Case Study: Small site contractor 'Dirt Ninja' Tom Gardocki achieves faster layouts, accurate grading and greater profitability with Trimble Site Positioning & Earthworks

“Dirt Ninja” Small Contractor Finds Big Dividends with Machine Control

Tom Gardocki, the “Dirt Ninja,” runs Next Era Excavation and works with his family’s Interstate Landscape in New Hampshire. As a small-site contractor he needed faster, more accurate site layout and grading without relying on slow, costly surveyors or extra crew — especially for house layouts, driveways, septic and utility work.

He adopted Trimble’s site positioning (SPS585 GNSS Smart Antenna, Site Tablet, SCS900 + Site Contractor for SketchUp) plus Trimble GCSFlex and the Earthworks grade control platform for excavators. The systems cut layout time by more than 50% (a 420-ft driveway in ~25 minutes vs ~2 hours), eliminated over‑excavation and the need for dedicated grade checking, and paid for themselves in roughly 150–200 hours of use — enabling one-person crews, faster grade attainment and higher project profitability.