Garney's 60th Anniversary: Our Story of Employee Ownership

1961

GARN E Y CONSTRUCTION 2021

SAFETY QUALITY ALLOW ALL EMPLOYEE-OWNERS TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL JOB SECURITY AND ESOP PERPETUATION PROFITABILITY SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE COMMUNITY

INTEGRITY IS THE SHORTEST PATH TO SUCCESS WIN / WIN EXCELLENCE IS THE STANDARD 100% EMPLOYEE OWNED

Dedicated to the employee-owners of Garney Construction—past, present, and future.

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Copyright © 2011 by Garney Construction Expanded Edition © 2021 by Garney Construction All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review.

For information, please write: The Donning Company Publishers 731 South Brunswick Street Brookfield, MO 64628 Lex Cavanah, General Manager Nathan Stufflebean, Production Supervisor Annie Miller, Author Anne Burns, Editor and Author of expanded chapter Katie Gardner, Marketing and Project Coordinator Nate Salgado, Project Director ISBN for original edition: 978-1-57864-666-1 ISBN for expanded edition: 978-1-68184-299-8 Cataloguing-in-Publication Data available from the Library of Congress Printed in the United States of America at Walsworth Publishing Company

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FOREWORD 04 1960s 06 1970s 22 1980s 38 1990s 60 2000s 80 2010s 108

It is with utmost pride and respect that I congratulate the employeeowners of Garney Construction. My father, Art Garney, instilled his values in me as I worked alongside him at Garney Plumbing. He dreamed big and worked hard, never losing focus on the importance of customer service. As an immigrant, he would be proud that such a large percentage of Garney employee-owners are immigrants themselves or first generation Americans. The possibility of prosperity regardless of circumstance of birth — in short, the American Dream — is manifested every day at Garney.

It is my hope that some of my personal philosophies have become ingrained in the fabric of the company. Allowing and encouraging others to reach their full potential, establishing excellence as the standard, choosing integrity as the shortest path to success, and always trying to create win/win situations has served me well in my life. There is no greater fulfillment than seeing a company that I love give opportunity to so many. As I said in 1995 when stepping aside as the President of Garney Construction, “I want to use this opportunity to give my sincerest thanks for the great job you have all done in making our company one of the best in the nation.” That sentiment holds true today. For your dedication and your drive, for your talent and your time, for your sweat and the years you have given to Garney, you have my gratitude. I look forward to watching the continued success that you, as a team, will create.

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Garney Plumbing was in the process of installing plumbing for many of the Armour Boulevard apartments in Kansas City when economic disaster struck in 1929. The plumbing company was completely wiped out and Art Garney, once again, started over with nothing but his young wife’s support.

(Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri.)

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1960s “Do the job right, on time and within budget.”

GARNEY PLUMBING COMPANY MOTTO

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For nearly 100 years, the Garney name has been synonymous with hard work and big dreams. Charles Garney’s grandparents, Björn and Jóhanna, emigrated separately from Iceland to the Icelandic River area of Manitoba, Canada. Here, near Lake Winnipeg, they met, married, and carved out a life for their family on a small, flood-prone farm. On at least one occasion, the family had to evacuate their swamped land by boat.

Charles’ father, Björn Sigurdsson, known to us as “Art Garney,” was born on December 7, 1895.

Björn Sigurdsson, later known as Art Garney, joined the Royal Canadian Army and was shipped to the trenches of

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France in 1917.

Several years before Art’s birth, his parents reported their assets as five cows, five calves, one ox, and an acre of garden. In 1903, the family relocated to a homestead in the Hove district near Lake Manitoba. The children worked alongside their parents with hoes and hands, scratching a living out of the rough, wet soil. Art’s younger brother, Joe, recalled the day that 15-year-old Art left their small farming and fishing community. “He got up one morning, and as usual Dad told him to go out to the fields and pick up rocks. Art didn’t say a word, but walked out the door and down the road to Winnipeg.”

The 70-mile walk behind him, young Art Garney became a plumber’s apprentice and dedicated himself to learning the skills that would shape his life.

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As so many American immigrants before and since, Art had little formal education and even less money. What he did have was a strong work ethic and a fighter’s ability to continue battling against difficult circumstances. While in the Canadian Army, fellow soldiers had trouble pronouncing his given name “Björn” and called him Barney instead.

While working as a laborer in Duluth, Minnesota, and later Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he found pronunciation of his name to once again be a problem. Immigrant laborers from central and southeastern Europe were no strangers to prejudice and the term “dumb bohunk” was sadly familiar. A 1920s Chicago foreman expressed the feelings of many of the era remarking, “The men working around here are dumb bohunks and will never get any further than they are now.” In order to assimilate, Björn Sigurdsson formally adopted

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With the rumblings of war, Art joined the Royal Canadian Army when he was 18 years old. He was shipped to France in 1917 and fought along so many of his generation. A German bullet shattered Art’s right foot, leaving him in the muddy trenches of France. He was soon shipped back to Canada for recovery and was eventually discharged. As he had once headed to Winnipeg, he headed south alone, this time by rail.

Coming to the United States as a poor immigrant, Björn had a strong work ethic and determination to succeed. He changed his name to Arthur Garney when he felt pronunciation of his Icelandic name was hindering business opportunities.

the name Arthur “Art” Garney and became an American citizen. While working hard and saving money, Art found love and married his first wife, Hermie Baumann. They had the first two of Art’s four children, Edward and Ann. 9

Garney Construction the successful company it is today. More than 45 percent of Garney’s current workforce is comprised of immigrants or first generation Americans. Art Garney worked hard, didn’t ask for much, and faced great prejudice in his early life. It is Charles’ hope that Garney has played a role in giving others a chance to pursue their own version of the American Dream.

With 75 plumbers by 1929, Garney was one of the largest plumbing companies in Kansas City. They installed the plumbing for the 400-room LaSalle Hotel located at 920 East Linwood Boulevard in Kansas City. (Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri.)

