Business Owner’s Big Heart Shines Through Community Projects

Giving Back in ‘Bobcat Time’ 

Tom started his hometown business, TNT Enterprises, in 2009 as a simple community service offering snow removal. Initially, he lacked proper equipment for the job, but he did what he could with a four-wheeled ATV. His first business investment the following year was an early ‘80s Bobcat 825 skid-steer loader. Though it had more than 10,000 hours on it when he bought it, he recognized its dependability would become an incalculable asset to the village. Soon, his business expanded to offer highway construction, finishing work, landscaping, backfilling and water line installation.  

“I ran it for years,” Tom says of his first machine, noting its reliability even at an advanced age. “Once it had 15,000 hours on it, it was an easy decision to buy another Bobcat loader.” 

Business boomed, and the reliability of Tom’s equipment enabled him to throw in some free service hours for his customers. “I just take care of oil changes and filter changes, and the machines just keep going,” says Tom, who later purchased a Bobcat S130 skid-steer loader and a Bobcat S570 skid-steer loader. “I know I have the cushion of reliability to offer help. I can give them an extra hour of work free because I know my machines run really well.” 

He dubbed the bonus “Bobcat time.” Because he hasn’t had to budget for reliability problems, he can pass along the benefit to customers. “The time I might otherwise be in the shop making repairs, I’m able to put toward helping the community,” he says. “I have been able to help out low-income families and elders with services free of charge so things can be a little easier on them.”  

His business is also a fixture at community events, such as the winter festival called the Teslin Mini-Rendezvous. As contestants compete in traditional outdoor games, Tom offers a few hours of his “Bobcat time” as a prize. 

Blazing Trails for Community Connections 

One opportunity to make a big impact in Tom’s community came partly by chance. Teslin planned to construct trails through a swampy area to help connect residents in different neighborhoods. Initially, he was not set to take the lead on the project. But as work began in 2021, the heavy track machines assigned to the project started sinking in the swamp. They had to be pulled off the job, and work stalled. That’s when Tom rolled up to rescue the project with his Bobcat S570 skid-steer loader.  

“I’m not as heavy as a track machine, but I still have the track capabilities,” he says, explaining that he overlays the tracks onto his tires. “It ended up working perfectly. I was light enough that I was able to float across the muskeg, and we were able to complete the trail.”