“Starting on top and digging your way down works only in the excavating business,” said Burt Buzick, owner of Red River Excavating. He doesn’t recommend other Moorhead businesses to follow his lead.

Working in the ground comes natural for Buzick, as he has had tons of experience since childhood. Unfortunately, that experience came quickly and with a huge price. When Buzick was a young nine-year-old boy, his father died unexpectedly, and the farming responsibilities fell to him, his two brothers, and four sisters. Being the third oldest of his sidings required him to grow up quickly and to leave many childhood adventures to others, as he had to tend the family farm. Even with the many challenges in early childhood, he understood the importance of education and completed high school on time in 1956. Buzick worked the farm until selling the equipment in the early 1960’s to learn the construction and excavating business with a local company. He has been playing in the dirt ever since.

Thanks to his independent streak, Buzick opened the Red River Excavating business in 1976 on his own. It grew into a family business that now consists of him and his two sons, Brian and Carey who have recently taken over the daily business operations to allow their father some well-deserved time off. His daughter Brenda also lives in the area.

Buzick is quick to point out that in the world of construction, excavation contractors do much more than just haul dirt around. Even though the excavation portion is just one part of a larger project, the excavation process is extremely important in order to achieve a strong and firm foundation. Buzick explains that their responsibilities include site preparation, grading, trenching, and other soil-related tasks.

In a typical single-family residential construction project, which is approximately eighty percent of their business, they arrive on the site after the surveying work is complete. With new construction, the Red River Excavating crew begins the removal of the soil to the depth required for new foundations and ensures that the soil is firm by conducting compaction tests. As expected, the dig measurements must be precise. Therefore, Buzick’s crew must match the grade posted by the surveying crew. Sewer and water lines must also be dug. After the pouring of the footers and stem walls, his crew then backfills around the new foundation. Leveling the top soil to the final grade is the last step for his crew.

The major part of excavating work occurs from April to January depending upon the weather conditions. The company employs six employees who Buzick credits as an important part for the company’s success. Without their skills and dedication, he said, it would be difficult to provide the professional services to the many building contractors who have come to rely on the company’s expertise.

1601 26th Street South

Moorhead, MN 56560

218 233-8444