Barhite Excavating began in the mid 60's with Marty Bahite as sole proprietor. Marty began his excavation business with two machines and a logging truck. Back then he'd log in the winter and bulldoze in the summer. Some of the jobs he's taken on in his 40+ years in business are ponds, driveways, foundations, septic systems, township roads, trails for Elk Mountain and the list goes on.

In the late 60's and through the 70's there where three excavators in the area - Marty Barhite, Home Ross and Joe Swetter. Through the 80's and 90's his sons began taking interest in the family business of excavation. Presently in 2006, Marty and his sons (Martin, Michael and Tyler) continue the family business of hardworking bulldozer operators and making every effort to meet the customer's satisfaction.

Here is a little story by Rita Bates that says it all about bulldozer operators.

Ode To The Earthmover

The bucket burrowed deep in the rich black dirt. Beads of sweat glistened on the man's muscles as he pulled the steering levers. He watched the bucket raise high into the air and empty into the truck. The rumble in his stomach told him it must be near noon. He pulled out his pocket watch and check the time. He raised his hand to signal the two men working nearby as he jumped from the tracks of his machine into the fresh earth. He lifted his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "Gonna be a hot one today," he told the two men walking towards him.

Who is this man? He's an earthmover. The small time excavating contractor. He is a different breed. He likes a drink and talks about equipment. He looks when a pretty woman walks by and talks about equipment. He lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps his machinery. He may never be rich, but he can say, "I did it my way."

Many big excavating contractors across this country have larger, better equipment, and do bigger work. But thank God for the small guy. Without him, who would dig our cellars, put in driveways and small roads, dig ponds, septics, swimming pools, drains in the fields, and the list goes on.

He's not afraid to jump off a bulldozer, garb a hand shovel and start digging. He'll cut a tree that stands in his way. He waits for no one. His only thoughts get the job done and move on to the next one. You can see him moving machinery late at night or before dawn. He's no eight to five man. He sometimes works half the night repairing a piece of equipment so his men can be on the job first thing in the morning. Lucky the wife who can find him when her child is being born. Lucky the excavator that finds the wife who understands his needs. He is a man with a passion.

He receives very little recognition. He blasts and digs a cellar, then puts a driveway in where once stood a mound of rock. A builder comes and builds a house. The excavator puts drains and a swale in a field that at one time was a swamp. The landscaper sows seed and rakes. When a buyer comes along, they say, "When a beautiful house and lawn!" Who ever sees the job the bulldozer operator does? To the layman his work is covered.

If the small excavating contractor makes a thousand dollars, nine hundred goes to meet his payroll, taxes, insurance, medical, telephone, a fuel, tires, and parts for breakdowns. He must feed and clothe his family and worry about the new bottom his machine needs next winter. As you can see, not many small excavating contractors become millionaires.

He is a man of his word. You may find he swears and talks rough. He looks as tough as the calluses on his hands. But you will find his heart as soft as the dirt he digs. Ask one of these men for a favor and they will move heaven and earth to do it. Jeans and faded shirts are their uniform. They are men among men; they change the face of the earth.