Tommy Batten had always dreamed of owning a budozer, then one day he told his wife that he'd found a dozer he was going to buy. He somehow convinced her that he could run it on weekends to make the payments. After two years of weekends and a couple of employees, it was time to either get in full time or get out. He decided he still had it in him; his dream was still alive.

"I guess I was one of those littel boys fascinated by bulldozers and heavy equipment, only I never got it out of my system," explains Tommy.

Now, after two years of part-time and seven years of full-time operation, Tommy loves his business even more than ever. T. Batten Lakes offers excavation services for lakes and ponds, maintenance and management of ponds and lakes, and now, wildlife habitat services.

The business has thrived due to Tommy's business phiolosphies that seem to mirror the Golden Rule: treat and charge everyone equally, never start another project until the current one is complete, and always follow up to be certain that the customer is still completely satisfied. The best reward to come from all of this being ablet o make new friends from the customers the company serves.

"Another great reward," states Tommy "is working for our senior customers. These people are real history. I love talking and visiting with them. When one tells you how they almost died in World War II, not from teh bullets but from the cold, or how poor people really were during the depression, it tends to make you want to know more about their lives."

A certified wildlife biologist has recently been added to the staff of T. Batten Lakes, and he's an Aggie, or course. His primary duties include lake and pond design, pond and lake management, shock and fish counting, bait fish, and forage fish stocking. New services starting in the spring of 2007 include implementing wildlife management services, including wildlife management plans, consulting and wildlife food plots, as well as deer count serveys.

For more information about the services of T. Batten Lakes, please call us at (979)820-4989 for an appointment.