Sales & Office Manager, Angie Seavers
Angela Seavers is the back office extraordinaire, providing essential sales and customer support for High Performance Earthworks. As wife and partner of company founder, Jesse Seavers, she has been consequential to the creation and daily operation of this leading excavation and septic system install company.
How long have you been with High Performance Earthworks?
I’ve been a witness to it since before its inception, in 2016; however, I have been more involved in working for the company since 2018.
How would you describe your role within the company at present?
Loosely, I manage the day-to-day in the office, my official role since 2019. I make sure projects run smoothly from start to finish. That process has more or less been on autopilot now that we’ve grown as a company together. The role I’ve been taking on most recently since 2021 is in sales and project bidding. Often, people take septic systems and waste water management for granted, until they find out they need a tank replacement or an entirely new system. This process can be confusing and overwhelming for homeowners, especially if they are caught unaware. Both Rachael in the office and I help coach our septic clients through their project every step of the way. And then there’s a whole next level of planning and support required for foundation excavation projects. Building and maintaining a home, especially in the Colorado mountain region, can be a big undertaking for any client.
What information would you like to share with prospective customers about septic system installation in the Boulder area (Front Range) that would benefit them and make the process easier?
The number one piece of advice I can offer any excavation client is to make sure you, as the customer, feel you have a positive relationship with your excavation contractor you hired to do the work and make sure you have a written contract in place. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially if your contractor has not outlined all the details of your project in their bid. If you do not have positive rapport with your contractor, or the details of your agreement are fuzzy, I hate to say it, but there are bad contractors out there who will take advantage of situations like that. You could get stuck with a huge excavation project in your yard that you can’t deal with, end up with a bill you don’t want to pay or, even worse, you end up giving money to a contractor and they disappear before your project has even started. Excavation work is unsettling (literally). You have to feel good with your project from start to finish. As licensed installers, we should be able to answer questions for our customers and find solutions to challenges. That is our number one goal: There are going to be lots of questions that will be asked, and we are the type of contractor to answer our emails and phone. It’s rare in our industry. Most contractors try to give the easiest, cheapest, or fastest answer, but not always taking in the details to determine if it is the best answer, or the ideal outcome for the customer.
What brings you joy in the line of work you are doing for this excavation company?
My biggest passion is happy and grateful customers. I love when our customers feel good about us and our work.
What has been your favorite customer experience? Or most memorable customer experience?
There’s two: We just finished providing septic service for one customer. Now, there is a lot involved with septic system installation: County environmental health regulations, septic repair and installation permits, septic inspections, and then you have all the general contract work that goes back and forth between the office, field, vendors and the customer. There’s a LOT of work that people don’t see behind the scenes. This customer, who we are recently worked with, runs his own business. He called Jesse twice and left two messages saying he was appreciative that things ran so smoothly on our end. It was the first time we felt really seen — in regards to all that is involved with installation — and he acknowledged how hard we worked. It really warmed my heart and made me proud of the company we’ve built and the good service we try to give our customers. At the end of the day, we just want to make people happy.
The second is a non-septic excavation service for Wild Bear Nature Center, a 501(c)(3). They work to educate children and the public about nature and our relationship to it. Our daughter goes to the afterschool program and enjoys going to their summer camp. The program manager and founder of Wild Bear, Jill Dreves, asked us to do some work to help them build their new facility near Mud Lake, where they will be running a lot of their programs. We’ve been providing some ongoing work for them to get their new site ready: We moved their bus and a small cabin on the property. We like being able to help out for a cause and often donate a portion of our services and time. It’s a small job compared to most of our other jobs, but it makes a big impact. We know that it will impact the lifetime of Wild Bear and the children involved in that program and that makes us happy too.
What has been the most difficult challenge for you to overcome during your time with HPE?
Historically, my work experience and expertise have been more managerial and administrative. The mathematics and critical thinking involved in translating plans into machine and labor hours and cost, not to mention all the unforeseen site variables that we try our best to predict so there are less surprises on a project, these are all a real brain teaser. This type of critical thinking is both challenging and rewarding. I feel I’ve learned so much in the few years I’ve been in this business, but there is still so much I don’t know and am continuing to learn every day. That’s what keeps things interesting!
What would you like to add about your passions outside of work?
I’ve been practicing yoga for about 20 years and teaching for 16, and that is really my life’s passion. I’m also a certified yoga therapist. And of course my family: our two daughters, our dog, chickens and gardens. And traveling. And being out in nature, mountain biking and hiking big mountains. I recently got back into horseback riding and trail riding after a 10-year hiatus and am finding a lot of joy riding challenging terrain and disappearing into the woods with my horse for a few hours.
You are a mother, yoga instructor, and manage a few local Airbnbs. How do your many roles inform you in this particular field of excavation and septic system installation? How does it make you who you are?
No day in my life is ever the same and the people I come in contact with help me be a better person. I am stoked that I get to live a life like that. I would be bored and probably start causing trouble if my life wasn’t like that. It poses its unique challenges, but that’s what makes my life feel so accomplished: When those day-to-day challenges have been met and I’m physically and mentally tired, then I know I’m doing something right.