Although he had left his Icelandic name behind, Art Garney would never abandon the virtues of his hardworking heritage. As a first generation American, Charles Garney sees his family’s story reflected in the lives of many who have made 10

Art continued to be drawn south by opportunity.

He boarded another train and went as far as his money would allow. His savings ran out in Kansas City, Missouri. Quickly establishing himself in the construction community, he was approached by a builder in 1924 asking Art to submit a plumbing project bid. Going into business on his own appealed to Art. The bidding process, however, loomed as an unknown.

Putting on his only suit, Art carried the proposed house plans to a plumbing shop on the other side of town, asking them for a bid. He took that bid and presented it back to the builder. It was accepted and Garney Plumbing Company was born.

The company’s first five years were a great success. With 75 plumbers on the payroll, Garney was one of the largest plumbing companies in Kansas City. Plumbing for the 400-room LaSalle

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Art, once again, became a one-man plumbing operation. LaFaun helped in any way she could.

She picked up and delivered material to jobs and learned to thread pipe. LaFaun juggled the demands of the business along with the needs of their two small children, Charles and Bette.

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Hotel was completed by Garney as well as many large metropolitan apartment buildings. The growth of the company, however, and Art’s run of good fortune ground to a halt with the crash of 1929.

Garney was in the process of installing the plumbing for many of Kansas City’s stately Armour Boulevard apartment buildings when their developers plunged into bankruptcy. As the country teetered on the brink of depression, Art met young LaFaun Wheeler.

She became his second wife and greatest supporter in the economic struggles of the 1930s.

Charles Arthur Garney was born on November 27, 1931. Charles reflected upon the Depression and its impact on his parents, “One minute he was buying an Auburn car for his new wife, the next minute they were bankrupt.” The plumbing company was completely wiped out.

Art married LaFaun Wheeler on March 5, 1930. The plumbing company fell victim to the Great Depression shortly after their marriage. LaFaun was Art’s greatest ally and partner in returning Garney Plumbing to its pre-Depression status.

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Living on 76th Street between Paseo and Lydia, Charles attended the Marlborough Grade School, and later, Paseo High School. He went on to complete the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program at the University of Kansas before leaving the Midwest to be a deck officer on the USS Hailey (DD-556), a U.S. Navy destroyer.

Under caption spacing followed by paragraph.

After service in the U.S. Navy, and five years working with his father, Charles Garney was ready to take the reins

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of his own company in 1961.

It wasn’t until the late 1940s that Garney Plumbing Company recovered to its pre-Depression size.

Becoming the largest residential plumbing company in Kansas City, Garney equipped thousands of new homes with plumbing. A generation of Kansas City’s most successful plumbing contractors got their start with Art Garney during the post-war building boom. One of these men was Art’s own son, Charles.

Completing his tour of duty with the U.S. Navy in 1956, Charles returned to Kansas City at Art’s request, joining his father in the partnership of Garney Plumbing. Working with Art until the end of the decade, Charles served an apprenticeship of sorts and achieved the rank of master plumber.

He worked in the trenches, was never given a raise, and developed a strong sense of respect for the men at the end of the shovels.

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When Charles incorporated his company on December 27, 1961, he had $62,000 in total capital and equipment. Garney rented a small building on

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When joined in a business setting, many fathers and sons end up with clashing ideas or characteristics. This was the case with Art and Charles. Charles frankly states, “He kicked my ass out the door. I remember him saying, ‘If you are so damn smart, then go run your own business.’

So I did.” One day in 1961 the father and son were partners. The next day found a new investor, Jesse Yokum, buying Charles out of the business.

Charles quickly started his own company taking three employees with him from his father’s shop, George Enright, Marie Love, and Leroy Stubbs; a handful of receivables; and a truck. Art continued to run his Waldo-based shop until his death in January 1966. He spent his life rebounding from adversity, earning loyalty from his customers, and offering the best possible service in return. Charles took his father’s commitment to providing the best service with him into his new venture. “He taught me to work hard, work well, and that service always comes first.” Like his father so many years before him, Charles set off alone equipped with integrity, big dreams, determination, and the spirit of a true entrepreneur.

Gene Huskey’s crew included, among others, Otis Cobbins, Johnny Stewart, Cecil Keller, Henry Calhoun, and Ralph Walker.

Charles Garney rented the Hot Dog Stand for $125 a month in 1962.

Garney Construction outgrew the building only two years later.

Vivion Road nicknamed the Hot Dog Stand for $125 a month. Prior to being an actual hot dog stand, the building housed a small dance studio.

Charles remembers moving in to find “no running water and a dead rat in the well.” The young 13

OTIS COBBINS “I am proud to have been able to play a vital part in the growth of this company.”

Otis Cobbins joined Art Garney’s plumbing

His twin brother, Cleotis, joined the company

company in 1957 and worked alongside Charles

in 1971 as a Laborer. At his 1989 retirement,

as a Laborer installing sewer lines. “In those days, after 31 years of dedicated service, Otis Cobbins

Garney Foreman Otis Cobbins is shown shooting grade in 1982 at the Gillis Street Storm Sewer job in Kansas City.

Otis was one of the original Garney crew members in 1962.

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Charles worked right alongside of us getting

remarked, “I just want to express my gratitude

the pipe in the ground.” Otis joined Charles’ new

to Garney for the opportunity you have given me

company in 1962. “When Charles started his own

to use my skills and knowledge in the field of

company, I was proud to go with him because

heavy construction to help build and shape what

I knew he would make a go of things.” Charles

was once a young fresh company to the great

recognized Otis’ natural leadership abilities

company it is today.” Upon Otis’ death in 2003,

and gave him ever-increasing responsibility. He

the Pastor Otis Cobbins Memorial Scholarship

eventually led his own crew installing sewer lines

was established. Each year, the family selects a

for subdivisions. Outside of Garney, Otis was

young college-bound person who embodies Otis’

devoted to his family—his wife Minnie, his nine

qualities of honesty and integrity. The recipient

children, and his church. Ordained in 1965 as a

receives a $1,000 scholarship and the family

minister of God, Otis preached for many years

hopes they will be inspired to positively impact

at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.

their world as Pastor Cobbins did before them.

