Generations of Growth - Ken White Construction

Ken White Construction history

The business was founded in 1968 by Ken White, equipped with only passion and a track loader. After decades of growth, David White, Ken's son, took the reins and expanded the company's capabilities.  

"When I started with my father, he was doing his own business by himself," Dave explains. "Whenever I got involved with him, we started to get more into the residential, from start to finish, with the entrances to properties, clearing the properties, and all the excavation work."

Ten years ago, Dave’s son Taylor joined the business, bringing a new vision for expansion and branding.  

"We really want to maintain the current business model but extend the services to include commercial and allow for growth ," Taylor says. That included embracing social media to showcase their company culture and incorporating black machinery into their fleet as part of their unique branding. 

Ken White Construction and their Cat fleet

Ken White Construction offers a wide range of services, specializing in heavy excavation work. Their fleet includes excavators, bulldozers, compact track loaders and loaders – the kind of heavy equipment that excites any aspiring operator. 

Or in Taylor’s words: "All the stuff that when you're a kid playing in a sandbox, the type of stuff that you look at going, I want to do that when I'm older." 

They also have an Anaconda stacker for screening in the pit, and they recently purchased a Cat 265 centennial machine. 

The White's aren’t shy about their commitment to Cat machinery. Sharing a photo of his father with the company's first Cat machine — a 1984 D3B bulldozer — Dave notes the extra cost for an ROPS canopy and says "It was a big deal for us back then to buy it." 

This foundational purchase has led to an extensive Cat fleet, and their team is enjoying the technology that comes standard in Cat equipment — like 2D payload. 

"It's really handy in the yard where we don't have a set of scales,” he says “And the truck drivers, especially during half-load season, when there's restrictions on how much you can put in a dump truck — they know exactly how much they're putting in. We're not going over or under, so we're more efficient that way." 

Why do they choose Cat equipment?

When asked why they consistently choose Cat, both Dave and Taylor emphasize the product itself. But that’s not all. 

"I honestly think it's the team too, that Toromont has," Dave says. "Because whenever we need anything, they're there behind us to get us other products and make sure that we get the job done properly." 

Taylor points to their relationship with Toromont Cat sales rep Matthew Benson, as a highlight.  

"There hasn't been a single thing that we haven't asked him for or helped out that he hasn't been able to achieve with the team over at Toromont."  

Beyond sales, operator preferences also play a significant role.  

"A big part of Cat machinery is, that's what our operators want to operate," Taylor explains. "We want to make sure that they're comfortable." 

The Whites personally demo their equipment with Toromont Heavy Rentals, ensuring they understand the capabilities of each machine. Taylor recounts a recent experience with a D5 bulldozer. 

"I knew that we needed something to push up our topsoil and sand at our aggregate operation... I personally was pushing up sand, and I was like, this type of machine, this size, this is what we need."  

This direct experience led to the purchase, with Toromont Cat delivering the 50,000lb dozer to their site within days. 

Currently, Ken White Construction balances commercial and residential projects. The residential side remains particularly meaningful.  

"Our business roots are built on family," Taylor says, "Dealing with actual homeowners and families, and that's really special to us, and that's a part of the business that we never want to leave." 

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