Tim Coleman was surprised by the speed at which his T.J. Coleman and Co. expanded as contractors laying fiber loops around the City of Atlanta needed a soft dig company to expose underground pipes and utilities.The Roswell, Ga., contractor bought his first hydroexcavator in January 2000 and began digging trenches. By September, Coleman was running nine machines to keep up with demand. Hiring subcontractors brought the total to 14 trucks in October.The 9/11 terrorist attacks and the stock market crash of 2002 collapsed some of the demand, but not Coleman. He reduced inventory by six machines, laid off some operators,