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Charles looks into the trench of an early Garney Construction project.

Charles pushed hard for both speed and quality.

A crew of experienced men joined his team including Gene and Slim Huskey, Otis Cobbins, Bill Lair, Chuck Reffitt, Whitey Misner, Al Naylor, Leon Neuworth, General Swan, Bill Taylor, Quenton Dockery, and John Jameson. Early crews were lean, often composed of only three men—the Foreman, an Operator, and the Pipelayer. The company began with two leased cable Bantam excavators. Hydraulics were not yet in the picture nor was a track drill. Rock was drilled by hand with a jackhammer. Slim Huskey recalls working his way up to 12-foot steel. “That wasn’t hard

company focused not on the residential business of his father’s shop, but on installing sewers and storm sewers for private developers. When local developer J. A. Peterson began losing money on sewer contracts, he called Charles asking him to do the sewer work at the same price. Charles asked retired contractor, and next door neighbor, Fred Brunn if they could make the Peterson deal work. Brunn said flatly, “No,” pointing out the other guy was going broke at those prices. Eager to make his mark, Charles took the job anyway.

Garney got $2 a foot for several thousand feet of 8-inch sewer and the company was on a roll.

Mike Cindrich was an early Boom Truck Operator for Garney. His orange truck is shown here handling a delivery of ductile iron pipe.

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work though. Try laying a sewer line with a fivegallon bucket and a wheelbarrow to haul gravel.

Now that’s work.”

Garney quickly gained the confidence of local developers. From the company’s earliest days, Charles looked at each person’s attributes and was not influenced by popular opinion of the times. He had integrated crews where Black men as well as white were elevated based upon the quality of their work. Gene Huskey, a highly respected Garney employee-owner for 31 years, was the first Black foreman in Kansas City. It was important to Charles for his workers to be individuals of good character. His hiring considerations always included looking at family ties and church affiliations. Each person represented the entirety of Garney. Charles knew it would take years to build the company’s reputation, but only a moment to lose it.

Despite the difficult winter of 1962 and the growing pains of a new company, Garney Companies, Inc., managed $414,110 in volume its first year. With this as the benchmark, Charles and his team were confident they could make the company prosper. Revenue increased to $1.1 million by 1963. Numbers were crunched and calculated with a hand-cranked adding machine.

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Slide rules were the only way to make computations, and communication with the job site meant getting in a truck for a visit. From the very beginning, Charles kept the company on the cutting edge of technology. As soon as a more efficient system came along, cranking the adding machine would be a thing of the past.

Charles knew prosperity was based on efficiency and he pushed the crews to new heights. He remembers the fact that Bill Lair wouldn’t drink water, even on the hottest of days, because he didn’t want a bathroom break to slow him down.

Slim Huskey famously led the race moving the amount of feet laid per day over the 1,000-foot mark. Lee Allen quickly went on to lay 1,000 feet three days in a row. Not to be outdone, Slim’s crew laid 1,250 feet in a day and later 1,500 feet of 8-inch dry pipe. Charles believes these early races are where the tradition of “Garney teams being faster, safer, and more capable than anyone else in the business” began.

Encouraged by Charles, the crews were constantly on the lookout for little things that would improve efficiency. Operators filled every bucket to its maximum capacity, carrying more dirt with fewer moves. Slim Huskey recalled Jim Henderson’s operating skills. “He could take the

a driving force in laying more and more

feet. Determined to go faster, Charles

sewer pipe. At one point, Slim approached

asked his Foreman Slim Huskey how they

Charles and said, “Boss Man, what would

could get to 400 feet. A case of beer for

you do for me if we lay 1,000 feet of pipe?”

every 400-foot day was the answer. Soon

Slim was told he would be given two weeks

wives were calling Charles unhappy with

of paid vacation for breaking that number.

this arrangement, as it was becoming a

For four years, Slim kept the deal in mind,

daily occurrence. Money was eventually

occasionally asking Charles if it was still

substituted for an actual case of beer. “How

on. One day Charles got a call that he

do we get to 500 feet?” Money for two

better head to a job site north of Kansas

cases was the confident reply.

City’s Antioch Shopping Center. Getting

2010s

one man to the crew, bringing it up to 300

2000s

and Lee Allen’s crew was fierce and was

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feet of sewer pipe a day. Charles added

1980s

Competition between Slim Huskey’s crew

1970s

The early Garney team routinely laid 250

1960s

RACE TO 1,000 FEET

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out of his truck Charles heard Slim yelling

Early crews worked hard to lay 300, 400, then 500 feet of sewer pipe

Charles has never forgotten the

at Bill Lair, “Dig, Mother F***er, Dig!” This

determination of these early crews. He

motivational speech must have worked

continues to marvel at their skill and

because 1,000 feet of pipe were laid that

strength. Steve Ford remembers watching

day. Slim got his check and two weeks of

Otis Cobbins lower an 8-inch clay pipe into

vacation. Everyone else on the crew got

a trench by hand. These 8-inch clay pipes

an extra day’s pay. Charles still marvels,

were five feet long weighing 100 pounds

“They did the humanly impossible that day.

each. Some of the men could carry two

They broke the sound barrier.” Slim was

of these joints on their shoulders while

rightfully proud of his all time record—1,620

walking. These heavy pipe joints and the

feet in 8 hours.

in a day. Slim Huskey, shown here in 1983, was determined his crew

precision required for gravity sewers

could reach 1,000 feet. After four years of trying, Slim, with Operator

makes the speed of these early crews even

Bill Lair, finally achieved that magic number. Competition between crews was fierce and 1,250 feet quickly became the next target.

more impressive.

