Meet Joe Kavalec, chief operating officer of Kavalec Property Management (KPM), LTD.

Kavaiec’s company manages the 25-acre property of Saint John Bosco Catholic Church in Parma Heights, Ohio. The year-round upkeep of the mixed-use property requires three full-time and one part-time facilities staff.

Purchase Process
With a budget of $20,000 - $30,000, Joe thought finding a work utility vehicle to replace the property’s outdated model would be an easy one. That wasn’t the case, however, as Joe spent nearly a year searching for a well-constructed vehicle capable of handling the rigors of his jobsite. 

“I looked at every machine that was available from Kubota, John Deere, Kawasaki, you name it,” Kavaiec noted.

Kavaiec’s final stop was at Cleveland’s All Ohio Motorsports to see what Polaris models could suit his needs. “I was familiar with the Ranger line, but after describing what I was looking for, the dealer showed me the new Brutus line of commercial utility vehicles.”

Versatility
The factory-installed, fully-enclosed cab of the Brutus HDPTO quickly caught Kavaiec’s attention, but it was features like heating and air conditioning and the power take-off attachment capability that sold him.

“The fact there are six total implements — hydraulically and PTO-powered — available was very attractive. I may have only purchased two, but there are four others I can get in the future. The John Deere I considered didn’t offer that kind of versatility.”

Capability
As soon as the utility vehicle was delivered to the church, along with the 500-pound capacity materials bucket and snow blade with a 69-inch width, the KPM staff’s jobs became much easier.

“My guy has cut his snow clearing time in half from the old machine. With the Brutus, all of the controls are inside the cab, whereas before he’d have to jump off and change the angle of the snow blade. The treadle pedal also saved a lot of time as with the old machine he’d have to stop, change gears, and then go.”

Another feature Kavaiec credits to saving his workers time is the electric lift cargo bed. “The old machine was a manual lift, so we’d have to get out and try our best to lift it up. Now, we can just push a button from inside the cab; it’s so easy.”

Comfort
The utility vehicle not only saves Kavaiec's workers time, but it also saves their energy.

When a worker would run the old, open-cab machine during a bad weather day — rain or snow — for two to four hours, Kavaiec could see that it was physically draining.

“The productivity drops off after being in the cold for hours, that’s a big part of it. With the [utility vehicle] he’s physically okay to continue on for the rest of the day.”

A welder by trade, Kavaiec knows how to spot quality-made products. “The [utility vehicle] is just very well built and I can envision that machine being here for 20-plus years. Head and shoulders, much better built than the competition.”

To learn more about the Polaris BRUTUS line of commercial utility vehicles, click here.