When Bob and Marlene Taylor sold their Upper Moutere hop farm lease, she said, “Good, now we can buy a house.” He said, “No, we can buy a bulldozer.” The Taylors and their three sons went on to turn a one-man forestry roading operation into one of the best-known contracting companies in the Nelson Marlborough region. Bob developed his skills and his reputation as he moved from bulldozers to excavators, doing farm drainage work, laying pipes and building dams. He was always an innovator, the first to take excavators into the forest and the first to modify and fabricate the buckets and attachments needed for the job. He built a skilled and loyal team around him and supported others in the industry. When he died suddenly at the age of 56 his sons Charlie and Matt stepped up and took over, and with Marlene’s guiding hand and their brother Arthur’s support they built the company to what it is today. This is the story of Taylors Contracting Co Ltd and the company’s fifty years of shaping the landscape, from forest roads to subdivisions and motorways, dams, canals and water systems. It’s a story told by its people, the operators, employees and fellow contractors. Above all, it’s about doing things the Taylors way.