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THE LAIR FAMILY LEGACY There had been a member of the Lair family on the Garney roster for more than 50 years. In 1957, Bill Lair joined his brothers Virgil and Arthur to work for Art at Garney Plumbing. His brother Gary also worked for Art as an Oiler before a stint in the U.S. Army and his return to Garney in 1967. Once working for Charles at Garney Construction, Bill was one of the first Operators willing to make the necessary sacrifices to go out of town. Bill reminisced, “Working out of town was hard. Sometimes you wouldn’t get home for two weeks. By then your yard would be grown over and you’d be getting things back in shape until it was time to leave again.” Bill’s nephews, Gary, Mike, and Calvin, have all worked for Garney as well as his son, Bob. Bill was always on the leading edge of Garney production whether running a rubber wheel backhoe or big excavators. Bill clearly remembers the Falls City, Nebraska, job. “I laid 4,020 feet of 20-inch pipe in one day. That was my alltime record.” Operating the Poclain 300, the trench Bill dug that memorable day was seven feet deep. He remembers being the first one to lay 1,000 feet, then 1,500 feet, then 2,000 feet. The usual incentive of beer didn’t appeal to Bill, but he did enjoy the rewards Charles brought especially for him—soda and doughnuts. “Charles Garney was the best guy I ever worked for. He always treated me right.” Jimmy Roller once commented on a Texas job, “If I had an Operator as good as Bill Lair, I’d roll out a red carpet from his truck to the excavator and hand him a cup of coffee to start the day.”

TOP: Bill Lair smiles while running a new CAT 375 in 1998. This was the last hoe he ran before retirement.

BOTTOM: As one of Garney’s most experienced Operators, Bill ran equipment emblazoned with the Garney name beginning in 1957.

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It only took two years for Garney Companies to outgrow the Hot Dog Stand. In 1964, a new office was built at 1235 NW Vivion Road. When the building was first completed, Garney occupied only one-fourth of it, leasing out the remainder.

Equipment maintenance was done in a small garage at the back of the building. Satisfied customers began to ask for Garney to install water lines as well as sewer. This led to the creation of the Utilities Division in 1968 under the management of H. B. Raymond. The move to

1970s

bucket and scratch your head with it.” Leon Neuworth, an experienced and creative Welder, added depth to Garney’s buckets, increasing load capacity even more. Taking every aspect of their jobs seriously, the Garney crews were soon known for exceptional quality. Charles remembers, “Even the inspectors knew that they didn’t need to check our jobs too carefully. It was a given that they would be done right.” The push for speed and quality was lightened by the sense of a team effort and by moments of laughter. Funny to all but Charles, Backhoe Operator Chuck Reffitt would drive his machine to the brink of disaster looking for Charles’ reaction. Charles remembers the tracks hanging precariously out over a ditch before being pulled back with great skill, to his great relief.

In 1964, Garney moved into a new building at 1235 NW Vivion Road in Kansas City, Missouri. Leasing only one quarter of the building originally, the company had plenty of room to grow.

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utilities allowed for a wider range of potential work and increased Garney’s diversification. New technology was easing the expansion and in 1965 a punch card computer was installed in the office.

The equipment was enormous and thousands of cards were being circulated through the system. A smaller, quieter IBM System 3 came shortly after, which continued to increase automation and efficiency. Job cost analysis was improved with each leap to new technology.

By 1965, Art Garney’s health had failed, as had the financial health of his plumbing company. Charles merged his father’s company into his young construction operation. The difficulties of stabilizing the plumbing operation were a challenge, and ultimately a triumph, for the Garney Companies management team. Within six years, the company added an Industrial and

Manager Don Coleman started the Industrial and Environmental Company as

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an off-shoot of the Plumbing Company.

Charles meets with his management team in the mid-1960s.

Environmental Division headed by Don Coleman and a Tunneling Division run by Dave Williams and Mark Cornwell. Stemming from Charles’ entrepreneurial spirit, real estate development, a cattle operation, cropland, and airplane chartering were also a part of the company’s diversity in the early years. Mel Barton was Vice President and Financial and Administrative Manager during this time. Chuck Tregemba was the Office Manager. The successful ventures of Charles and the company remained while others went by the wayside. Charles says, “I wanted to bounce off every wall and have no boundaries of any kind.” He confirms, “I’ve bounced off a lot of walls.”

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From the very beginning, Charles focused on hiring and retaining quality individuals. He explained his principle of “motivators and satisfiers” in a 1972 Central States Construction article featuring him. “The motivators are, basically, giving people more responsibility and setting higher goals for them to work toward.” Excellence was the standard and nothing less was acceptable.

“The satisfiers are paid vacations, extensive health benefits, and many other things, including an unprecedented profit-sharing plan.” This plan was unique in the construction industry in that it included union members.

From Garney’s earliest days, Charles credited the success of the company to the people who made it run on a daily basis. Art Garney and his Icelandic heritage instilled in Charles a deep respect for the people working in the field with the tools. Charles Garney’s win/win philosophy, willingness to elevate others, and the early profit-sharing plan foreshadowed the enormously successful Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that would largely define the company 60 years later.

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

After Garney Plumbing was absorbed in 1965, Charles’ mother LeFaun continued to be a strong presence in the company.

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The Northwest 9570 hydraulic over cable backhoe used for the job in Springfield, Missouri, was Garney’s biggest equipment purchase to date. It took five railroad cars to deliver the backhoe to Springfield in 1975.

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1970s “The shortest distance from here to success is the road of integrity. This is one of the company’s philosophies that we all try to keep in mind.”

CHARLES GARNEY GARNEY NEWS 23

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With a strong belief that the future of Garney was linked to the quality of people he hired, Charles entered the 1970s with a strong crew. Men from his original team were still working hard. Bill Lair, Chuck Reffitt, Bill Taylor, Otis Cobbins, and Gene and Slim Huskey were cited for excellent work throughout the 1970s.

Their names were often repeated in the Crew of the Month reports. George Enright moved from sewer crews for the Construction Company, to water crews for the Utilities Company, to warehousing for the Plumbing Company, and finally to manager of the shop in 1971. Some of the men now joining the company would remain for decades, leading Garney well into the 21st century.

