High Performance Earthworks

Jesse Seavers is the visionary life-force behind High Performance Earthworks. His incredible drive, optimism and expansive nature allows him to build and shape what he desires, from the ground up. 

I’d like to start with better understanding the backstory of the company. When did you first envision High Performance Earthworks and can you explain that vision?

 I sold my tech company and was building a bathroom addition for our household. I initially wanted to apply my background in construction to improve our property to create an income stream for our little Airbnb that Angie, my wife, manages. I’ve built houses before and I have a background in adobe and earth building, and renovations—building with earth as the main material. I’ve always loved working with the dirt. I’ve always connected with it as a material to build with and work with. 

When I was working on that addition, I found myself coming to the tail end of it and thinking about what I wanted to do next. I wanted to sell my company and take some time off with the buy-out money, but it wasn’t enough to support us, so I knew I had to go back to work. In all my spare moments, I was moving dirt and rocks around, building terraces and other structures. I started to build parking patches, having trucks of material delivered, and I loved laboring and working with my hands and the process of building things out of earth and rock. 

In the course of this process, I started to meet people who noticed; one of them was a local excavator, Jeramy Meyers. I worked with him for about a year, and we were doing a lot of good stuff together. But I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart and have managed businesses before, building them from scratch. I realized there was more opportunity for me to build my own business in excavation. We tinkered with partnership, but it just wasn’t meant to be, in the end. So I parted ways with Jeramy and started working on my own. 

At first, I started with performing energy audits of houses. But I kept getting excavation work and contracts, which is where my passion really is, so that’s how the company got started. 

How would you describe your role within the company and how does this position bring you joy? 

My role — there are a variety of roles — mostly consists of field management and supporting the field staff and sales, like meeting with potential customers onsite. When you work with dirt, every site is different, and every customer is different. My job is to meet with each customer and figure out what their desires are and then assign jobs based off of strengths that appropriately meet the needs of the job — quality control. Every evening, I work with Sarah to figure out dispatch, determining who is working where the following day, and we let the guys know the night before, so they know where to go the next day. Every day is different, based on what’s happened the day before. 

I also work sometimes with the office and sales, creating bids. I provide support to Angie and Sarah to make sure they have what they need. I also work with Peter to make sure our billing is fair and our budgeting is up to date. My job is to complete the overarching CEO aspects of the company. 

What brings me the most joy is working the dirt, making things beautiful. I love the machines and I’m good at the machine work. But, as the field guys get better, I get to do the ground labor and I really like that, you know, for the physicality of it — to get exercise. I love the fact that the material we work with is organic, of the earth. We move the earth around. It brings me joy to engage with the earth. I really like nature, to work with Mother Nature. Even though I tear down trees and tear up the grass, I work to retain and repair it. We always have the ecosystems and water systems in mind when we put things together. Our medium is natural and stays there forever, if we do it right. 

I also really like watching our guys grow and improve. I love growth, I love watching the employees and company grow. It’s a good source of fulfillment for me. 

What do you like about this particular field of excavation?

 We always have an opportunity to put the yard back together, where we can add a little bit of value to the property, making it look a little nicer, besides just installing a septic system. Maybe we put in some rock work by the septic lid, if it's the correct application.

When I lived in New Mexico, I was into composting toilets and their environmental impact. I am sold on the wastewater treatment methods down there. They can manage their wastewater on site, and they utilize solar panels. It’s an off-grid opportunity for New Mexicans, a self-contained living system for property dwelling and homeowners. Here in the Front Range, we get the hardest septic jobs, and I take pride in completing challenging household and septic projects. I really like to work with Tim and Erik at All Service Septic. I have an appreciation for figuring out complex systems and meeting customers’ needs. 

What has been your favorite customer experience? 

I have a couple that stand out to me: I love customers who I can become friends with. We are working on a couple of investment opportunities with one customer and that has been really fun. 

There’s another one who stands out to me, a customer named John; he was super happy and upbeat, a good-natured guy. He is a business owner and understands the struggles of running a business. He took some time to give us ideas about how to grow and manage things and that was really enjoyable. 

 What was the most difficult challenge for you to overcome during your time with HPLH?

The most difficult challenge is balancing all the demands that are inherent within our field and the speed of our growth, in particular with the different relationships we have and build. All the stakeholders are different, clients and employees. Everyone is going to have good and bad days and it’s challenging to hold it all together, to keep it running smoothly. Retaining talent has been a challenge, too. 

 You have many years of practical experience, as well as a Master’s Degree in Environmental Leadership. Can you tell me more about how your education and life experiences help to inform you as owner and operator of HPE?

I went to Naropa to get my master’s degree. My education brought me to the Boulder area. We studied leadership and organizational models, how to lead and grow organizations from a place of a deeper presence in life. I also studied authentic leadership, as a side curricula, which is a Naropa tradition. This study helped prepare me to lead from a place of authenticity, which is not often a common practice in business. Authenticity includes self awareness practices, to know ourselves and our emotions, to be sensitive to our own psychology, so we can be more present and understanding of others with the challenges they experience. That’s what Naropa engendered in me: Being present with others when they are going through tough times, from a sense of Awareness. The Boulder Daily Camera once did an article about us based on this mindfulness leadership model.

