Michael Martin Jr. isn’t in a hurry to build big — he’s focusing on building right. From his base in Portland, Oregon, Martin is methodically shaping a company designed for longevity, one grounded in efficiency, professionalism and a clear-eyed approach to growth. Every decision is intentional from how work is performed in the field to how the business scales beyond its early years.

That mindset led Martin to launch Angelo Underground in 2022. The company delivers hydroexcavation services, utility trenching and excavation for commercial projects, residential developments and municipal clients throughout Portland and the surrounding region. While still young, Angelo Underground is already operating with the ambition — and discipline — of a much larger firm.

For Martin, raising the bar in underground construction isn’t just a business goal; it’s a personal mission. By emphasizing quality, strong crews and streamlined operations, he’s positioned Angelo Underground to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with established players — without sacrificing the lean, hands-on approach that defines the company’s DNA.

RAISED IN THE INDUSTRY

Raised around heavy equipment and job sites, Martin’s path into excavation was almost inevitable. His father owns a demolition and mass excavation company, and Martin gravitated toward the machines early. 

He entered the industry as a laborer and steadily worked his way through the ranks — pipe layer, foreman, superintendent — gaining more than a decade of experience across excavation, foundations, trenching, demolition and debris removal.

That background shaped both his work ethic and his entrepreneurial drive. Before Angelo Underground, Martin founded and co-owned Trench Pro, a Sacramento, California, based firm specializing in trenching and backfilling for residential and light commercial utilities. 

When he decided to return to Oregon, he dissolved the business, loaded up his equipment and started fresh in his hometown.

“I loved playing in the dirt,” Martin says. “So it was just a natural fit.”

A LINE OF WORK

In Angelo’s profession, well-preparedness equates to being able to handle the complexities of underground utility contracting jobs. The company has four employees including a foreman and lead technician and a laborer who is also a professional concrete finisher learning the dirt work side. 

Maria Martinez, Angelo’s administrative manager, joined the company this year and recently moved to full time from part time. With a strong background in providing executive-level support, her role is streamlining administrative operations, managing all scheduling, invoicing and communication as well as handling day-to-day coordination and human resources work. 

After only three years, Angelo is already carving out a name for itself in the Greater Portland area and taking on bigger jobs specializing in utility construction services for electric, gas and water infrastructure. 

For Martin, the priority is delivering excellence and making sure customers are taken care of. His business zeal and acumen, combined with experience overcoming significant challenges on larger projects, is reflected in pride of ownership, a cohesive team and tools of the trade.

BREAK OUT FORCE

Martin is a big fan of Takeuchi equipment. Angelo’s fleet comprises a TB260 hydraulic excavator and a TB2150 excavator. They have a dump truck and deploy a MAXX-D G8X gravity tilt trailer for hauling equipment around. 

Martin says their two service trucks are built out for saving time and enabling crews to operate with high efficiency, everything they need to get a job done without having to constantly improvise. 

“You’ve got the hose reels, tool boxes, plenty of storage, generators,” Martin says. “They are fully equipped so you can just go up to a job site and do what you have to do instead of making phone calls and going to get different things.” 

A Ring-O-Matic 850 VX Vacuum Excavator is Angelo’s go-to hydrovac equipment for soft dig applications. 

Martin says he went with the 850 VX for a couple of reasons. 

First, what Angelo needed was the capability to minimize ground disturbance while efficiently breaking up soil and removing debris. What Martin wanted was the best of all worlds: navigating tight spaces, providing versatility and accessibility, and a nondestructive method of finding utilities without putting a shovel or excavator in the ground. 

The trailer unit has two 250-gallon tanks for freshwater capacity, an 800-gallon spoils tank, and a water pump delivering up to 4,000 psi. A 1,000 cfm or a 600 cfm blower option allows contractors to choose the airflow best suited for their jobs. 

The compact trailer unit was designed to support extended work, includes standard reverse flow for clearing hoses and is built for leveraging specialized attachments like pothole tools for utility exposure, slot trenching and spoils management, meeting various construction and municipal needs. 