Blaine Eldreth was hired in June 1969. He was on Lee Allen’s crew, working as a Tailman with Pipelayer Roosevelt Palmer, eventually joining Chuck Sapp’s crew as a Pipelayer. Montie Tripp came on board as a Superintendent trainee in the Utilities Division in 1971. That same year, J. W. Youngblood started as a trainee in the Industrial and Environmental Division.

This 1970 crew included, left to right, Blaine Eldreth, I. P. Starr, Bobby Ratliff,

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and Everett Kelly.

Tripp and Youngblood vividly remember the daily managers’ meetings of the early 1970s. Gathering

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The Managers’ meetings of the early 1970s were held in Garney’s new headquarters at 1331 NW Vivion Road. The 1973 DE/Journal’s Book of Giants listed the Garney Companies’ annual volume at $9.1 million, placing them among the Top 200 mechanical contractors in the United States. “This giant earned $3.8 million in volume over last year.

Over three-fourths of the volume is derived from treatment plants, underground utility installations and related projects, mostly in multi-family residential, apartment and industrial new construction. One-fourth of the volume was negotiated.” In reporting the impressive ranking, Charles said, “This achievement is a credit to every employee of the Garney Companies.”

1970s

around a table first thing in the morning at 6:30 a.m. they would wait for each crew to call in. Crews would report their production numbers from Montie Tripp joined Garney in 1971 the day before and discuss as a Superintendent trainee. He was promoted to Manager of Garney Utilities any issues at hand. The Company in 1976 and Executive Vice communication system President in 1984. allowed each crew to hear every other crew’s report. This fueled their competitive natures. Incentives would often be in place to encourage production. The Managers were well aware if a crew had reached its “beer limit” for the day, footage would be held back for the next day’s report. J. W. Youngblood remembers some of the sessions as fun and others as painful. “It wasn’t unusual to get an ass chewing and a pat on the back in the same meeting. You just hoped to finish up with the pat on the back.”

The IBM System 3 continued to provide more detailed job cost analysis reports. Charles pushed the company’s technology forward at every

J. W. Youngblood came to Garney in 1971 as a Superintendent trainee in the Industrial and Environmental Division. In 1984, he was promoted to Vice President of Estimating and Operation and went on to Senior Vice President in 1986. J. W., on the left, and Scott Kincaid analyzed plans outside the 1331 NW Vivion Road office.

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enormous impact. Using a laser eliminated one person from the crew. It also eliminated the lag time waiting for the batter board’s set up. Use of a laser immediately boosted production by 150 to 200 feet a day.

The October 1972 Crew of the Month included, kneeling (left to right), Ray Starr and Blaine Eldreth; standing Wylan Flory, top left, and Bobby Ratliff, second from right.

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opportunity. The management personnel in the field had two-way radios, which they used to call in to Winnie. She would use an interconnect with the Bell system to dial any number the caller requested. Eventually, Charles hired an inventor who developed the first interconnect mobile phone in the nation. This system allowed field personnel to dial numbers directly from their trucks rather than contacting the home office first.

Cutting edge technology at the time, Garney had 50 of these interconnect devices installed in vehicles. These mobile devices were used for several years before Motorola developed the first commercial touch tone mobile phone. Better communication was just another way Garney continued to push the envelope of efficiency. In the field, laser technology was making an

In April 1972, Charles discussed the company’s first decade in Central States Construction magazine. He outlined a key business principle of being “opportunistic…build a solid organization then take advantage of opportunities as they come up.” The magazine noted the pulse of activity and high energy level at Garney headquarters. The upward trend of the company “would seem to an outsider a skyrocketing growth pattern. But Garney doesn’t see it that way.” By combining his skills in engineering and business, Charles left the Central States Construction reporter with the impression that there truly was no limit to the potential of Charles Garney and his quickly growing empire.

The successes of 1973 were celebrated at the Garney Profit Sharing Dinner held for its 206 employees, spouses, and guests at the Truman Sports Complex Stadium Club. The Royals scoreboard flashed messages to the Garney group throughout the evening. “Here’s the Lineup for Tonight: Charles Garney and Patty, Lee Allen

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and Ronell, Gene Huskey and Marie, Don Coleman and Diane, Dan Davin and Dixie, Mel Barton and Elizabeth.” Much of the evening was dedicated to discussing profit sharing and goals for the upcoming year. Every year in October, a two-day annual planning meeting brought together all the company’s top leaders to brainstorm and develop goals and budgets for the upcoming year. Everyone would eventually agree upon three main goals to guide the company through the next year. Additional meetings were held every three months to check progress and make course corrections. Everyone soon learned if the leaders could reach agreement on goals, the whole company could be assured even the most ambitious of goals would be realized. The priorities for 1973 were profit, service to community and customers, employee opportunity, and company perpetuation. These objectives would hold true for many decades to come.

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

The April 1972 issue of Central States Construction magazine featured Charles Garney and the Garney executive team.

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At 6 a.m. on June 1, 1969, a young Blaine Eldreth walked into Garney Construction looking for a job. Only three days after his graduation from Park Hill High School, Blaine was eager to join the company his neighbor Mike Cindrich, an early Garney Boom Truck Operator, spoke of so highly. As Marie Love, Charles’ Secretary, unlocked the front door for the day she instructed Blaine to wait. While waiting, Blaine had plenty of time to think about his high school days, many of which were spent dragging his ’57 Chevy. When he wasn’t in his car, he could be found in the boxing ring. Fighting in the 132-pound weight class, Blaine won 15 of his 16 Golden Glove matches. He gave up the ring after losing his front teeth. Not giving up on Garney, he waited several hours before being told there was no work that day. He

BLAINE ELDRETH “I never dreamed it would be this good.”

persistently returned for four more days. Finally, Superintendent Lee Allen called in with need for a man. Blaine remembers Dan Davin remarking “he didn’t see a man waiting in the office, but rather a young boy who thought he was a man.”

