Foley Caterpillar

A Family Heritage

From father to sons, J. Gatarz & Sons, Inc., has grown with Cat® equipment and AccuGrade™ technology. Dave and Scott Gatarz say it was their late father, John, who introduced them to Cat® equipment. As boys they spent hours on Cat equipment helping John, who then owned an equipment rental business and who was an enormous fan of Caterpillar® machines.

The family tradition prevailed when they went into business with him as J. Gatarz & Sons, Inc., and today their Cat heritage extends to a varied fleet of 25 Cat machines conducting excavating, grading and utility contracting within a 25-mile radius of their Monroe Township, N.J. headquarters. With John’s reputation, the Gatarz family built a business specializing in site preparation, with 20 employees, some of whom now have 30 years tenure with the company. From initial grading, to utilities and paving, the company has the machines and men for turn-key operation. “When our guys do it all, we aren’t waiting on subcontractors,” explains Scott. “We can avoid getting caught by weather.”

Though residential subdivision construction has slowed of late, commercial work in the big box market, is still strong. Gatarz and Sons maintains a year-round construction schedule with its diverse applications, which keeps crews employed full time.

AccuGrade® Advantage

Having grown up with Cat equipment, the Gatarz brothers gained first-hand experience with new technologies as they’ve developed. In a move toward streamlining efficiency, they purchased the Cat AccuGrade® Machine Control Guidance System on a new D5G XL Track-type Tractor.

“Of course we’ve used laser systems through the years, but never fully integrated into the machines with the hydraulics,” says Dave. Depending upon the project, with AccuGrade, Gatarz operators can switch between laser and GPS guidance systems, using a dual receiver masts that adjust pitch, tilt and angle of the blade. Dave and Scott say they can attain tolerance on initial grade to within plus or minus of an inch, once the data card is loaded onboard the dozer. AccuGrade eliminates time and costs involved with surveying, stacking or laying stringlines. Fewer people are required for the operation, which, as Dave points out, frees them up for other important tasks around the jobsite.

“With AccuGrade, you know that what is behind you is absolutely on grade and you can move on,” says Dave. He mentions recent site preparation for a 105,000-square foot warehouse. What would have taken three-and-a-half days to grade and fill was accomplished in just over a day. “It cut our production time by at least a third,” says Scott. “You’re getting to grade on one pass, you’re using one person instead of two on a job, and it saves you material. There’s no doubt that a pad graded with AccuGrade is much closer to grade than pads graded manually.”

Dave recalls his father always saying, “Don’t ask the price of a machine until you demonstrate it. You can’t make a purchasing decision on a piece of equipment based on price, until you know what that machine can do for you.”

It’s no small coincidence that, because their representatives at Foley, Inc. through the years have allowed them ample time to demonstrate new machines, 95 percent of their fleet is Caterpillar.

“Plus their Monroe facility is right around the corner,” notes Dave. “Their parts availability is second to none. You go into their store and get everything you need for your shop. And, with a fleet of 25 or 30 machines, the resale value of Cat equipment adds up — It’s all part of the reason we’re here today.”