“I tried one out on a demo and they just work really well,” he says, noting the 850 VX’s pressure rating was more in line with Angelo’s needs than some competitive models. 

At the same time, Martin’s business philosophy centers on being efficient with zero sacrifice to quality and brand representation. He’s cognizant not only of how well the equipment Angelo is investing in performs, but also how machine appearance meshes with the company’s standards and identity. 

“From a visual standpoint, I didn’t purposely do it, but I love the Takeuchi colors, which are the same as my logo colors,” Martin says. “My goal one day would be to have Takeuchi sponsor us and send us equipment to try out and make YouTube content videos. As far as the MAXX-D trailer, the colors are the same, so everything is kind of universal, which is cool. The colors of the Ring-O-Matic are really sweet.” 

IN THE TRENCHES

Martin detailed a recent job for an electrical contractor involving precision excavation work in a sensitive, active government facility as part of planned upgrades to Multnomah County infrastructure. Careful coordination was required in a congested utility zone and Angelo applied tight project controls to risk-sensitive work. 

Their crew installed trenches 3 feet to 6 feet deep for roughly 100 feet of new conduit runs, sequencing excavation, backfill and surface restoration around the electrical contractor’s installation schedule and ongoing county operations. 

Angelo demonstrated their ability to adapt to demanding conditions, and quick decision making, leveraging its precision hydrovac daylighting capabilities safely exposing live lines prior to any bucket work. 

The 850 VX additionally helped reduce waste as the crew opened slots for a concrete contractor tasked with installing about a half-dozen posts on generator pad foundations that would pass strict municipal inspection.

“Instead of excavating down three or four feet for these six or seven metal bollard posts, what we were able to do is just hydrovac a perfect circle,” Martin says. “When the concrete sub came, we just kept it in a nice circle. That was actually our first time doing something like that. Not only was it clean and efficient but also saved a couple extra yards of concrete when blowing these holes open.”

BIG PICTURE

Angelo holds state contractor licenses for both Oregon and Washington with customers in the Portland and Vancouver regions. 

For standardization and risk management, the company onboarded the safety compliance program and training materials developed for the Avetta platform. 

They are taking advantage of programming that aids contractors meeting strict requirements when working in trenches, considering OSHA standards like soil classification, protective systems, safe egress, competent person oversight for cave-in prevention and worker hazard protection. 

Martin confirms that, in addition to public works and Oregon DOT certifications, they are also a verified vendor through SAM registration with the U.S. Federal Contractor Registration, required for entities to bid on federal contracts and receive payment. 

A commitment to industry standards, and adhering to them, are central to Angelo. Martin generally goes in-depth covering at least one job safety subject with his team every week and is getting into a rhythm of making those “five-minute topics” a bigger part of the day-to-day.

Both safety and training, right alongside continuous learning and improvement, are at the core of their culture and operations. 

The required knowledge and experience, credentials, insurance and personal protective equipment to perform, are all part of the big picture for a three-year old company that’s going to work. 

ON TRACK

Martinez notes Angelo is on track with the potential for increasing both project volume and staff over the next 12 months, and the owner is on target with meeting defined business goals. 

According to Martin, in 2025 the company posted just shy of $1.3 million in annual revenues and is estimating between $1.2 million and $1.5 million for this year. He’d like to get consistent with a 25% to 30% profit margin before stepping harder on the gas. 

The objective is to continue to build relationships and pick up project work for large electrical contractors, large general contractors, municipalities and developers. When the time comes, additional hiring is part of the plan to grow, and that will include both operational and administrative personnel. 

At the end of the day, Martin feels most at home when he is in the field, providing support for crews, identifying and implementing ways to optimize the business, building connections with people and boots on the ground. 

He continues: “I am a people person, love just going to job sites, being on site and paring people up, and watching production happen.

“The other thing was just building a lot of these relationships from scratch, going to these large general contractors, calling them up or setting up meetings to build that relationship, which really fostered a lot of our projects for 2025. It was not all for that reason. We would not be in the position we are in if we weren’t setting aside time to grow the company, and the fruits are showing. The plan is to go from here.”