About Us

Who We Are

D&R Earthmoving is an employee owned company based in Whitmore Lake, MI. It was founded in 2003 by Brian Dodds and Don Roberts, longtime colleagues with extensive industry experience. After working together for many years at other companies, the pair created D&R Earthmoving based on their successful track records in project management and field supervision. Our outstanding reputation as a highly credible contractor throughout the industry began on the solid foundation of hardworking values. We extend these same values to our customers, sub-contractors, and suppliers.

D&R Earthmoving has the experience, knowledge and equipment to handle all of your site work needs and requirements.  Our estimators/project managers have over 200 years of combined experience. From the smallest to the largest projects, D&R Earthmoving has the experience to help you from the bidding process through to a successful and timely completion, whether it is a $50,000 or $20,000,000 project. At D&R Earthmoving you have one dedicated employee that will see your project through from start to finish. With this dedication, along with the highest quality services, D&R Earthmoving has a proven track record and frequent repeat customers.

D&R Earthmoving serves commercial developers, general contractors, municipalities, landfills and single-family and multi-family residential developers. With highly visible projects – and an extensive customer base that includes some of Southeast Michigan’s largest companies – we’ve built a significant portfolio and have a long track record of excellent performance.  Many of our customer relationships span decades and have become trusted partnerships across multiple projects.

We are a union contractor.  Our team of estimators, operators and managers, along with the subcontractors and suppliers we work with, have the knowledge and experience needed to ensure that our work is done correctly, safely and efficiently.

What We Do

We provide site-preparation and excavation services across the Southeastern Michigan area, with a focus on four main industries: commercial, public, multi-family residential, and single-family residential.

D&R Earthmoving has completed many commercial, public works, and industrial site development projects, from wetlands, parks, and schools to government buildings and shopping centers. Our experienced staff handles all stages of projects throughout their lifecycle. We directly oversee carefully chosen subcontractors and suppliers, and manage a fleet of more than 100 pieces of major earthmoving equipment.

We also have extensive experience with residential development projects, from multi-family condominium and apartment sites to single-family subdivisions. The company partners with developers and home builders to coordinate with the entire team and deliver each project on schedule. D&R Earthmoving's on-site foreman and supervisors provide leadership and effective site management, from clearing and grubbing all the way through to final lot grading. We also facilitate communication between engineers, city inspectors, and the project owners to make sure all work progresses as intended.

Whether your development needs are residential, commercial, municipal, or industrial, you can depend on D&R Earthmoving to complete your project in a professional manner from start to finish.

Over the past 20 years, we've completed more thousands of projects, including many of Michigan's highest-profile developments. Our services include:

• Total site development
• Commercial development
• Utility installation
• Site demolition
• Clearing and grubbing
• Environmental services
• Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC)
• Land balancing
• Sanitary sewer installation
• Storm sewer installation
• Water main installation
• Utility conduits
• Street base
• Fine grading
• Place aggregate base
• Foundation excavation and backfill
• Earthwork
• Road work
• Residential subdivisions
• Parks
• Schools
• Wetlands
• Landfills

Our Commitment to Excellence

D&R Earthmoving has established a diverse customer base throughout Southeastern Michigan and beyond. Since 2017, more than half of the 142 customers we've served have provided repeat business, often returning with larger and more complex projects.

Our revenue has increased significantly, largely due to an increased number of landfill and distribution projects. In 2021, the company made personnel investments specifically aimed at growing the landfill segment.

When you hire D&R Earthmoving, we'll create a project-specific Quality Control Plan that addresses the issues unique to your project:

• In coordination with the Land Surveyor, we’ll develop procedures to ensure that the plan is followed correctly.
• Along with specific plans developed with the Testing Firm, we’ll create procedures with the owner or general contractor to ensure correct initial locations, as well as verification of work as it progresses.
• As the grading and earthwork progresses, we’ll implement processes that will ensure proper layout and testing of road stone base, along with asphalt and concrete pavement and sidewalks. Our vigorous commitment to quality is expressed in all parts of our organization as we strive for zero defects.

Due to our corporate stability and solid financial foundation, D&R Earthmoving can provide clients with peace of mind, and the assurance that we'll see your project through to completion. We're fully bonded, and our financing is secure with our lending institution well into the future.

We are an MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) pre-qualified contractor in good standing. D&R Earthmoving is highly pre-qualified with MDOT and has a large bonding capacity for multiple projects.

Our Commitment to Safety

D&R' Earthmoving's reputation within the commercial and residential construction industry has been built on a long history of quality and dependability. With extensive resources and equipment, regular training and inspections, we can ensure a safety-first operational mentality.

For every project, we'll produce a Site Specific Safety Plan that addresses such issues as emergency response, traffic flow, utility work, and site cleanliness. D&R Earthmoving has a great EMR rating that proves our dedication to safety.

Our Project Delivery Philosophy

We believe the best outcome is achieved through daily communication between your team and the project manager.

The company acts as a single point of contact, through its project estimator, on-site foreman, and supervisors, to maintain a clear, open dialogue with developers and home builders. As part of our commitment to successful and timely project completion, we also make use of industry-standard management software to organize all aspects of the job – from pre-construction to close-out. We'll also conduct weekly meetings with our subcontractors to review safety, scheduling, job progress, and contract deliverables. This allows us to resolve any issues that may arise over the course of the project.

D&R Earthmoving's own personnel can perform a large portion of the work, including Total Site Development, Site Demolition, Clearing & Grubbing, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC), Earthwork (Land Balancing and Fine Grading), Utility Installation (Storm Sewer, Sanitary Sewer, Foundation Excavation and Backfill, and Water Main), and Aggregate Base Placement. Self-performing such a significant amount of the project helps us ensure completion of all critical path activities on the schedule.

About Our Founders

D&R Earthmoving was founded in 2003 by Don Roberts and Brian Dodds, longtime colleagues with extensive industry knowledge. After working together for many years at other companies, the pair created D&R Earthmoving based on their successful track records in project management and field supervision.

Our co-founding partner and CEO, Brian Dodds, sadly passed away in 2020 at age 62. Each year we sponsor the Annual Brian Dodds Memorial Charity Golf Outing, which benefits the non-profit charity Construction Angels.