KC Bobcat Keeps Kaw Valley’s 13-Loader Fleet Moving

Chad Reed is a working shop foreman at Kaw Valley Companies. Based in Kansas City, Kaw Valley handles projects in sand and gravel, grading, demolition, excavation, and recycling, and they have worked with KC Bobcat for over a decade.

“I have two mechanics, a parts runner, and a fuel guy under me,” Chad said. “I pretty much instruct them where to go throughout the day, and I keep track of all of our services. So like, my fuel guy jots down the hours on the machine and hands it in once a week. Then I record it, and I see what service is due on what piece of machinery.”

He oversees almost 100 pieces of equipment that go through his shop, including 13 Bobcat compact track loaders the company has on lease. He says that Kaw Valley operators mainly use the Bobcat loaders for pre-flatwork jobs in grading and excavation.

“We are an extremely diverse company. We don’t particularly do one thing. We mainly use the Bobcat skid steers on our excavating side, where we do dirt pads or whatever they need to get ready to build a structure.”

As the lead of maintenance, Chad works with KC Bobcat’s Parts department, particularly at the Olathe branch.

“With some of the other companies we’ve worked with, we had to wait a day when we ordered something. That’s not a huge deal, but it’s still a day of downtime. But the Bobcat is kind of like the old 350 Chevy: one part will work on multiple machines. It’s just extremely smart how they do that. And most of the time, KC Bobcat has that part in stock.”

The KC Bobcat Parts department plays a big role in keeping Kaw Valley’s machines moving, but Chad spends a lot more time with the field service team. He joked that the field service technicians should have him on speed dial by now because of how often he calls them.

“I don’t do much except for oil changes. So short of breaking a windshield or other wear- and-tear items, all I have to do is give Steve or Matt a call. Within 24 hours, the darn thing is running again, and it’s no sweat off my back. Those guys just know the equipment extremely well.”

Chad works the most with Steve Tuttle, division field service manager, and Matt Whittle, field service admin. Matt actually helped with a problem on a Kaw Valley job site just a couple of weeks ago.

“One of my operators told his foreman that the belt was starting to squall,” Chad said. “He was like, ‘Well, we can’t really shut it down right now. Let me call Chad and see what he can do.’ So I called Matt, and Matt had a guy out there with a belt and a tensioner within less than an hour. Maybe it was two hours, but hitting the one-to-two-hour mark is phenomenal.”

I would definitely go with KC Bobcat. Their field service is fast and reliable.

Chad Reed
Foreman, Kaw Valley Companies

When it comes to Bobcat parts and field service, Chad doesn’t stray from KC Bobcat. “Their service is second to none. Like straight up, I’ve never had a company that could get someone out there within 24 hours every time. Those guys do an excellent, excellent job taking care of our machines.”