Moving Dirt for 45 Years By Mary Savage
T
he first time Andy Surkon climbed into the cab of a bulldozer, he was 17 years old. It was also a moment in time that foreshadowed his career, though he didn’t realize it. By the time Andy was in his late 20s, he had completed an overseas term with the Army, received his ticket as a welder, was married and had started a family with his wife, Denise. And now he was about to become self-employed – moving dirt. He started Kon Construction Ltd. in 1967 with one bullbull dozer and moved dirt from ‘sunup till sundown,’ while Denise looked after the books and raised their four kids. By 1974, Kon was incorporated and they had landed their first big subdivision job: grading the site for the Red Carpet Trailer Park in southeast Calgary. The business had carved out a well-respected name for itself and contracts contincontin ued to come through the door, but Andy and Denise kept the operation small. For the first seven years, the couple did all the work themselves – running the business from their home office. Andy subscribed to a few simple principles: you don’t expand unless you’ve got the money in the bank and you ‘reap what you sow.’ He believed in hard work, honest busibusi ness dealings and a genuine commitment to the customer. Since the late 1960s, Kon has survived the peaks and valval
The team at Kon Construction. Photo by Mary Savage.
leys of Alberta’s economic landscape – learning, growing and evolving as they built a more efficient operation. Kon has expanded and contracted to meet market demand and its longevity is evidence of the family’s deep-rooted comcom mitment to the business and the industry. “In construction, we are the first to feel any shift in the economy and it’s a very volatile industry. There are so many factors that affect our business and when you’re able to survive for as long as we have in this industry that says a lot about the company,” expresses Carrie, the youngest of the four kids. During the late 2000s, Andy retired from the daily operaopera tion, although he still keeps a hand in the business and visits the Calgary office from time to time.
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Congratulations on your 45th Anniversary! We wish you many years fo continued success! Kon Construction | 45th Anniversary | 1