At 19 years James Starbuck decided to start his own business in the Earthmoving industry with a 10-tonne excavator and a dream
“I bought a 10.7ton excavator and that was the start of Starbuck Excavation,” he says.
“In the beginning I took on any work I could find including labouring, landscaping and working as a contractor. I proceeded to hire my first full-time operator and he continues to work for me to this day”.
Today Starbuck Excavation is a well-known name and has earned an influencer status with their strong social media following within the earthmoving industry.
The company employs 30 full-time staff and as many full-time sub-contractors.
“We run a couple of trucks and have 18 machines in the fleet including bulldozers, excavators, posi-tracks and rollers. Right from your basic residential site cuts, through to large underground basements. Piles, retention, footings, pads and drainage. Anything that involves moving dirt we can help with”.
In 2015 Jimmy established sister company Starbuck Plant Hire to manage his own cartage and disposal. Starbuck Plant Hire now sends out up to 40 tipper trucks per day, servicing internal projects as well as external client’.
“We’re a Melbourne based business but occasionally do projects in South Australia and New South Wales”.
Jimmy recently became one of the early adopters purchasing one of the first Hidromek HMK140LC excavators in Australia.
“For the past 6 months we have had 4-5 Hidromek excavators on hire at any one time.”
“We have been impressed with the performance of the machines and happy with the service we have been receiving. The key feedback from the operators is the great breakout force and the design of the spacious cab is another great feature”.
“I recently visited the Hidromek factories in Turkey and after seeing the conditions the machines work in over there it is clear that the build is of very high quality. The ground in Turkey is extremely rocky so the machines need to be very durable and rugged”.
“I have seen a few different brand’s manufacturing facilities and the Hidromek factories are very impressive and absolutely on par with the other facilities I have been to”.
“One thing that makes Hidromek stand out is the direct factory contacts. We have had dealings directly with Bahadir Yilmaz [Hidromek Export Area Manager] and Hidromek management visited us on site during one of their trips to Australia recently. Having that direct factory relationship is truly unique”.
“We first came across Hidromek through Onetrak Rental. Our experience with the service team and rental machines availability have been very positive. Hidromek and Onetrak make a great team and the great service was a factor when we decided to purchase our first Hidromek excavator”.
“There were a few exciting new product releases that we got to see when we visited the Hidromek factories and I am really looking forward to seeing the new zero swing HMK145LCSR here in Australia”.
Burak Ozdemir [Starbuck Excavation Operations Manager] also works closely with the Onetrak Rental team and has worked with the Hidromek machines for a few months.
“We have had very experienced operators in both the Hidromek excavators and the grader and the feedback has been very positive. The Hidromek machines are reliable good all-rounders. The cabs are one of the great features”.
“We are very happy dealing with the Onetrak Rental team. They’re a smaller nimbler alternative to some other suppliers. They’re easy to deal with, quick and always helpful”.