Who we are
THEM Earthmoving is family owned and operated out of Geraldton. Three generations work in it, and both founders' families have been in the Mid West since the 1950s.
Stephen and Katrina-Lee O’Brien started the business in 2009 with a single Samsung loader. Stephen had come up as a heavy duty diesel mechanic and had worked in his father’s earthmoving business. Katrina-Lee was teaching in schools across the Mid West and ran the accounts and administration alongside it.
As the work grew, Katrina-Lee moved into full time leadership. What started as a modest venture now runs from a purpose built depot rather than the backyard it began in, with a fleet that spans skid steer loaders through to dump trucks.
Both founders are lifelong Mid West residents. Their grandparents came to the region in the 1950s and both families have called it home ever since. Today three generations are actively involved, from aunties and uncles to nieces, nephews and children.
The question we get asked most
It is an acronym. Four letters for the four things the business does, and a name people remember on a job site.
The team
Managing Director
Over 25 years in the industry. Stephen started as a heavy duty diesel mechanic, then worked in his father’s earthmoving business before starting THEM with Katrina-Lee in 2009. He runs day to day operations and still holds the maintenance side of the business.
Managing Director
Katrina-Lee began her career as an educator, teaching in schools across the Mid West. She ran the accounts and administration while teaching part time, then moved into full time leadership as the business grew.
Administration
The eldest of Stephen and Katrina-Lee’s children. Kynan finished school in Geraldton in 2020, spent his teenage years on machinery maintenance and repair, and now works in administration while studying remotely at Curtin University.
Behind the machines are the admin and maintenance teams who keep the business and the fleet running, and the on site crews who do the work in the tough terrain of the region. Seventy people in total, which is a long way from one loader.
Where we are heading
THEM Earthmoving is committed to sustainability and continual improvement, working to minimise our ecological footprint and to bring more sustainable technology and methods into the way we operate.
We are also always looking to diversify our scope of works and take on new projects, and we measure success by the impact we have on the environment and the communities we work in, not only by the jobs we finish.
THEM Earthmoving acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we operate and pays respect to their elders past, present and emerging. We recognise the rich cultural heritage, spiritual connection and enduring relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with this land.
We extend this acknowledgement to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities across Australia, and commit to fostering a culture of respect, understanding and collaboration.
Ring Stephen or the office. Tell us where it is, what is in the ground and when you need it done, and we will tell you straight whether we are the right outfit for it.