Travis Gearig, the owner and founder of Gearig Civilworks, has always been competitive. His mom recounts a story of a 7-year-old who could barely see over the dashboard of the pickup truck, driving around the family farm running errands. One particular day a farmhand on a tractor tried to race the young boy back to the barn. Losing was not an option for Travis as he dropped down in the seat to reach the gas pedal and press it hard to the floor. He pulled himself back up by the steering wheel to take in the glory of victory just in time to see the back end of his daddy’s parked truck. Travis learned that day that winning isn’t everything and it often comes at a price.
Travis tells of the blessings of growing up working on his family’s farm in rural Louisville, Georgia. (Population 2,383) Farming in a small community provides the perfect venue to learn the all-important life lessons of dedication, integrity, relationships and teamwork.
In April of 2000, at the age of 22, Travis had saved enough money to purchase his own backhoe, and he boldly set off to start a one-man business; clearing lots, installing septic systems and digging house footings. It was a tough beginning and Travis tells that he never even got paid for his very first job. However, thanks to his endless optimism and tenacious drive, within 6 months Travis had developed enough of a customer base to justify bringing on his first full-time employee. Within a year, two more employees were added to the team along with a D5 Dozer and a mini excavator.
Each successive year saw continual growth of the Gearig team and fleet. The company left behind the septic tank days and geared its services specifically towards sitework, heavy grading and utility installation. By 2007 Gearig was comprised of 50 plus employees and 60 pieces of equipment.
Like most companies in the construction industry, Gearig Civilworks felt the effects of the financial crisis of 2008 and was required to reduce its workforce by half. But, like the 7-year-old who refused to lose, Travis accepted the challenge, dug in and diversified. He purchased 400 acres of land near his home town and converted it into over 300 acres of automatically irrigated farm land for growing corn, cotton, peanut and sunflower crops. In 2013, Travis brought a much-needed service to the CSRA with the introduction of a soil reclamation and stabilization division.
