Back in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, Chris Hardt was taught how to operate machinery by Harvey McCollum and Mark Smith. Anyone who knows excavating up here, knows he was taught by the best. He’s been operating heavy machinery since he was 15 years old. His knowledge of local rules and regulations, mixed with his personal experiences, makes him a business local people want to work with. He’s a salt of the earth kinda guy.
His inspiration for starting the business was his desire to stop working for other excavators and start building his own company. He’s been in operation in Gilpin County for about 18 years. Hardt and his father bought their first backhoe in 2005. Hardt bought his first plow truck around 2010. The company now owns two backhoes, two mini excavators, three plow trucks (sorry their plow routes are filled), a full size excavator and a skid steer.
Hardt has four local employees and is on the search for a laborer. His life partner, Dusty Shaw, has been by his side for the last 14 years, balancing his knowledge and skill with her business acumen. Shaw does all of the billing, runs her own plow truck, manages all of the running around for the company from filling fuel tanks to picking up everything needed down the hill. She calls herself a personal assistant, but everyone knows she is much more. She is often shooting grade on a job, standing in septic fields to troubleshoot problems beside Hardt, and dealing with the many requirements of running a successful excavating business.
The company strives to help the community, offer their services at reasonable prices and help people with all of their excavation needs. They cover the foothills of Boulder and Gilpin County.
They have worked in many locations, including one of their favorites, putting a pad and installing drainage for a roller coaster at Lakeside Amusement Park.They enjoyed meeting all the people at the park and got to ride the rollercoaster when it was finished.
Hardt enjoys demolition and cleanup. Shaw enjoys plowing when it is not chaotic. Both enjoy the final touches of every job, raking and dressing a field out when it’s completed so it looks nice, finding old bottles and treasures when they’re digging.
Hardt says the company is growing fast right now. They plan to keep moving forward, providing services for all they can, without expanding beyond what they are capable of doing as a team. They plan to slowly drop plow routes and maybe take a vacation someday, when they can take time off in winter.
Covid has lost them a few jobs, when people lost their jobs or couldn’t move forward with a project. It has also made it hard to find needed materials, such as septic tanks. Hardt drives to Casper, Wyoming, and Grand Junction, Colorado, to pick up needed tanks.
Hardt’s Backhoe is located at 2549 Lump Gulch Road in Black Hawk. They can be reached at 303-589-9354. You can also checkout their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ HardtsBackhoe/
[Publishers note: In closing, I’m going to make sure you know Chris Hardt is my brother and Dusty is my sister-in-law. And like every business in Gilpin County, they get their story in the newspaper as part of the Keep it Local campaign. I’m darn proud of this guy and gal, and the work they have done to build a solid business in our region.]
Sponsored by Gilpin County, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
