David Chivers started Chivers Construction Company in 1968 with a bulldozer and a love for digging in the dirt. Entirely self-taught, David built the company over fifty years to one of the most well-respected heavy excavation companies in the region. In the early years, David installed septic systems and basements for private customers, but over time, the company progressed to its current specialties in public waterlines, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and bridges.

 

David was passionate about excavating and hard work, and he was happiest when he was working in the dirt alongside the Chivers crews. While he held everyone to exceptionally high standards, David always believed in people’s ability to get the job done well, and his commitment to hard work was paired with an appetite for fun and a quick sense of humor. He knew how to make work fun, even on the toughest days.

 

When he wasn’t working, David could usually be found on his farm doing some “recreational bulldozing.” If he could find a reason to move dirt, he moved it, and he loved introducing kids to the joy of big machinery. One of his favorite projects was “Diggers and Dumpers,” a preschool field trip he hosted several times over the years with his grandchildren. The preschoolers were treated to an entire construction site experience, complete with trips on the equipment, lunches in old-fashioned lunchboxes, and Chivers t-shirts and hard hats.

 

David was very proud of the work that his company performed throughout the region, and he was deeply appreciative of his employees’ expertise and hard work. He truly thought of them like family. David died tragically in 2021 attempting to rescue his beloved dogs, who had fallen through ice on a pond on his farm, dying as he lived: with generosity and a can-do spirit. His three children, Emily, John, and Tim, are now working to carry on his legacy.

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