Greg Bair grew up breaking rock for his dad’s pool installation company based in Overland Park, Kansas.
He loved it so much that when his dad was ready to retire, he asked if he could split off from the excavation side of the business to break rock full-time. His dad had doubts about his son’s new venture but eventually agreed and set him up with an excavator and a breaker.
“No one thought I could make a living just breaking rock,” recalls Greg, owner of Greg Bair Track Hoe Service Inc.
Nearly 40 years later, the $3 million-to-$5 million business has grown far beyond Greg’s expectations, and he says it’s all because of his dedication to meeting customer needs.
“People call us for the hard jobs,” says Greg. “We can’t hardly get an easy demo job. We get a lot of weird calls, so it’s always something different.”
His reputation for methodically tackling fast-paced bridge demolitions has extended far beyond the Kansas City area. Today, Greg and his team of 30 employees and just as many “track hoes” have brought down more than 1,600 bridges across the country.
In the video above, Greg discusses the origins of his business, how it has grown, and his take on employee training and development. Bair is one of 12 finalists for Equipment World’s 2024 Contractor of the Year awards program.
The Contractor of the Year program, which has been sponsored by Caterpillar since its inception, recognizes contractors who display the highest standards of business acumen, equipment management expertise, attention to safety and community involvement. Each year, 12 finalists receive an expense-paid trip to Las Vegas to participate in roundtable discussions and an awards ceremony. The 2025 nomination cycle will open this summer.
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