For Iowa contractor Dan Hansen, a love of the land was strong enough to motivate him and his wife to start K&D Land Improvement, a business largely focused on timber and prairie preservation. And even though the company provides a broad range of services, it is the conservation-focused work that Hansen enjoys most.
Hansen and his wife, Karen (the “K” in K&D Land Improvement), started the business in 2003. Over the next 18 years, K&D’s services expanded to land preservation and restoration, including tree and brush clearing for private landowners and the Department of Natural Resources; field tile repair; implementing water and soil conservation practices, such as saturated buffers and bioreactors; septic tank installation; demolition; street sweeping and sewer work.
Although Hansen is committed to any project K&D takes on, the conservation work strikes a different chord. “I literally grew up in the woods, not far from here,” he says, while working on a timber improvement job in his hometown of Lehigh, IA, where the business is based. “We’ve found a niche being versatile, and services like sewer work are a necessity, but I’d much rather be working in the timber. It’s who I am.”
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Equipment and Dealer Support Enable Growth
The Hansens have a son, Zach, who has been completing jobs with his dad full-time since graduating college; their two daughters are not part of the business.
“It’s just my wife and me and our son. You don’t get much smaller than that,” Hansen says. “But we have nice equipment that truly is our livelihood. It’s my business; it’s my desk.
Hansen started out using another brand of skid-steer loader before developing a relationship with Capital City Equipment Co. He rented, then leased, and eventually purchased a Bobcat 773 skid-steer loader. Now, the company has a T770 compact track loader (CTL), which is their 10th Bobcat loader, as well as an E63 compact excavator and MT50 mini track loader.
While the equipment itself may be his livelihood, dealer service definitely seals the deal for Hansen. “I wouldn’t still be in this business if it weren’t for Bobcat,” he says. “My dealers have gone above and beyond to help me out and keep us going.”
Built Tough for Timber and Land Clearing
K&D’s services run the gamut of what Bobcat machines and their attachments can support, resulting in a fleet of 20 Bobcat attachments for its three machines. The Hansens believe their root grapples are the most versatile attachments they own because they can be used for so many types of work.
Dan Hansen of K&D Land Improvement says — among 20 attachments in their fleet — their root grapples are the most versatile because they can be used for so many types of work.Bobcat Co.
Specific to the T770 loader’s size and strength, he adds, “We cannot have a big, heavy footprint on most of our sites, and for this class of machine, Bobcat is definitely the toughest.”
Hansen calls Bobcat engineers and dealer salespeople “understanding,” when it comes to machine and attachment innovation, especially for his primary types of work. “They are continually updating and getting better,” he says, “but they ‘get’ my business and get what I need.”
Hansen realizes, however, that getting the most out of any machine requires a commitment from its owner and operator. As such, he is adamant about preventive maintenance on the equipment. “Considering the investment and how important they are to the business, you’ve got to take good care of them,” he emphasizes.
Preserving the Future
K&D Land Improvement has earned a strong reputation in the area without formally advertising. In fact, it has a lot of repeat business, particularly related to timber improvement and restoration.
One landowner near the Brushy Creek State Recreation area in Lehigh has been hiring the company to help clear and maintain his land for 15 of K&D’s 18 years in business. Although the customer marks trees and brush to be removed, as a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) commissioner, Hansen can help select trees and brush to remove or keep based on state forester standards. Karen, a conservationist for Webster County, IA, can help, as well.
Hansen appreciates the fact that many of his neighbors and customers care as much about the land as he and Karen do.
“I’m not a political guy but conservation is important,” he states. “We’ve got to pay attention to our natural resources and protect and preserve what we have. We can all do this together, but everyone needs to do their thing.”
