J. Green Excavating builds reputation across 3 counties

After working in the field and around heavy equipment much of his life, Jakob “Jake” Green decided at just 20 years old it was time to build something of his own.

Green started J. Green Excavating LLC in 2019, drawing on experience with equipment from friends and family and training at Ohio State’s agricultural technical campus.

“Jake started this business from the ground up by himself,” Hanna Green, his wife, said, “with a truck, a trailer and a skid steer.”

“I’ve always had a liking for the business,” Jake Green said.

Based in Mechanicstown, J. Green Excavating provides a range of site work, including residential and commercial excavation, demolition, underground utilities, driveway installation, septic installation and repair, drainage solutions and retaining walls.

Green said the company serves Carroll, Stark and Columbiana counties and goes farther for repeat customers.

“We go a long ways for some of our decent repeat customers,” he said.

He said the company works with local governments as well, including the Carrollton village street department and Carroll County commissioners.

“We do a lot of work with commissioners,” Jake Green said.

J. Green Excavating employs eight full-time workers, not including Green and his wife.

“We’ve got two father-son crews, me and my dad and another father-son team,” Jake Green said.

He said one reason customers continue to return is the company’s focus on getting the job done correctly from the start.

Hanna Green said one thing that sets the business apart is her husband’s personal attention to customers.

“He truly cares about his customers and wants to make them happy,” she said. “He goes above and beyond for all his customers. He’s not going to say that because he’s humble, but I’ll say it.”

She said many clients call and ask for Green by name.

“People just ask directly for Jake,” she said. “Everyone wants to talk to Jake because they know he’ll take care of them.”

One ongoing challenge is finding long-term team members who want to make excavating a career.

“We don’t want to just hire anybody off the street,” Hanna Green said. “We want someone who wants to be here as a career.”

Materials supply issues that arose during COVID have eased, Jake Green said, but finding dependable help has been the more persistent challenge.

Jake Green said the company is proud of its growth into commercial work, where tight deadlines and extensive paperwork are part of every project.

“We’re proud of the growth into commercial projects,” he said. “There are deadlines that you have to meet.”

He said J. Green Excavating has worked on multiple Dunkin’ locations, including Carrollton, Minerva and Waynesburg, and projects as far as Niles and Akron. One of the largest jobs the company has handled was the demolition of the Imperial Aluminum warehouse in Minerva.

“It was the biggest demolition,” Jake Green said. “Everything went smoothly and got done.”

Looking ahead, Hanna Green said the company is focused on strengthening its systems and processes so future generations might choose to carry on the business.

“We are really just focusing on preparing everything so one day maybe our future kids can step in and take over if they wish,” she said.

Jake Green said each project, whether residential, commercial or municipal, brings its own challenges.

“We go at everything with the attitude of how can we fix it,” he said. “We try to do it right the first time. Communication and reliability are important to us.”

J. Green Excavating can be reached at 330-205-6960 or online at www.jgreenexcavating.com. The company can also be found on Facebook at J. Green Excavating LLC.