Kindred Concrete had an aging fleet of Case and Takeuchi equipment and needed to find a solution to fit their growing business. With the help of Altorfer Cat’s Brian Goudie, Tom Kindred and Barry Robinson found Altorfer’s support and Cat construction equipment best fit their operation. Read their full story below!

Three years ago, Tom Kindred had the opportunity to buy Tolan’s Excavating – a staple in the Bloomington, IL community. It was special to him because it was where he got his start in the construction industry and met his longtime friend, Barry Robinson. “We’ve been through most things together,” Barry said. “Even though we’re not blood-related, we’re like brothers.”

Tom pitched his idea to buy Tolan’s Excavating and wanted Barry to come on board and help him run it. With a combined lifetime of industry experience, one phone call took these friends to business partners. Kindred’s Concrete and Excavating focuses on building foundations, flat work, and excavating. Subdivisions throughout the community are expanding rapidly and new homes are being built throughout McLean County. Tom is the owner while Barry tackles the day-to-day operations, but both are ready to jump in a machine and get in the dirt when it’s needed.

When Tom bought the business, the 20-year-old equipment they were operating came with it. With the aged fleet came high maintenance and repair costs. Tom and Barry knew they needed to find an alternative solution.

One day, Altorfer machine sales representative Brian Goudie stopped by the shop to introduce himself to Tom. Kindred Concrete did not own Cat equipment, nor had done business with Altorfer. Little did either know this cold call would be the start of their partnership.

“I tried to call a couple other guys to price shop and I couldn’t get a salesman on the phone to show the same focus Brian did,” Tom said. “Barry and I consider him a friend of ours, and if we need anything we can call him.”

The focus and attention to detail is what set Altorfer Cat apart from other equipment dealerships in the area. “My primary focus is knowing their business,’” Brian said. “I learned: what they wanted to accomplish with those machines, how much weight they wanted to lift, and how nimble they needed to be in tight spaces.”

From those conversations and machine demos at the Altorfer East Peoria branch, Tom purchased one Cat 299D3 and three Cat 259D3 compact track loaders, one 306 and one 317 mini excavator.

“Operation costs are down,” Tom said. “We’re spending less on fuel to run these machines and haven’t had any breakdowns. We used to have two guys on the job – one shooting grade and the other moving dirt. Now I can sit in the air-conditioned cab all day long and move dirt!”

They also customized their Cat Customer Value Agreement (CVA) to match their needs. “We can’t have the machines down in the middle of the day – they need to be digging,” Tom said. “Altorfer will stock our shelves with parts for our machines and we’ll do the services ourselves.”

“Nothing could compare to the service from Altorfer,” Barry added. “The attention to detail was instant. Any question, concern, or comment we had was answered. We have yet to wait for a response.”

Everyone is optimistic about the future of Kindred Concrete and Excavating and its impact on Bloomington, IL. “It’s been exciting working with them,” Brian said. “It can be hard for owners to let go of the reins sometimes and let the dealership take care of their machines. They listen to my suggestions and let us take the burden off them. That way they can focus on servicing their customers and producing good work for the community.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Tom said. “We could move our business anywhere, but we have roots and family here and we enjoy working for the community.”