Business View Magazine | March 2021

29 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MARCH 2021 “Some projects require air excavation, others water,” adds Woods, “yet regardless of which is in use, several restrictions apply to avoid cut lines.” These restrictions come from enacted safety measures that have changed the industry to consider significantly safe digging and avoid explosions while digging underground. Despite more business, the pandemic has forced Haaker Equipment Company to adapt to a more digitized world, a reality that Farrell is all too familiar with. He has had to turn to less traditional sales channels like LinkedIn to find leads, something he feels has made his work significantly more straightforward. “On LinkedIn, prospect information is visible, easing conversation because you already know what they do,” he says. “You see what they do, they see what you do, and it’s almost like a tradeshow because everybody’s right there.” He feels such websites are a great marketing channel because it is easy to show prospects what the company does without investing in tradeshows and similar trade events. Peering into the future, Haaker Equipment Company is banking on sustainability as a viable path towards greater growth. “We currently have a water recycling green initiative,” says Woods, “which builds on the environmental cleaning products that we sell. We are also closely monitoring the electric vehicle (EV) market, with an expectation that all the equipment we sell will run on renewable energy in the next six to ten years.” As the company outgrows its current markets, it is pursuing expansion into new markets like San Diego and Fresno. Woods emphasizes, “With a lot of new technology emerging from partner manufacturers like Elgin and Vactor, we see these new markets as an opportunity to sell better products to a broader market through our total service solutions.” HAAKER EQUI PMENT COMPANY