Blaine was sent out to Lee Allen with three days to prove himself or “go on down the road.”

LEFT: Blaine Eldreth saw many changes at Garney between 1969 and 2007. Blaine worked as a Tailman, a Pipelayer, a Foreman, and a Superintendent during his 38 years with the company. Now retired at Buck Snort Mountain Ranch, in Witter, Arkansas, Blaine inspires

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young employee-owners with evidence of how far they can go with Garney.

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Kansas City International Airport. Lee Allen drew a circle on the

remembers “many boys from the Garney family” shooting

ground and told him “to keep digging until he found something.”

craps on their front porch the night before her 1998 wedding

Blaine found the wire at the bottom of a six-foot hole. Lee then

to Blaine.

drew a circle on a concrete wall, telling Blaine to jackhammer a 60-inch hole through the one-foot thick concrete. After watching Blaine keep after the job, Dan Davin asked, “Do you know where the Union Hall is?” Blaine did. “Go get your card.”

Blaine says he was in heaven.

Blaine was assigned many of the toughest Garney projects over the years. Montie Tripp remarked at Blaine’s retirement in 2007, “Blaine always had a ‘Can Do’ attitude…It didn’t matter if it was crossing Columbia’s Perche Creek in the flood of 1993, Raccoon River in the dead of winter, the frozen tundra of Lipsky Swamp

For the next 38 years, Blaine continued to prove himself as a

in Green Bay, Wisconsin, or fighting the ‘Artesians’ in

tireless worker and an excellent leader. Starting as a Tailman in

Huntsville, Alabama, Blaine and his crews overcame some

the ditch, Blaine moved to Pipelayer on Chuck Sapp’s crew

tremendous odds and obstacles in getting these and many

within a year. Chuck was a tough and demanding Foreman who

other difficult projects built.” The relationships and reputation

expected much out of his men. In 1974, Blaine’s talents were

Blaine developed continue to be a great source of pride for

recognized and he was given his own crew. The first of his many

Garney Construction.

out-of-town jobs was in Springfield, Missouri. Blaine’s traveling crew was initially composed of Backhoe Operator Bobby Ratliff and Blaine himself, with the remaining men hired locally at the jobs. His first project as a Superintendent was in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1978. Tired of living out of a motel, Blaine encouraged Charles to buy RVs for the traveling crew. After working together all day, the crews typically returned to their trailer park to eat together, sometimes drink together, and

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socialize like the family they had become. Ina Eldreth

2000s

His first job that day was digging up a telephone line by hand at

Today, Blaine inspires young Garney employee-owners with the story of his career and his immense gratitude for the opportunities the ESOP has provided. “If it weren’t for Charles, I’d be living on Social Security right now.” Instead, Blaine and Ina are enjoying life at their Buck Snort Mountain Ranch in Witter, Arkansas. “One thing about it, I loved my job. I’ve always loved my job.”

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Garney bought its first large hydraulic excavator in 1973. The Poclain 300,

Yard piping at the Southwest Sewage Treatment Plant in Springfield, Missouri,

manufactured in France, was affectionately known as the “French Hoe.”

was one of several big out-of-town projects in the mid-1970s.

As optimistic about the future as Charles may have been, 1973 plunged the United States into an oil crisis. This, combined with a bear market and dramatic inflation, led to a suppressed economy affecting all sectors including construction.

Despite gas prices, rationing, and all other problems during this difficult period, Garney continued moving forward, adding to its fleet with a new boom truck and its first hydraulic excavator, a Poclain 300. The employees pulled together and demonstrated Garney’s resilience under pressure.

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Expansion led a number of men and pieces of equipment to move from Kansas City, Missouri, to Russellville, Arkansas. Under the direction of Foreman Joe Lewis, Sr., the crew struggled with weather problems during the installation of the $750,000 city sewer line project. A total of 18,000 feet of line consisting of 8, 10, 12, and 15-inch

pipe was installed in the Arkansas mud. A job well done led to more big jobs in Arkansas the following year: Harrison, Mountain Home, and Hot Springs. A $4 million subcontract for the construction of an addition to the Southwest Sewage Treatment Plant in Springfield, Missouri, made it necessary to add Superintendent trainees and additional pipe laying Foremen.

A key part of Garney’s ability to encourage employee loyalty and longevity of service was challenged in 1975. Sweeping changes made by Congress in the 1974 Pension Reform Act made the continued administration of the company profit-sharing plan impractical. The employees were notified that the Garney Hourly Profit Sharing Plan did not qualify under the new law.

All funds that had been accumulated were dispersed to each employee and the plan was

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With increasing success came the need for additional office staff. To solve this problem, the company expanded the 1331 NW Vivion Road office building in the summer of 1976. Originally housing 20 employees, the now 50 employees greatly needed the additional 2,800 square feet.

Garney’s data processing department kept track of income, expenditures, and paychecks.

Liz Oneth and Quinness Courtney were two office employees whose lives were filled with print outs and punch cards. The company adopted the “return on assets managed” (ROAM) concept of internal accounting in 1977 and completely revised the job cost earning reporting. Consultant Kurt Simons introduced this concept.

Garney brought Simons back for 15 straight years to help implement this unique system of business management. Using the system set the company apart and allowed it to outperform other

1970s

officially terminated in June 1975. In the March 1975 edition of the Garney News, Charles sought ideas for a replacement plan and assured the employees it was in the works. Eventually this desire to include every employee in the success of the company led to the formation of employee ownership and the adoption of the ESOP in 1986.

The mid-1970s found Garney’s Heavy Construction Division servicing the Midwest, South, and far West.

Drawing of the new office at 1331 NW Vivion Road in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Ground was broken on July 21, 1976, for an expansion of the office at 1331 NW Vivion Road. The project added 2,800 square feet to accommodate Garney’s 50 fulltime office employees.

firms in the industry. It gave Garney a big advantage in bidding and managing work more effectively. The Garney Scoreboard now appeared in every Garney News to show how well each of the seven operating divisions performed for the previous month based on their ROAM goals. This was only one step in the continual effort to keep Garney at the leading edge of technology and to use technology in driving productivity.

