer lets you know where grade is and makes sure you’re putting the fill material back to grade as you go. It takes out a lot of the guesswork.”

Linder provides support

B&B’s relationship with Linder Industrial Machinery Company is a central part of its commitment to Komatsu equipment. Phil and Brent value the response time and follow-through that come from working with a distributor that understands urgency in the field.

“The quickness Linder shows when something is down means a lot to us,” Brent emphasized. “Sometimes they’re here that day or the next day, and that kind of support matters when time is money.”

Sales representative Dan Tafoya has been especially important in keeping B&B productive and confident in its purchasing decisions. The reliability he provides has influenced B&B’s decision to stay with Linder and continue investing in Komatsu equipment as the company grows.

“Dan has been very instrumental in maintaining my relationship with Komatsu,” Phil commented. “If I call him, he knows I need a response not a sales pitch. He follows through, and that’s why there’s so much Komatsu equipment sitting out here. At the end of the day, Komatsu has made me money. I know what I’m getting, I know it’s going to produce, and I know Linder is going to back it up.”

Built to last

Looking ahead, both Phil and Brent want the company to keep growing steadily without losing the discipline that carried it through tough years.

“Our integrity is everything, so we just have to keep doing our job right and keep going,” Brent said.

For Phil, the long view is about more than revenue or equipment counts. It is about creating a business that can support the next generation with fewer sleepless nights and more room for family, while still honoring the grit that built it.

“I want Brent to be able to say that he and his dad built something great,” Phil concluded. “I want it to be strong enough that we can handle whatever comes at us, and the only way to do that is to always give our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the glory for all He has given us. Then, and only then, have we done it right!”