March / April 2024

Barfield Keeps Fleet In Top Service Shape

Articles by David Abbott, Managing Editor, Timber Harvesting

UNION, South Carolina – Working as a logger who started his own operation 30 years ago and has seen the ups and downs of this industry, Chad Barfield likes his current situation operating two companies offering logging, plus roadbuilding services and dozer work. At age 52, he has a clear succession plan with his son, Conner, who is itching to join the operation full-time.

The businesses are supported by experienced and skilled logging and roadbuilding crew members and backed by an extensive maintenance and repair effort that features a 110×50 ft. multi-bay shop facility and two full-time mechanics. The logging side routinely produces more than 100 loads a week, but it’s a four-day week.

The work schedule may be different than most loggers, but Barfield is a believer in work-life balance and making time for family and friends. As a single parent, he spends lots of time with his family and Conner, and he’s working to build a multigenerational family business for Conner to take over when he’s ready.

Unlike lots of loggers, Barfield wasn’t born into logging, with no family connection, but he’s worked at it 40 years ever since his mom would run him to the woods after school at age 13 to do odd jobs for a local logger.  After finishing high school he started his first company, Chad Barfield Logging, in 1994. He was successful, but looking back says he grew too big a little too quick. He decided to switch gears in 2000, shutting down Chad Barfield Logging in favor of a new enterprise, Barfield Bulldozing, LLC, building roads for loggers and big timber companies like Weyerhaeuser, Green-wood Resources and John Hancock.

However, Barfield seized a new opportunity to get back in logging with Barfield’s Timber, LLC, which he started in 2016. Since then he has continued to run both Barfield Bulldozing and Barfield’s Timber, both of which now have two crews each.

As if building those businesses didn’t keep him busy enough, Barfield has also been a single dad all this time, raising Conner by himself with full custody since the boy was three years old. “It’s a full-time job, man, when you’re juggling all this,” Barfield says, delivering possibly the understatement of the year.

The logger says providing for his son and his son’s future is what motivates him, and adds that Barfield’s Timber has to be sustainable and healthy, for Conner’s sake. “He wants to do it, he loves it, and I’m going to build it up for him,” the proud father says. Many small business owners don’t have a succession plan, but Barfield already has one in place.