(Right)
Trenching made easy by using the new Volvo ECR38 compact excavator.

For Chris Manzuk, 20 years in the corporate world in the biotech industry finallytook its toll and in July 2004 he did a 180 degree-turn and struck out in the construction industry as C. Manzuk Enterprises. He purchased a 10-wheel dump truck with an equipment trailer and began doing hauling. Once he was on jobsites, he often offered his help and began operating equipment. From there he started renting his own equipment, and finally purchased his own Caterpillar compact skid steer and Volvo ECR38 compact excavator.

He says his focus is the residential backyard niche. He does everything from demolishing concrete and brick flatwork to entire house structures, as well as rough grading, excavation and trenching for utilities and footings for homes.

Chris says that he has always had a general interest in construction, even though his background is biology and chemistry. His brother-in-law is in the construction industry and Chris has learned a lot from him about the business.

“I have a knack for operating equipment,” Chris explains. “I’m aware when I’m on a job and the other sub-contractors notice and appreciate that I can help out, as well as be safe.”

Even though Chris still works long hours with his business, he says his time is more flexible now that he’s out of the corporate world.

“Now I can take days off just to hang out with my kids (a 6-year-old daughter and 2 1/2-year-old son),” he says.

One of Chris’ first house demolitions with his Volvo compact excavator was on a piece of property he and wife Lisa bought in Jamul in San Diego County. The seven-acre piece of property had what Chris calls “a scraper” on it and Chris used his Volvo to “complete the demo.” Chris and his family lived in a fifth-wheel trailer on the property for a year and a half while their new house was being built.

Chris does all his work for homebuilders, and has grown his business, which grossed just under $200,000 in 2006, by rubbing shoulders with various contractors on projects. He works in San Diego County from just north of the Mexican border to just south of Camp Pendleton in the north. Lisa organizes all the paperwork for the business.

Chris’ typical project lasts two to three days, but sometimes he has a project that takes a month from start to finish. One such project he’s getting ready to start is for a new 11,300 square foot home in La Jolla. He will do some demo work, rough grading, and excavation for the footings and utilities. He’ll work on the project on and off for a month.

“My schedule is driven by inspections,” Chris explains. “I’ll do one part and then it has to be inspected before I can start the next phase.”

One of Chris’ more memorable jobs was another project in La Jolla, which involved removing and recompacting the soil, and trenching for utilities for two homes.

“The soil in La Jolla is very steep and expansive,” Chris explains. “When there’s new construction, the soil needs to be removed, restored and recompacted and the slope often prohibits the use of equipment.”

Chris was able to use his equipment on this project despite the slope of the grade.

Because Chris is the sole person working for C. Manzuk Enterprises, managing his schedule and project timeline can be a challenge.

“When I’m busy, I’m busy,” he says. “But I find that predominately a client will wait for my schedule to open up so that I can complete the job. If they have a harsh deadline and just can’t wait, I have some buddies which I can rely on to cover the job. That helps out everyone involved.”

One of Chris’ greatest assets is that he is flexible and can get to a job fairly quickly when a client calls.

“I give good, competitive prices and do my job thoroughly without damaging the property or site,” he adds.

For Chris, the purchase of his Volvo ECR38 has been a huge asset.

“I needed something compact enough to get into back yards, but I also needed something powerful enough to do larger jobs, like house demos,” Chris explains. “This piece of equipment has the power and reach to load a 40-yard bin or a 10-wheel truck.”

He says he didn’t really need to shop around when he decided to buy a compact excavator. He had operated various brands in the days when he rented equipment, and he was familiar with Mathews Machinery, from whom he purchased the Volvo, because of his brother-in-law.

“Mathews Machinery’s customer service is just outstanding,” Chris says. “Tony Papania and his staff treat small guys like me like we’re huge contractors.

“If I have a problem, I call up their service guys who can use their laptop computer systems to diagnose the problem, get me a part if I need it, or recommend a band-aid solution,” he continues. They also make prompt service calls to the job site.“The sales guy, Jim Slattum checks in on me periodically to see if I have questions and to make suggestions on other pieces of equipment I could use. But it’s never a hard sell kind of thing.”

Chris doesn’t foresee adding anyone else to his operation in the near future, because he likes being independent and not having to be responsible for other employees.

“I really enjoy what I do and I just can’t do both—operate the quipment and manage
the employees—and do it well,” he says.

For more information call Chris at
(619) 890-4748. Cc

(Top) Chris Manzuk, owner of C. Manzuk Enterprises, with son Will. (Above) Tight quarters for a septic line trench.
(Left) Volvo ECR38 digging a trench
for pipe installation.