Built On A Foundation of Hard Working and Family Values
75 years ago Hardy Bros was founded with a simple front end loader and a tip truck. From these humble beginnings, they have grown into a multifaceted company that offers not just earth moving capabilities but, earth changing ideas. Brad Hardy is at the helm of the company now, and it has grown exponentially, especially in the last few years. “The company began working for local council and farmers, and when my father took over in the 1980s we won our first contract work and it took off from there. There rest I suppose is history,” says Hardy. Hardy Bros has a vast catalogue of offerings to aid in the construction and earth moving requirements that any large construction project will always require. The have a full range of services in dealing with mining projects, civil construction, infrastructure, maintenance and equipment supply. Under each of these operations, Hardy Bros boasts an impressive list of accomplishments. With such a large catalogue of services and tools it is hard to narrow down exactly what Hard Bros does, it is actually almost easier to list what they do not do. Hardy does gives it a shot. Trying to limit the list to five categories he highlights some of the function he thinks they do best: “Mining, road work, pipelines, and infrastructure.”
Starting Small
Starting with only a few pieces of equipment, and a small crew, Hardy says that in the last 18 years they have seen a marked expansion of their work force and capabilities. “We have an excess of 100 pieces of equipment now, with a work force that is close to 110 individuals. All that has been done in my life time, within the last 18 years,” he says. “When I was a kid we had a crew of 6, so in that time we have gone to 110 people, taking on contracts that are valued up to 18 million dollars,” Hardy says, quite satisfied about how far they have come in such a short time. “People are what make the company; any fool with a bank account can go and buy the equipment, its having the right people to run that equipment that makes the difference.” He says that often people will view a site that they have been involved in and immediately see the quality of the work, and want to know who was behind it. “Hearing things like that makes us very proud,” says Hardy.
The Right Mix
Their secret to success has always been finding the right people for the job, and this goes all the way to the We are pretty proud of it. We have a great team of managers and support staff that are one of the reasons that we are so successful. But the main reason that we are so successful is all of our people. Even as the head of the company, Hardy still likes to get his hands dirty. “I love anything that has to do with moving dirt,” he chuckles. “That’s as honest as I can be. The Job we do is not exactly the easiest profession, you are away from friends and family, but with all the guys we work with they become our own sort of family unit.”
“We care about the product that we deliver. We place a pretty high value on delivering quality products on time and within budget. When a problem comes up we take a very active role in solving the problem,” Hardy says that many other companies will do a job to completion, and hand back any problems they might encounter. Instead, Hardy Bros. takes a proactive stance, addressing issues as they arise, and making sure the client is aware and involved with the process. “We not be inventing new ways to do things but we are very innovative when faced with a challenge.” As an example of this problem solving in practice Hardy points to a somewhat common issue, that when they have completed stripping a site down to the level a client wishes, they might find a deposit of mud or other material that could make the project stop in its tracks. With a large arsenal of specialized equipment, engineers and specialist on Hardy Bros staff, he says they are often able to present their client’s with a solution on the spot. “If it’s a design issue, and a particular element of the design doesn’t work on the ground, instead involving a cast of thousands we will get in there and offer a solution.”
Hardy says that with all this activity that they have to maintain a list of trusted and important partners to make their supply chain work. “We actually have a small list of suppliers,” he says. “Because we are a niche operator, we have a couple of dedicated suppliers, and they operate in the space that we need them to.”
Making it Green
With the space that they operate in, green and ecologically friendly technology is an important topic for Hardy Bros. “We are very proactive in dealing with the environment,” Hardy says. With many people waiting for the Federal Government to enact carbon taxes and fees, Hardy Bros is making sure that all their equipment and emission standards meet or exceed those set out by the UN. “We are slowly phasing any equipment out that doesn’t meet these standards. We also have environmentalists who work for our company, they conduct noise and dust impact monitoring as far as local impacts go, and we regularly conduct audits on sediment control and monitor discharge from our sites,” he lists. They are 14001 certified, and continue to maintain their sites and operations as “greenly” as possible.
In talking about what he would like to call Hardy Bros’ company motto, he thinks for a second, but when he does speak anyone listening can tell he really believes in what he is saying, and is ready to back it up with hard work and innovative techniques. “We do it better and right the first time.”
