LE SILLON
A John Deere PublicationBuilding Momentum | Momentum Pipeline | John Deere Construction
Fall 2025
Building Momentum
Rolling With Help of John Deere Operations Center™
8 MIN READ
Success is all about forward momentum. Keeping things moving. Staying on task and ahead of the curve. And defeating downtime.
On a sprawling pipeline project in Lewis County, West Virginia, Momentum Pipeline is installing 20-inch-diameter steel pipeline for a leading producer of natural gas in the Appalachian Basin. The pipeline will connect recently drilled wells to a transmission line that will transport natural gas to areas where it will be sold.
Six crews, supported by an arsenal of John Deere construction machines, tackle vital tasks. Stringing and bending crews work closely with engineers to build the pipeline. Excavators support large pieces of pipeline as welders connect them.
Other excavators dig trenches or prepare the soil. Dozers grade the right-of-way as the restoration crew falls in behind. A dozer with a sideboom lays pipe. Some dozers use a winch to tether excavators securely on steep slopes.
Mission-Critical
At Momentum Pipeline's equipment yard in Camden, West Virginia, Operations Manager Wade Mace keeps a vigilant eye on his fleet with John Deere Operations Center pulled up on a large monitor. Mace checks machine locations, alerts, idle time, and fuel usage, and confirms maintenance schedules.
Idle time provides valuable insights into productivity and machine utilization. Fuel-consumption data is used to determine whether crews are staying within the allocated fuel range for the project and provides a reference for bidding future jobs. "The Operations Center has so many features we can use regularly to keep a project moving forward," Mace says.
Crews keep mobile trailers on-site that are stocked with common John Deere parts for when they are needed. If a part isn't in stock or available at the dealership, they order it from the Deere website Shop.Deere.com. "It's easy and convenient," Mace says. "Genuine Deere parts deliver the performance we need and give us peace of mind that our warranty is protected."
At the company's local John Deere dealership, Leslie Equipment Co., technicians keep a second set of eyes on the fleet. If they see an alert, they'll immediately contact Momentum Pipeline to resolve the issue over the phone, diagnose it remotely, or send out a technician. "This typically results in fewer trips from a technician, which saves us a lot of time and money," says Mace.
Using Operations Center and Service Center™, dealers have access to alerts, fault codes, manuals, machine locations, previous work orders, warranty information, and parts ordering, all in one place, via a computer or mobile device.
On this particular morning, Leslie Equipment Technician Kenny Harvey spots an alert on a 300G LC Excavator for low coolant levels, so he promptly calls Mace. He instructs Mace to check coolant levels, inspect the machine for leaks, and report back.
Uptime is mission-critical to Momentum Pipeline's success. "My job is to minimize downtime," says Jason Belisle, customer support, Leslie Equipment. "That's my main priority. Downtime is a huge operating cost. Whenever a machine is down, other machines and laborers are not working. This compounds by the minute. Anything we can do proactively to keep a machine up and running, that's what I'm here for."
In the past, the dealership would have to wait for the customer to contact them before they could see what was going on with the machine. "Now we get an alert immediately, and we can contact them, often before they even know they have an issue," explains Belisle.
"We can use Operations Center to see what's going on with the machine and bring the proper parts the first time. The system even maps out the machine's location for the technician. Operations Center is the perfect tool for saving time and keeping the machines running."
"Anything we can do proactively to keep a machine up and running, that's what I'm here for."
Almost Heaven
The only state entirely within the Appalachian Mountain region, West Virginia is known as the Mountain State. The state's natural beauty makes it almost heaven, as the song says.
Beneath the mountains lies the vast Marcellus Shale play, a massive 104,000-square-mile natural gas reserve in the Appalachian Basin that spans West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. It is a major source of natural gas production in the United States, contributing significantly to the nation's energy supply.
"The oil and gas industry is pretty big here in West Virginia," declares Mace. Momentum Pipeline handles every stage of new and existing pipeline construction, from site preparation to soil restoration.
Over an average week, the company lays 4,000 feet of pipeline, along with the associated tasks of ditching, grading, welding, backfilling, and restoration. The company has earned a reputation for delivering quality work while performing it safely in challenging terrain.
"I'm proud of where we came from and what we've become," reflects Mace, who joined Momentum Pipeline in 2011. The company was founded in 2007 by Brian and Seana Miller.
Brian got his start washing vehicles on weekends in high school. After graduating, he worked as a laborer before advancing to an operator and eventually becoming a project superintendent. Seana earned her accounting degree and later obtained a teaching degree.
By 2007, Brian had established numerous connections with oil and gas companies. He saw an opportunity to reclaim well locations in southern West Virginia. "He called me and said we need to get our contractor license," says Seana. "We started from basically nothing.
But we decided that whether we succeeded or failed, we'd do it together. Our local John Deere dealer, Leslie Equipment, knew Brian and was willing to take a chance on us."
The company began operations with five employees and two pieces of John Deere equipment. "We've run Deere from day one," says Brian.
"They're smooth and durable. There's nothing like them, in my opinion. And the service and support from our local dealer is top-notch."
As the oil and gas industry continued to grow in West Virginia in 2011, the company decided it was time to expand and begin installing natural gas pipelines. Brian began reaching out to project managers of the major gas companies to get on their bid lists.
Momentum Pipeline started bidding and working on pipeline projects. "We've been busy ever since," says Brian. "Brian knew the work," adds Seana. "Gas companies knew his work ethic and commitment to quality. We've got some good, hardworking employees who have been with us for years. We couldn't have done it without them."
"I'm proud of where we came from and what we've become."
Moving Forward
Today, Momentum Pipeline employs nearly 130 people, making it one of the largest employers in the county. On the Lewis County project alone, the company runs 18 John Deere excavators and 10 Deere dozers.
"Our dealer has made it easy for us to be a 100-percent Deere company because of their support and reputation," says Mace. "Whether it's new equipment, rentals, parts, or service, they're there to help us out and keep us moving. Leslie Equipment has helped us grow significantly. They're all in."
"Momentum Pipeline is one of the premier pipeline contractors in West Virginia, and they are very loyal to John Deere," adds Pete Culicerto, sales representative, Leslie Equipment. "We're very proud as a dealership to support them."
Through John Deere Protect, the company buys extended powertrain warranties and preventative maintenance agreements on most new machines. The machines work hard in tough terrain and mud, so a powertrain warranty is a sensible investment.
With preventative maintenance agreements, Leslie Equipment technicians handle fluid and filter changes and perform oil sampling. Regularly scheduled maintenance helps the company plan around when a machine is due for service, minimizing downtime "John Deere Protect is a great program," says Culicerto.
"The biggest value with service agreements is that they have a fixed cost upfront. The customer can worry less about their equipment and focus more on their job. That's one less thing on their plate, and it supports the extended warranties. Everything is documented, so they can go to the dealership and look up a complete history of a machine by its serial number."
"John Deere Protect helps us maximize uptime," says Mace, "so we can keep projects moving forward and stay on schedule." And keep the momentum going.
Momentum Pipeline is serviced by Leslie Equipment Co., Cross Lanes, West Virginia
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A John Deere 350 G-Tier Excavator digging dirt on a hill side.
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A John Deere 750 L-Tier Dozer moves into position up hill to level and grade dirt.
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A John Deere 350 G-Tier and 250 P-Tier Excavators team up to move pipes into place.
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