It was 1962 when Aage O. Jorgensen, an energetic man of Danish descent, started Emerald Excavating. Aage and his wife Esther had moved his family to Eugene, Oregon, from California in the late forties. Aage had been working doing landscaping when he purchased a Ditch Witch with a backhoe attachment and a dump truck and became an excavator. The new homes in northwest Eugene know as Danebo, (translated that means, “where the Danes live”), all needed to be hooked up to the city sewer and Aage felt sure he could do that. This would give him winter work when the summer landscaping slowed. Aage worked with one laborer as be began the process of building the business and its reputation that have become the foundation of Emerald Excavating. Esther took care of the bookkeeping in their home office while she cared for her four growing children and the property directly behind them at Bertelsen Road and Wood Avenue became Emerald Excavating’s first shop and yard for equipment and material storage. Honest and hard working, Aage and Esther, began to grow their business.
In September, 1964, Poul Olesen, a tall, quiet, twenty something, Danish born man, who had been working for two years on the east coast came to visit his relatives in Eugene, Oregon. The relative happened to be Esther Jorgensen. Poul was traveling across the United States before his return to Denmark, having fulfilled his work agreement in Virginia. While visiting the Jorgensen family Poul toured some of Emerald Excavating’s job sites and mentioned to Aage that he knew how to operate the type of equipment being used on the job. Aage invited him to hop on and give it a try, which he did, and was offered a job on the spot. Poul said, “OK,” and that was the beginning of his forty year association with Emerald Excavating. Poul proved to be a very skilled equipment operator and was often referred to as the, “the tall fellow in the wooden shoes.”
After working for Emerald Excavating for only three months Poul received his, “Greetings for Uncle Sam,” and was drafted into the United States Army. Although his status was, “legal immigrant,” he was obligated to serve for two years, which he willing did, although he had already served for a year and a half in the Danish Army before he immigrated. Honorably discharged in December, 1966, Poul was back in Eugene working for Emerald Excavating by January 1967. His value to the company grew as he studied business and financial principals in addition to his growing skills as an equipment operator and estimator. By January of 1970 he became a one-half owner in Emerald Excavating, forming a solid working relationship with Aage, Esther and other employees that were joining the company. Emerald Excavating with their white trucks and emerald green name painted on the doors continued to grow as a reputable, honest and efficient company.
By 1974 Aage and Esther Jorgensen were looking towards retirement and Poul was considering who might make a good partner to replace Aage. He was already acquainted with his second cousin, Svend Toftemark, another Danish immigrant working as Sub-division Engineer for Lane County. Svend was a licensed land surveyor with a lot of good work experience; however, he had not operated equipment. When the partnership was discussed Svend was reassured by Poul that the equipment operating he would soon learn so it was decided that Svend and his wife Lois would replace Aage and Esther. The new arrangement became official on January 1, 1975, and until Svend retired, twenty five years later, in July, 2000, the two Danish immigrants worked side by side, operating equipment by day, doing estimates late in the day and on weekends as they watched their company grow from two owner-operators to fourteen employees. The same principals of hard, honest work established by Aage Jorgensen in 1962, continued to guide Emerald Excavating, Inc.
From a Ditch Witch with a backhoe attachment the equipment list began to grow. The Ditch Witch has long ago retired and now there are six backhoes, three excavators, a uni-loader, two cat blades, one loader, two rollers, nine trailers and various small pieces of equipment. There are now ten dump-trucks, one flat-bed truck, a water truck, and five pick-ups. The list of satisfied customers also continued to grow with most of their work done by, “word-of-mouth,” referrals or repeat customers. Their jobs included both residential, commercial and industrial sites.
By the late 1990’s a discussion began about the future of Emerald Excavating, Inc. now a well respected, growing part of the Eugene construction community. Knowing that the time of retirement for Svend and Poul would be in the not too distant future they contemplated what would be the best course for the companies continued success and its ability to provide steady, year-round work for our faithful employees. Many of our employees have been with the company for over ten years and some over twenty. 
One of the young men that had worked for Emerald Excavating, Inc. in the summer while he attended college from 1986 to 1992 was Rodger Knebel. Rodger had left Emerald Excavating, Inc. in 1992 to work for another company and when he was contacted by Poul and Svend and told that they would like for him to come back with the idea that he would become a partner, he agreed. Rodger knew equipment operating and had all of the skills in place to do the estimating and bidding necessary to keep Emerald Excavating, Inc. a viable, growing company. April 1, 1996, Rodger returned to Emerald Excavating, Inc. and began the process of taking over for Svend. Our long time employees remain as all of us at Emerald Excavating, Inc. work towards continued growth in the years to come. The transition has gone smoothly and most importantly the hard, honest work ethic continues to guide the management and employees of Emerald Excavating, Inc. A company that can be trusted.