2018 International Forest Industries IFI April May 2018 Digital | Page 66

Part of the team at Homer
Industries, with one of their
TG9000 Vermeer tub grinders, from
left: Todd Hahn, Chad Wallace,
Kimberly Bell, Sam Elder and Josh
Doherty.
Homer Industries
branching out with
Vermeer grinders
Tub grinders are heart
of the operation for
diversified organics
recycler
F
or Homer Industries, “roots
were planted” in 1950 when
Joseph Reposh began offering
Lockport, Illinois residents and
businesses tree care services.
Known then as Homer Tree Service,
the little family-owned company
slowly grew over the span of more
than three decades before Ronald
Reposh purchased it from his
father in 1985. Under his watchful
eye the company continued to grow
steadily; the business really took
off in 1997 when it expanded into
land clearing services.
Reposh was able to predict
an emerging market again when
he established their mulch
and grinding division, Homer
Industries, in 2003. The company
expanded again in 2013, creating
an environmental division
committed to reestablishing
natural native habitats around the
Midwest U.S.
64 International Forest Industries | APRIL / MAY 2018
Grinding out profits Heart of the operation
Today, Homer Companies employs
more than 200 people across
its four different divisions and
operates a fleet of 400 pieces of
equipment.
According to Todd Hahn, COO of
Homer Industries, the division he
works for was established to make
use of all the raw material the tree
service division was producing.
“The business went from having
one to two loads of chips per day
to producing 20-plus loads every
day,” he explains. “By adding a
few more pieces of equipment, we
were able to create a new service
for current customers and establish
several new partnerships.”
Homer Industries receives most
of its raw material from its land
clearing operations but has also
opened its yard up to other tree
care professionals, municipalities
and landscapers for wood waste
disposal. The material is then
turned into a variety of mulch
products, including playground
surfacing, colour-enriched mulch
and hardwood mulch.
According to Hahn, around 80
percent of their products are sold
in bulk, by the truckload. The rest
is bagged and sold locally.
“Wholesalers, landscapers
and cities make up the largest
percentage of our customer base,”
he says. “We also sell to do-it-
yourself homeowners in the area
who need a small truckload of
mulch from time to time.”
With all the competition in the
mulch industry, Homer Industries
believes it’s the quality of its end
product that makes them stand
out.
“There are a lot of variables
involved with making high-end
mulch products,” Hahn notes.
“To ensure customers are getting
exactly what they want, we have
invested in the right equipment.
It is those machines that help
us sort material and control size
consistency.” Homer Industries uses Vermeertub
grinders to process most of the raw
material it receives. The company
runs a Vermeer TG7000 and three
Vermeer TG9000 tub grinders.
“While we do use chippers and
some horizontal grinders in our
land clearing operations, back at
our yard we use all tub grinders,”
Hahn explains. “They are fast,
efficient and can handle a variety of
material.”
Homer Industries purchased
their Vermeer TG7000 tub grinder
shortly after expanding into
mulch and grinding. As business
increased, so did the amount of
raw material on hand that needed
to be processed, which led them
to investing in two TG9000 tub
grinders over the course of the next
several years. In the fall of 2017,
Homer Industries determined it
was time to increase its processing
capabilities again and purchased a
third TG9000.
The TG9000 is the most
powerful tub grinder Vermeer
produces. It features a large
diameter opening with an inside
diameter of 3.4 metres (11 feet).
For Homer Industries, that
means they can process large
pieces of material and regrind
material processed on jobsites
quickly. Also, the Vermeer patented
thrown object restraint system
(TORS) helps limit the amount of
thrown debris while working. “It’s a
great safety feature in the yard and
when we have one of our grinders
working in the field,” adds Hahn.
According to Homer Industries,
their reasons for choosing Vermeer
tub grinders were due to the
quality of the machine build, as
well as the support they receive
from Vermeer Midwest, their local
dealer.
“When Homer Industries
started, it was a constant struggle
to keep up with demand, so we
didn’t have room for downtime,”
explains Hahn. “Vermeer Midwest’s