SouthernCross Construction is a rapidly growing turnkey site development contractor based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 2014 by John Maddux Jr. and Josh Olive, the company has evolved from a small utility-focused operation into a versatile heavy civil contractor delivering residential, commercial and industrial projects. With more than four decades of combined experience guiding the business, SouthernCross has built its reputation on precision, adaptability and the ability to tackle complex construction challenges.
Over the past three years, the company has undergone a major transformation. SouthernCross started with just two dozers equipped with GNSS (GPS) grade control and has expanded into a fleet of 24 Trimble-equipped machines, enabled by a connected process that passes design data from the office straight to the jobsite. As President and Co-owner John Maddux puts it, “We knew to keep up with production, we needed to have GPS technology on our machines.”
Their investment in construction technology has allowed SouthernCross to increase efficiency, reduce downtime and keep pace with multiple active job sites.
The power of connected construction
For Project Manager and GPS Manager Will Hostetler, technology is now embedded into every phase of every project. Hostetler oversees all GPS operations, from model building and drone photogrammetry to site calibrations and file management. “I would not be able to do what I do without having all of these Trimble tools,” he explains.
Hostetler begins in the office, where Trimble®Business Center (TBC) office software serves as the hub for everything SouthernCross builds. The engineer’s CAD files are converted into detailed 3D models, drone scans are processed and data is prepared for both machines and rovers. “Trimble Business Center is the heart of all the Trimble products in my arsenal,” Hostetler says. “Anything that needs to be built in the field is designed in Trimble Business Center, then sent to machines and rovers through WorksManager.”
Once construction begins, SouthernCross deploys a fleet of dozers and excavators running Trimble Earthworks grade control platform to build to the design and Trimble Siteworks software for grade verification. Operators and survey crews work from the same source of truth, ensuring accuracy and consistency across every site.
Trimble WorksManager: The backbone of operations
As SouthernCross expanded across North Carolina, Will found himself spending hours each week driving between sites with a USB just to load updated designs. That changed with Trimble WorksManager software.
WorksManager allows Will to instantly send design updates from the office to machines and rovers across all sites. “Before WorksManager, half my week was spent driving around loading design files. Now everything is ready for the crews the moment they arrive.” The ability to remotely deliver files, manage projects and keep every operator working from the latest design has become essential as SouthernCross continues to scale.
Drone photogrammetry: Faster, smarter data
SouthernCross has also modernized how it handles topographic work and now processes all drone data using TBC.
Hostetler recalls a jobsite where a rover topographical survey took him two full days in the peak of North Carolina’s summer heat. Using drone photogrammetry, the same site can be flown within 30 minutes, and the data fully processed in TBC all before a hand topo was even halfway complete. Maddux sees the same value from a leadership perspective. “Being able to fly these sites, giving us real-time information on where we are on the jobs, gives us a better idea on where we need to take the next step.” This shift enables faster progress checks along with more timely, accurate earthwork calculations through high‑quality ortho imagery that integrates seamlessly with machine control models.
A business built on efficiency
SouthernCross’s leadership sees Trimble technology as central to how they continue to scale the jobs they win — and how they scale their business. Maddux explains, “We want to give our guys the best equipment they can possibly have, and Trimble is just a key part of that and has been in our growth.” He also sees the direct operational impact of being able to pass accurate data seamlessly between the office and the crews in the field, “The efficiency that our crews are able to perform at when they are enabled with Trimble allows us to get more work done with the same amount of people.”
SouthernCross’s evolution from two GNSS‑equipped dozers to 24 connected machines highlights how integrated digital processes drive efficiency, scalability and competitiveness.
“I would highly recommend implementing Trimble products into your lineup. It really has made my workflow so much easier being able to have all of these cohesive software working together.”
Scale your fleet and connect office to field with Trimble tech. Contact your local dealer to get started today.
