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Colorado Forestry & Earthworks (CF&E) has over 25 years delivering quality results for hundreds of clients like you. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, we go above and beyond to surpass customer expectations in terms of quality and timely project delivery.
Our team of seasoned professionals ensures a job well done every time. Whether you need expert excavation services or effective forest treatment solutions, CF&E is your trusted partner.
We have all the equipment necessary to get the job done, no matter what size the project requires.
Shawn is the owner, operator, and administrator of Colorado Forestry & Earthworks, LLC. Shawn has 20 years of experience in the excavation industry and has several years of experience in logging. Shawn enjoys getting to know his customers, realizing their specific needs, and working with them to design a solution. Shawn has been in the Westcliffe area since 1980 and is proud to call it home. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, and relaxing at home.
Mike Gaide leads the Forestry Division for the CF&E team. He has owned and operated Gaide Contracting for 20+ years. Notably, Mike has been distinguished as a Master Logger since 2006 by the Central Rockies Sustainable Forestry Education Program (CRSFEP). The program is designed to provide a continuing education curriculum for loggers to improve their knowledge and implementation of forestry practices. In addition to being skilled with a chainsaw, he is a highly experienced operator for all aspects of mechanical logging. Furthermore, Mike has managed the completion of multiple fire mitigation projects, employing mechanical tree grinding techniques along with handwork to achieve a variety of goals.
Tyler has been in the business since 2008 and is the primary project manager for our team. He won the 2017 Mini Excavator Challenge for the week-long event at the World Construction Expo in Las Vegas (pictured above). More recently, he competed in the Cat® 2020 Global Operator Challenge and took home 1st place in his district. Tyler has been MSHA certified, received 30 hour OSHA certification, and is a certified cathodic protection installer. In the past, he was the main chilled-water line fusion technician and installer.
Jared Seibel migrated to Colorado from Pennsylvania in 1998. He has been driving trucks and working in excavating side by side with Shawn throughout most of this time. Jared is an excellent driver and has hauled equipment and materials for CF&E since its founding. If the truck isn’t moving he can be found operating equipment and assisting with whatever is needed on the job. He loves anything related to the outdoors and spending time with his family. Jared lives in Canon City with his wife and his three children.
Todd has been in the construction/dirt work business for about a decade. He is a committed and conscientious employee with many skills. He is a trustworthy and dependable worker who likes to keep things light and humorous on the job. When he’s not working he enjoys fishing, camping, and working in his yard.
Manny has been in Westcliffe for 11 years. He has seven years of training in excavation and is an avid rancher. In his spare time, he coaches wrestling at Custer County High School. He really enjoys working with kids, building relationships, and working with them throughout their wrestling careers.
Sam Adams has been in Colorado since 2007. His wife is 6th generation Westcliffian so Sam and his family relocated here a little over a year ago. Sam has 15 years of trucking experience including heavy haul and oversize loads. Along with that he has extensive mechanical experience and has been operating equipment for about a year now. Sam was in the landscape rock field including sales and logistics for the last 7 years.During his free time he likes to spend time with friends, family, helping on the family ranch and hunting. Sam is excited about being part of the community.
Jamie Nix was born in Anchorage, Alaska. He spent 16 years in the great North before moving to Colorado with his Father. He then graduated HS and joined the Marine Corps. After spending some of the best time of his life stationed overseas in Okinawa, Japan, he came back stateside and decided to buy property in Cotopaxi, CO. He built his own home and is recently engaged to the woman of his dreams. He is an avid firearms and hunting advocate and loves his best friend and dog Zeus.
Tim Sullivan grew up in San Diego. He spent 28 years in commercial construction, metal stud framing doors, frames and hardware. He moved to Westcliffe four years ago and loves the Wet Mountain Valley.
Jerry Pearl has lived in Westcliffe for 44 years, and has been doing construction that same time. He worked for Custer County Road crew for 4 years, Round Mountain Water sanitation for 21 years, Mullet Excavating for 11 years and Range and Civil Construction for 4 years. Jerry has been married for 42 years to his wife, Toloa. They have three kids; Chase, Kayla and Derek who all graduated from Custer County School. One of Jerry’s favorite past times is bowling though he has many other hobbies. He and Toloa will always call Westcliffe their home.
Rick has lived in CO since 1999 and has been in Westcliffe since 2018. He holds certifications in welding, machining, blueprints, 12v electrical, metallurgy and automotive/diesel technologies. He has been CF&E’s head of Maintenance and Field Repair since summer 2022. In his free time, Rick enjoys hunting, fishing, and trail biking.
Christy Patterson split her youth between Westcliffe and Raleigh, NC. She moved full time to Westcliffe in 1994. She spent 15 years on the Westcliffe Town Board, nine of those as the Mayor. She has been a small business owner in Custer County since 1999. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the rest of Colorado with her husband, Kenny.
If Shawn is on a jobsite, then you will most likely see Maple. She is featured in many of the pictures on the website. In her spare time she enjoys eating snacks, going for long walks in the country, taking scenic rides in the truck, cleaning up the kitchen floor and frequent naps.
~Marilyn Hennessy