The Dirt Ninja
The Dirt Ninja

The Dirt Ninja x Caterpillar

Get to know Tom Gardocki—Cat® Ambassador, experienced operator and social media master.

The Art of Excavation with The Dirt Ninja

Meet Tom Gardocki. The operator who can stack bottles with a bucket and thumb, snowplow parking lots without missing a flake, grade anything thrown at him and sink baskets with a mini excavator.


Tom’s company, New Era Excavation, started building their Cat® equipment fleet in 2015. Since then, machines like their Cat 335 Excavator and Cat 926M Small Wheel Loader have been critical to their success in projects such as high-end residential and small commercial excavation and site work.

Tom and New Era Excavation continue to stick with Caterpillar because “parts and service set Cat machines apart,” along with the expert support they receive from Milton Cat, their local dealer. In fact, New Era Excavation has never waited for more than a day to receive a parts order.

“Parts availability is extremely important to our small business,” Tom explains.  “Having equipment down for days waiting on parts is never a good thing.”

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Tom’s Fleet of Cat® Equipment

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Cat Excavators

“Our 305.5 E2 Mini Excavator plays a vital role in our company, while our 335 Medium Excavator’s zero tail swing allows us to fit this 80,000-pound machine into some pretty tight spots. We also have a 316F, too.”

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Cat 289D3 Compact Track Loader

“For a smaller machine, the Cat 289D3 Compact Track Loader is very versatile and can do quite a lot of work! It’s a key piece of our Cat equipment fleet.”

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Cat 926M Small Wheel Loader

“Production would sure slow down on our bigger jobsites without a wheel loader. From bucketing material around the site to keeping the crew supplied with pipe, our Cat 926M Small Wheel Loader is the unsung hero of the jobsite.”

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Cat D5K2 Medium Dozer

“I really like our D5K2 Dozer because it is a very versatile machine. It’s reliable, can be transported easily and can work in wet and steep slope conditions with no issues. This dozer is also equipped with GPS and UTS for grading. It’s been a great addition to our fleet.”

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The Dirt Ninja’s Guides: From Attachments to Video Marketing

Masterclasses from Tom, an operator of many talents.

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Get the story behind New Era Excavation.

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Tom’s top 5 attachments for excavating.

Browse Attachments

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Why is built-in construction equipment technology a jobsite game-changer?

Get Tom’s thoughts

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The Dirt Ninja’s guide to creating a video marketing plan.

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Cat Rental Equipment

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The Dirt Ninja in His Element

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How Tom Got His Nickname

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Dozing on the Job

PUT IT ON YOUR CAT® CARD

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from the pros

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