I hear that you enjoy surfing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Can you tell me more about your passions outside of work?

Basically, I’m a naturalist. I grew up in Silver City, New Mexico, near the Continental Divide and the Gila National Forest and Aldo Leopold Wilderness, which is the largest and oldest federally designated wilderness in the lower 48 states. I grew up in it as my backyard. I also grew up in an adobe house converted from a goat barn that was always in a state of remodel, and we had horses, chickens, and goats. I had a rural upbringing. 

We also went to Mexico a lot and camped out on the beach. We experienced a lot of rustic and primitive living conditions during our family adventures. I’ve always enjoyed basic primitive situations. I just really love the outdoors, finding entertainment through interacting with Mother Nature. 

That’s why I love surfing, it’s an interaction with the forces of the Earth: nature, leverage, gravity, physics. That’s why I also enjoy mountain biking and downhill skiing. I love the physicality of it all. It helps me be in my body and be present with what I am up to, in a meditative form. 

That’s also why our company motto is Breathe Deep, Dig Deep. It is a personal reflection on my experience at Naropa and a testament to the path that I’m charting as a professional. I’m doing this work because I love it, and I’ve pretty much felt I can do anything in my life, but I really love this job. I would do it for free, or I would even pay to do it. Breathe Deep is about breath, being present with my meditation. The essence of who I am, being with who I am. And the Dig Deep part is literal, but then it also refers to athletics when you have to dig deep and work hard to go after it. Sometimes, you have to get a second wind and give it all you’ got. 

Working with large machinery can be really dangerous. In fact, excavation work is one of the most dangerous trades (two people per week die in excavation in the United States). I want to be responsible and do what I can to cultivate a work culture that focuses on slowing down and taking a deep breath and take a moment, so we can stay safe, to mitigate the dangers that are inherent in our line of work. We have stickers that we put on the machinery that say Breathe Deep, Dig Deep, so we have reminders of staying present and maintaining that safety. 

Sarah Banker provides office administration, project management support, and musical accompaniment to the High Performance Land & Home team.

How long have you been with High Performance Land & Home?

 Since January 25, 2019.

 How would you describe your role within the company?

 My main role in the company is a customer liaison, from when the project is started—after the sales process with Angie—to when the project is completely finished. That would include office work and even going into the field when the work is needed.

 What brings you joy in your position at High Performance Land & Home?

 Working out in the field brings me joy, because I see everything. But the most joy that I get is when a project is completed, especially with septic installation. I lived off grid for six months or so. There was no plumbing. I understand the luxury of having a working system and what it means for everyday life. I appreciate when things get done and when a customer is happy. That is the best feeling. 

What has been your favorite customer experience?

 A woman recently called in who needed some help with her septic, but she is on a tight budget—shelling out 15 grand is not an easy thing to do. It got me thinking, so I did a little research and found out that Colorado has a program for low-income and elderly individuals to help them with home upkeep and maintenance, which includes septic repair. There are ways for us to financially benefit the company but to also benefit individuals by helping them find funding for their projects. It felt good to help someone who was not able to find the information.

 What was the most difficult challenge for you to overcome during your time with HPLH?

 My biggest challenge is making mistakes and facing failure, especially with this job. I’ve done administrative work before, but as time has progressed, my role within the company has morphed into something more hands on that needs a specific knowledge base. So a lot of what I do is through trial and error. I don’t mind making a couple of mistakes at first, but when I’m in it and in my flow, and then find out that I’ve made a mistake, I take it hard. I hate to disappoint my coworkers, especially when it puts more work on their plate. 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since being with the company? 

I’ve learned many things about the field. I’ve even operated machinery! Persistence is probably the biggest life lesson. Jesse has helped me with that. Even though I don’t 100% understand what’s going on, I’ve learned to continue and to keep showing up...hopefully. 

 Often in your position, you receive complaints or a lot of emotions from several types of people: Contractors, customers, suppliers, the excavators you work with, etc. How do you transfer your personality into creating a positive experience for all involved?

 What I do is I put myself in their position. I put myself where they are. I try to get into their headspace. I am loyal to High Performance Earthworks and, as a part of that, I want to make sure that everyone’s experience with us — contractors, suppliers, someone who calls with a random question — is positive. I try to represent the company from a place of compassion. Angie has reminded me of that: Moving earth seems to be very destructive, with all the machines coming in, which can trigger an emotional reaction, and to take that into consideration. 

 I hear that you are a musician. Can you tell me more about that? 

I’m a singer-songwriter. I play the ukulele, guitar, and I’m learning piano. 

I didn’t start until after college.  I have an album out and probably like 15 other songs, and I enjoy the writing process. Writing songs doesn’t just happen for me though, it kind of organically manifests. I’m writing a song right now, and it’s taken about four to five weeks. I like my songs to be uplifting and encouraging. 

(check out her amazing album and other songs here: https://soundcloud.com/sarahbanker)

 What are your other passions outside of work?

I make vegan desserts for a restaurant in town. They are gluten-free and paleo. Health is a big passion of mine. I have a big sweet tooth, but I don’t eat anything with refined sugar. So, one day, I wanted some key lime pie and that’s how I got started.

 Currently, I’m selling my Lil b's Tarts desserts at Busey Brews in Nederland.