In 1977, Garney employees had the opportunity to live out one of the primary goals of the company— service to the community. When the neighboring community of Riverside, Missouri, suffered damage, on one occasion from a tornado and on another from flooding, Garney’s crews and machinery voluntarily stepped in to help those in 32

need. On September 12, 1977, an intense local storm brought unprecedented amounts of water into the Kansas City metropolitan area. Mike Cindrich and Dick Bramble were on the scene at the Country Club Plaza which had been inundated with 16 inches of rainfall over a 24-hour period.

Mike used his boom truck to lift more than 30 cars out of the water. He also had the gruesome task of pulling two bodies out of swollen Brush Creek.

Executives from Barnard’s on the Plaza wrote letters praising and thanking the Garney employees for their rapid and willing response. In 1978, Garney successfully bid to replace the 17-foot high wall of Brush Creek that had been damaged by the Flood of ’77.

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LEFT: In July 1976, Mid-West

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Glenna Todd, who joined the company in 1972, vividly remembers that flood and scrambling to get through the water to the airport for an Oklahoma planning meeting. Mrs. Todd, Garney’s Administrative Vice President, was elected in 1977 to represent the third ward on the Liberty, Missouri, City Council. In later years, she served three terms as Liberty’s mayor. Beginning her Garney career as Charles’ Executive Secretary, Mrs. Todd was an integral part of the company until her retirement in 1989. She left Garney with great pride in the enormous growth of the company. “Charles was able to extract the very best out of each person on the team.” Mrs. Todd saw the late 1970s as a pivotal time for the company. This is when strategic planning on a company-wide level became more focused and formal planning meetings were held. “We did a lot of daydreaming…These sessions gave us the chance to reach out. Reach out beyond where we were as individuals and as a company.”

Contractor featured Garney’s work at the Iatan Steam Electric Generating Plant in Weston, Missouri. This was the company’s first power plant job.

BELOW: Gene Huskey stood atop the massive 120-inch precast concrete pipes his crew laid for Iatan’s circulating waterline.

Charles’ involvement in the Young President’s Organization fostered many practices, such as the planning process, that Montie Tripp believes are extremely important in the heritage of Garney Construction. During the 1970s, Charles served as chairman of the Kansas City YPO chapter, chairman of the Executive Committee of the 33

TIME OF TENSION A conflict was brewing in 1977 as labor negotiations attempted to establish agreement between contractors and Garney union men. At the time, Charles Garney was Treasurer of the Heavy Construction Association whose contract with four construction crafts had expired on April 1, 1977. The company was picketed on and off

by Teamsters Local No. 541, Operating Engineers Union Local No. 101, Laborers Union Local Nos. 663 and 1290, and Cement Masons Local No. 518. Non-union men came in to fill the crews. A five-man crew would often have 15 people there protesting, following the workers home and threatening their families. Charles remembers it as “a

Source: The Kansas City Star, April 13, 1977 issue.

year of war” which was extremely stressful for all involved. He wrote in the Garney News, “It is my hope that a settlement can be reached that will result in a winning situation for both the contractors and the union men. If we work together to solve the problems facing us today, this can be achieved. Let us resolve to take the high road.” At 11 p.m. on April 13, dynamite exploded in the driveway of Garney headquarters. The blast was heard 34

over two miles away. Eight windows were

Eventually, the National Union came to

blown out, but fortunately there were no

Kansas City and threw out Dan Sullivan, the

injuries. The Kansas City Star quoted Charles

local union President. The national

saying, “There is no way to know if the

organization then settled the strike, entering

unions were directly involved in this

into a win/win situation with the local union.

violence.” This was a very difficult time for

This agreement preserved the union way of

everybody. One contractor in Liberty had his

life for the Kansas City area.

machinery set on fire while other contractors found bullet holes in their pickup trucks.

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International YPO Board with membership from more than 150 countries, and as chairman of the national YPO conference, called Century III, held in 1977 in Washington, D.C. Meeting four times a year Garney managers would go around the room, Montie explained, until they had compiled exhaustive lists of “company needs and wants.”

The annual corporate goals grew out of these brainstorming sessions. “I didn’t realize how valuable the process was until looking back on it,” says Montie. He and J.W. Youngblood both agree the goals and philosophies drilled into them by Charles in the 1970s are the same goals and philosophies they are now passing on to the next generation of Garney leadership. “It was Charles’ deal, now it’s our deal.”

1970s

Joe Lewis, Sr., worked on the Topeka, Kansas, job in November 1979.

One idea arising from these planning sessions continues to have an enormous impact on attracting and retaining Garney’s highly qualified staff. An aggressive recruitment program was begun in 1979, seeking top engineering students from midwestern universities to enter Garney Companies’ Management Training Program. Steve Ford and Steve McCandless were both products of this recruitment effort. Ford and McCandless, along with Bob Bosshart, Kirk Smith, and Rich Jones, were five recruits hired from more than 200 potential candidates interviewed. Steve Ford joined Garney in June 1979 after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Rolla with a degree in civil engineering. Steve McCandless followed in June of that year. During his college summers, McCandless worked on Blaine Eldreth’s crew. Blaine remembers walking

by Steve and telling him to “tighten up.”

Steve memorably replied, “I will maintain a steady pace, but I will not tighten up.” It is speculated McCandless may be the only man that ever told Blaine to his face that he would not tighten up. Before joining Garney full time, McCandless graduated summa cum laude with a degree in construction The Commercial and Industrial Projects Division worked on many science from Kansas State University.

high-profile projects in the 1970s.

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Sewer District 15051. Pete Rogers, with Garney since 1960, was quoted in the fall 1978 Garney News saying, “Plastic pipe is one of the best things since God invented women.”

