RCNZ contractor profile: Levet Contracting
One of the secrets to success in the world of contracting is to continue to evolve. With four decades of experience, Levet Contracting is a stellar example.
The Levet family has been a mainstay in the agricultural contracting business for 40 years. Established in1980, the business started with a focus on hay baling and has since developed and expanded into general agricultural contracting, farm services and earthmoving.
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With five full-time and seven part-time staff, Levet Contracting is going from strength to strength
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"People are busy and getting the right equipment for the job can sometimes be a challenge. We do all the jobs people don’t have the time or the gear to do," says Steve Levet, owner of Levet Contracting.
The company offers a range of services including truck and tractor hire, seed drilling, digger hire, mulching, truck and transporter, power harrowing, ripping, and cartage to name just a few.
With five full-time and seven part-time staff, the business is going from strength to strength.
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Steve Levet
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"Our success has always been based on sticking at it through the good times and the bad times," says Steve. In 2006, the Levets sold their hay baling business to concentrate their efforts on fertiliser spreading, seed drilling and earthworks.
In 2015, Levet Contracting bought Borrows Lime, changing the name to Silverhill Quarry. Since the purchase, the business has expanded, adding extra trucks and diggers to its fleet.
"Our focus has been to expand that side of our business more so than the ag work," Steve says. "In saying that though, we still do seed drilling and fert spreading."
The business is a family affair, run by Steve with his wife and their daughters Susan and Aimee, who takes care of all the administration work for the quarry and contracting business, as well as health and safety. Son Bryce also works on the farm, often helping out in the quarry.
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Rhodes for Roads truck carting limestone to a forestry job
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Last year, the Levets took over the running of the Wellsford Ballance store, which Steve’s daughter Susan runs on the 62-hectare farm on the outskirts of Wellsford.
As the business has evolved, so has its range of equipment and machinery. The fleet of Fiat tractors used throughout the ’80s and ’90s have since been replaced by New Holland tractors.
Quality equipment and machinery has always been a priority for the team, with Steve saying it helps ensure the work is done efficiently and to a high standard. "Our machinery hasn’t always been new but it has always been very well maintained," he says.
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Alvyn Borrows and quarry manager James Rooney
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Currently, the team run Nissan trucks, and the business has two Hyundai diggers and four Komatsu diggers. Steve says being a part of the industry for 40 years has allowed him to see many trends and changes in how people operate and the types of machinery that is used.
"The biggest changes that I have seen in nearly 40 years of agricultural contracting is the size of the machinery – it has got bigger, more expensive, and needs competent operators to work it," he explains.
Steve has been a key part of Rural Contractors NZ for many years and recommends the organisation to fellow New Zealand contractors.
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The Levet family have been in the business for almost 40 years |
"Twenty-five years ago, Rural Contractors New Zealand was formed and I have been actively involved ever since," he says. Steve is a past national president, a position he held for five years.
"I would strongly recommend any contractor to join this organisation as it has a lot to offer, and I have many good friends all over the country as a result of being a member," he says.
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