Silver Dollar Racing & Shavings
Joshua & Krystal Harty
Mar 31, 2016
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Agenda
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Background
Business Timeline
Maxwell, NM Mill History and Setup
Current Process and Products
Challenges and Solutions
Questions
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Background
• Cody and Kathy Deines –
race horse trainers and
ranchers
• Joshua Harty – farmer,
professional welder, and
mechanic
• Krystal Harty – mechanical
and aerospace engineering
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Business Timeline
• 1984 – Silver Dollar Racing was started and idea for
shavings business born
o Wood shavings used in stalls at the track, replacing straw
o Shavings were hard to come by
• 1993 – Shavings delivery started and name was
changed to Silver Dollar Racing & Shavings
o Bought and rebuilt old dump trailer and 4x4 pickup
o Bought shavings from wood businesses and started
delivering to the track
o Helped prevent businesses having to get rid of shavings
that eventually ended up in a landfill or burner
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Business Timeline – cont’d
• 1994 – Delivery increased
o Race horse training took a back seat
o Delivering to ~20-25 regular customers in Albuquerque and
surrounding area
o Customers included Arabian, show, cutting, and boarding
facilities
• 1997 – Work loads increased
o Kathy started working for Silver Dollar Racing & Shavings
full time
o Started buying equipment for bagging bulk shavings
• Partnered with White Sands Forest products in Alamogordo
• Delivered semi loads to New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and
Oklahoma
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Business Timeline – cont’d
• 1998-2000 – Bagging facility in Albuquerque, NM
o Bought out HCS, Inc. (one of Silver Dollar Racing and
Shavings’ largest competitors)
o Gained more customers (over 300) in the Albuquerque/
Santa Fe area
o Sold retail portion in July 2000
• 2000-2001 – Moved to Maxwell, NM
o Bought acreage in Maxwell, NM
o Kathy became Board of Director and Secretary/Treasurer of
the Cimarron Watershed Alliance (CWA)
• 2003 – Maxwell, NM mill procurement
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Maxwell, NM Mill History
• Built in the late 1800s
• Used as a sugar beet facility, turkey processing
plant, feed mill and more
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Maxwell, NM Mill History cont’d
• Used for junk storage
since 1960s
• Silver Dollar Racing &
Shavings cleaned and
improved the facility
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Maxwell, NM Mill Setup
Foundation
Equipment
Electricity
Equipment
Equipment
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Process
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3
Shaver to storage bin
Storage bin to dryer
Dryer to screen*
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2
3
*Oversized pieces chopped up and
sent to the top of the screen.
Undersized pieces go to the
biomass burner for fuel. 100% of log
is used!!!
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Process cont’d
4a
4b
5a
5b
Screen to yellow storage bin
Screen to wattle storage bin
Yellow storage bin
to bagger
Wattle storage bin
to extruder (inside
building)
5a
4a
4b
5b
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Current Expansion
• Improving wood wattle production
o Will increase ability to utilize more small diameter wood
from forest thinning projects
o Will introduce a new product to customers that utilizes
wood as opposed to straw
Wood Wattle extruder
Wood Wattle in use
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Products
Bagged Shavings
Wood Wattles
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Challenges
• Employee hiring and retention in a small town
o Reduced industry and economic growth in rural areas has
made good employees hard to find
o Training can be extensive/expensive for some positions and
retention is important but challenging
• Surviving economic downturns
o Market volatility challenges small business
• Log availability and transportation
o Limited logging in the area (even though
plenty of acres need treatment)
o Transportation is expensive
o Very few contractors are available for
hauling
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Solutions
• Employee hiring and retention in a small town
o Providing a comfortable work environment
o Paying above average salaries for the area
• Surviving economic downturns
o Managing expenses
• Log availability and transportation
o Getting involved in forest restoration projects
o Collaborating with other businesses in the area
o Hauling our own logs
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Proud of our business
Since Jan 1, 2015, we have utilized 6,580 tons of logs and injected approximately $145,000 into restoration projects
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Thank you!!!!
Questions?
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