Reinvestment fuels rapid growth for Deer Creek Contracting

Judith Munson

Contributor

December 8, 2025

STETSONVILLE – Just three years ago, Deer Creek Contracting began as a side business for Nick and Taylor Fredrick of Stetsonville – operating with only a pickup truck and a skid steer.

Since then, the couple said they have left their full-time jobs to focus entirely on Deer Creek, which has quickly grown into a thriving company serving Medford, Abbotsford, Colby and other communities across Taylor, Clark, Marathon, Lincoln, Price and Wood counties.

How it all started

While working in maintenance at Welcome Dairy in Colby, Nick said he told Taylor he wanted a side-by-side. 

After she told him no, Taylor said he bought a skid steer instead – and that started the story of Deer Creek Contracting.

“I grew up on a farm and always ran equipment,” Nick said. “I always had a niche for equipment, working on equipment and running equipment. I mean, we tore tractors apart, split them in half and put them back together. I also did construction. I knew when I was young I wanted to own my own business.”

About six months after buying the skid steer, Nick said “one thing led to another,” and they decided to start the business. 

When more and more people started asking if he could handle various tasks, Nick said his response was almost always yes.

At first, he said the work focused on smaller tasks like stump removal, culvert digging or helping with gravel driveways.

Eventually, Nick said weekend projects became weekday projects, and short stints of work grew into full days, seven days a week.
So, in September 2022, Nick said he left his position at Welcome Dairy to dedicate all of his time to making Deer Creek Contracting a full-time venture.

That initial lone skid steer, he said, has since been joined by another one, as well as four more pickup trucks, a mini excavator, a full-sized excavator and a bulldozer. 

“I’ve always had an eye for property work,” he said. “Everything has to be pitched just right so the water doesn’t run into your building. I can look at a property and hands-on show you where the faults are in the construction and where you’re going to have problems.” 

Taylor said Deer Creek Contracting can handle almost any job, except for building houses or grinding stumps.

“But if you are building a house, we can put your basement in, we can do all of the excavating, all of the hardscaping, softscaping, the lawn, everything but put that house on the actual foundation,” she said.

In addition to excavating and landscaping, Taylor said Deer Creek Contracting offers brush mowing, trail clearing, storm cleanup, deer food plots, concrete pouring and stamping, trenching and drain tile installation, driveway replacement or new installation, as well as residential and commercial snow plowing and salting.

Steady growth

The Fredricks said they attribute much of Deer Creek Contracting’s rapid growth to their willingness to take on nearly any project and to reinvesting earnings back into the business – which has allowed them to expand their equipment and services.

For example, Nick said he rented a bulldozer for a job and earned enough from that project to purchase it.

From the beginning, the duo said they knew sustained success would depend on making smart decisions about reinvesting profits and planning each next step.

After expanding into concrete work through strategic investment, Taylor said they saw patios, pavers and rock gardens as a natural next step.

She said they now offer complete landscaping services, combining plantings with hardscaping.

Taylor – who has been managing much of the administrative work since day one – said she left her job at Sierra Pacific Windows in Medford earlier this year to also work in the business full-time.

“We each have our own focus,” she said. “I pretty much run the landscaping side of things with the plants and the plans, and then I also manage the office side, the web design, talking with the customers and those aspects. He’s the dirt guy, does all the equipment running and he does the quotes.”

With landscaping projects, Taylor said she leads the design and project management aspects.

“Once they go in and tear it all out, I do all the staging,” she said. “And then I’m down there on the ground planting the plants and helping put the rock back in, too.”

Nick said one of their favorite projects involved updating a property with landscaping that had not been refreshed in 20 years.

“Everything was overgrown, bugs were creeping up on the patio and we completely cleaned it all up for them and placed new stone,” he said. “They also had this nice pond, which we lined and put riprap all the way around. We planted flower gardens around it as well and placed rock that from afar looks like a beach.”

Another favorite project, Nick said, involved installing a driveway, retaining wall and landscaping for a new home under construction.

Overcoming unexpected challenges, he said, made the outcome even more rewarding.

“Come to find out, the house is four feet higher than they had planned originally,” he said. “And it was closer to the road than expected. So, I had to raise the driveway four feet, because it’s a zero-entry home. Then we had to make it feel right, so when you drive in, it’s inviting from the road also. We had to bring in a bunch of fill and straighten all that out.” 

Reliable reputation

The Fredricks said Deer Creek Contracting’s residential and commercial work has steadily grown thanks to its strong reputation for reliability with customers.

“We have made some fantastic connections with customers,” Nick said. “When we first started, I would chase every job, no matter how small. I would get it done. Now, thanks to that, we have strong, established relationships.”

Nick said he compares it to finding a good plumber – once customers know they can rely on them, they keep coming back.

“I don’t like to cut corners,” he said. “I’m a perfectionist. If I’m not happy with it, the customer’s not either. I think that is also something the customers do truly appreciate.”

Nick said a willingness to learn and ask questions is essential for keeping a new business on track. 

For instance, he said he sought advice from others when navigating the bidding process for a project. 

Meanwhile, Taylor said she returned to school to complete an associate degree in accounting to support the business.

Being a small, locally owned business – with owners actively involved in every aspect – she said, also plays a key role in Deer Creek Contracting’s success.

“There are bigger excavating companies, but sometimes, if you call them, you’re getting an office lady who’s never been on the job,” she said. “You call here, you might get me, but I’ve been on your job, and I know all the details. Anytime they need an extra shovel person, I am out there in the field as well.” 

Having also grown up on a farm, Taylor said she was familiar with operating equipment, but still faced a learning curve when she joined Nick full-time.

“I could run a skid steer but going from a wheels machine that you can just drive wherever you want, to where you can’t just turn on a dime, was a huge hurdle for me,” she said. “I’ve overcome it, but it took a lot of practice.” 

More to come

Currently, Nick said Deer Creek Contracting is working on installing larger culverts and preparing for its first major pond installations next spring.

Both Nick and Taylor said they enjoy the ever-changing nature of their work, which brings new challenges nearly every day.

“One day you’ll be doing a driveway and the next day you have a culvert project and three days later, we’re doing a landscape job,” he said. “Then, the next week could be site prep for a building pad. Usually, once we think we’re finished for a while, the phone rings, and we have three or four more jobs.” 

Looking ahead, the Fredricks said they are considering opening their own greenhouse and storefront to operate more like a supply store.

Currently, Nick said they sell items like birdbaths, planters and a selection of trees, plants and shrubs during the summer. 

The Fredricks said they acknowledge that leaving the stability of a regular paycheck can be daunting, which is why they stress the importance of resilience for new entrepreneurs.

With two young kids and a growing business, the couple said they understand the pressure of managing it all.

“There were a lot of sleepless nights,” Nick said. “Knowing we could fail [was] the biggest fear of it all. My attitude has always been that if we make it one year, we’ll make it two. If we make it two years, we’ll make it four and so on. You need to be very self-motivated. Success doesn’t happen overnight – for one good day, you might have 10 bad, but persevere. Just don’t give up.”

For more on Deer Creek Contracting, head to deercreekcontractingllc.com.