Forward Janesville - TheReport - Fourth Quarter 2023

www.forwardjanesville.com | 7 uww.edu/rock YOU EARNED THOSE CREDITS. WE COUNT THEM. continue your journey: BAAS degree completion program Fanning Excavating "Our goal is not to run with the big boys,” Bill Fanning in a 1996 interview with The Gazette. Through leadership changes, it has been important to take business to new levels while remaining small enough to take care of customers, said Roger Fanning, third-generation co-owner. Many of Janesville’s generational business owners noted strategic, manageable growth as a key to keeping a business going over multiple generations. This mindset is a reflection of a community that is known for punching above its weight and has seen a steady and strong evolution in the last decade. “They (founders John "Cud" and Lil Fanning) slowly added pieces to the puzzle and evolved as the community did,” Roger Fanning said. Founded in 1946, quality of life is the goal Fanning is looking for, not exponential growth or huge profit margins. Roger Fanning and his business partner, Don Fanning, want to appreciate what they have and treat their small team well. The entire team at Fanning Excavating is family whether they share the same name or not, Roger said. “You care for people and they care for you.” Fanning’s focus on caring for its people echoes its customer-centric approach to building business. “Because of the exceptional service provided by past generations, we have a repeat customer base,” noted Roger. That repeat customer base keeps Fanning in business and helps them expand through word of mouth, “happy clients are the best advertisement. Don and I are extremely proud to carry on the Fanning name. The clients created and kept through 77 years are incredible.” Understanding the business from the ground up has also been key to Fanning’s success, an element that is common to many Fanning's first excavator Fanning Excavating's 50th Anniversary (L to R Lil, John “Cud”, Roger, Don, Duff, and Bill, 1996)