COVER STORY | ADVERTORIAL
“ When you ask Sierra Santa Fe what they are most proud of, they point to a job that reflects craft, partnership, and impact.”
Turin Job 1963 Etnyre
David stepped in and ran the company until 1986, when his mother sold Paul Zimmerly Rock Products. It would have been understandable to walk away at that point. For David, it was not the end of the story. In 1987, David started Zimmerly Rock Products and continued building. Soon after, an opportunity from one of his father’ s close friends opened a new door for him, one that would ultimately define Sierra Santa Fe. That opportunity led David into chip seal work and to a purchase that still matters in the Zimmerly story. David bought his first chip spreader, a 1963 Etnyre. For David, that machine represented more than a tool. It marked the beginning of a clear direction in pavement preservation. One of David’ s most memorable projects from those early years was a chip seal job completed in 1992 for the family of“ Dozer Dave” Turin near Mount Hood, Oregon. It is the kind of detail that stays with people in this business because road work is never abstract. In January of 1997, David made it official. He started Sierra Santa Fe and sold Zimmerly Rock Products so the company could focus fully on chip sealing and preservation. Nearly thirty years later, Sierra Santa Fe has grown significantly, and it remains a family operation at its core. David’ s two sons, Paul and Parker, now help lead the business along with his nephew Zach and daughter-in-law Kaitlyn. The work is shared, the expectations are high,
and the reputation belongs to everyone. That reputation is built in the field, where equipment reliability and consistency are not optional. Sierra Santa Fe’ s team will be the first to tell you that much of what they do is made possible by BearCat and its subsidiaries. Their fleet includes five BearCat and BearCat-related machines, and they are part of the workflow that keeps production steady and results consistent. Today Sierra Santa Fe operates a 2024 BearCat chip spreader and a 2010 Bear- Cat chip spreader. They also run a 2009 Kenworth paired with a 2014 RaynMaker tank, a 2005 Freightliner M2-106 asphalt distributor truck equipped with a Bear- Cat distributor body and BearCat control panel, and a 2015 RaynMaker Pavement Saver buggy. For a preservation contractor, those pieces represent the core of the job: controlled application, uniform distribution, and reliable production that lets a crew stay focused on quality. When you ask Sierra Santa Fe what they are most proud of, they point to a job that reflects craft, partnership, and impact. In 2023, Sierra Santa Fe performed a scrub and chip seal project for Yamhill County, Oregon. The scrub seal portion is a one pass crack-fill type of preservation treatment designed to address cracks and minor distress more effectively than a standard chip seal. That project, the Baker Creek Scrub Project, earned Sierra Santa Fe, Albina, and Yamhill County the 2024
AEMA Past Presidents Award. For the people closest to the work, awards only matter when they reflect real execution. What makes Sierra Santa Fe stand out is the steady thread that runs through every chapter of the Zimmerly family story, from Sam’ s dairy farm to Paul’ s construction work to David’ s decision to build something new, and now the next generation leading and growing the company.
In pavement preservation, the best compliment is often silence. When roads hold up, people do not think about them. They simply travel, work, and live their lives without interruption. Behind that quiet success is a company like Sierra Santa Fe, doing the work the right way, backed by equipment they trust, and guided by a family legacy that still shows up on every jobsite.
To learn more about Sierra Santa Fe, visit https:// sierrasantafe. com, email info @ sierrasantafe. com or scan here:
For more information about Etnyre International’ s equipment, please visit https:// etnyreinternational. com, call 815-732-2116 or send an email to sales @ etnyre. com
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