The September 1979 Crew of the Month included, front row, left to right, Gene Huskey, Buel Saffle, Bobby Ratliff, David Ice, Wayne Brown, Darrell Russell, and Richard Payne. Back row are Garry Welker, Bud Lohe, and Art Brockman.

Coming on board as Garney entered its third decade, Steve McCandless was a dedicated employee-owner for 39 years until his retirement in 2018 and Ford continues to offer leadership and wisdom as Garney turns 60.

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In 1979, for the first time, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, began using plastic sewer pipe. Field Superintendent Arnold Huskey recognized the benefits of PVC pipe. “It is light, easy to handle, comes in longer joint lengths and won’t crack.”

With 13-foot sections weighing less than a “single stick of clay,” the sewer crews found PVC to be easier to handle and increased their ability to make a tight line. Arnold’s crew familiarized themselves with PVC on a job near 60th and North Bales for the Kansas City, Missouri, Sanitary

While reviewing the state of the company in the late 1970s, Charles remained positive. “We are healthy and strong, and we have an excellent reputation in the community.” He went on to warn, “The country may have problems in the next 18 months to two years. I’m talking about inflation and a credit crunch. Our company is taking a cautious, conservative position, and I’d urge you, as individuals, to do so.” The decade ended on a somber note. Bill Bohannon, a young Garney employee, was killed in a trench accident in Colorado. This was the first loss of life on a job in company history. Charles Garney and Chuck Tregemba, Safety Manager, provided detailed information about the accident in the months to come. Every aspect of the tragedy was analyzed in an attempt to learn from the situation and prevent it from ever being repeated. Charles wrote, “These men did everything possible to save a life under adverse conditions, and everyone in the crew pulled together throughout the ordeal. In a company such as ours, with close personal and family relationships, it makes a tragedy like this more difficult to accept.”

1990s 2000s 2010s

SLIM HUSKEY WHEN ASKED IN 2010 HOW HE FELT ABOUT HIS UPCOMING 95TH BIRTHDAY.

1980s

“I feel like I could lay some pipe.”

1970s

SLIM HUSKEY

1960s

Safety was on everyone’s mind in the aftermath of the accident. A veteran Powderman Foreman, Gene Huskey, Jr., narrowly avoided tragedy when his air trac mast contacted a 115,000-volt power line. Charles Garney wrote, “I have been told that there are 256 close calls for every serious accident. These accidents are a clear warning signal that all of us should heed. Construction is a dangerous business. If there are people in your crew who are not alert and capable, for their benefit, as well as yours, they should seek work in a less dangerous business.”

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Steve Ford and Slim Huskey both vividly remember the 1979 James River Interceptor Sewer job in Springfield, Missouri. Slim, already a Garney veteran, was there shooting the tricky Springfield rock. Steve, with Garney a mere three months, was sent in as a replacement on the crew led by Gene Huskey, Sr. A difficult job from the beginning, Garney was the drilling and blasting subcontractor for Coluccio Construction Company. Steve memorably left a boot behind in the Springfield mud and asked Slim, “Is this what I went to college for?” Slim told his wife, “We might have lost Steve today. If he makes it through this job, he’ll stay around awhile.” Thirty-one years later Steve, now a Garney Vice President, and Slim laughed about James River. After digging through a James River slough, schools of fish were left stranded.

Slim remembers Steve “out there early just knockin’ those fish on the head.” They fondly recalled the fishing but all other aspects of the job were challenging, to say the least. A legendary Garney

Steve Ford and Slim Huskey visited in the fall of 2010. With Slim at Garney from the beginning and Steve still with the company, their careers span Garney’s first 60 years.

There is not much in Garney’s history that doesn’t evoke an anecdote from one of these two storytellers. Torrel “Slim” Huskey passed away on December 27, 2012, at the age of 96. Having given 37 years of dedicated service to Garney, this was a fitting date—exactly 51 years to the day that Charles Garney had started his company.

Powderman, Slim reminded Steve how dangerous the digging business really is. “In the type of work we do, you don’t know if you’ll come home at night. You better kiss your wife every morning before you leave the house…”

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Powderman M. J. Allen and driller J. P. Ketterman pushed casing through the gravel at Keel’s Creek Crossing in November 1981.

38

1980s “Let’s find this new direction for the 1980s. Let’s create an organization that makes use of people’s potential.”

CHARLES GARNEY SEPTEMBER 1980 GARNEY NEWS

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The 1980s began with the company adjusting to a merger of the Plumbing and Mechanical Divisions. The merger signaled the end of Garney providing residential plumbing for the community after years of service to builders in the Kansas City area. It felt like the end of an era for the company and a farewell to the residential plumbing legacy begun by Art Garney in 1924.

The office staff celebrated Christmas together in 1980.

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Looking forward, however, it signaled the beginning of expanded operations in the mechanical contracting and commercial plumbing fields. The Mechanical Division was under the leadership of Art Homer who explained, “Competition from non-union plumbing shops has made it increasingly difficult to operate profitably as a union shop. We were one of the few remaining union shops in the city.” In the November 1980 Garney News, Charles Garney said, “As the company grows, there is not enough work in the Kansas City area and this has made it necessary for our people to travel. It looks like an adjustment we must make to furnish work for all our people.” Slim Huskey said of the early 1980s, “We had laid all the pipe there was to lay in Kansas City. It was time to move on.”

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Charles laid out the 1980 goals and objectives in January of the new decade. A computer system ordered from Digital Equipment Corporation would play an important role in achieving his objectives. “Cooperation will be needed from all as we take this major step in improving our management information delivery with the assistance of the latest technology in computers.”

Hopes were tied to the new PDP11/44 system for improved communication, more accurate estimating, and overall cost control. Rick Ebbrecht, Garney’s Data Processing Manager, commended the company’s technology foresight.

“Garney was one of the first construction companies in Kansas City to use a computer. Early uses were accounting and monthly job costs, then weekly job costs. As the company grows, we will be doing more. With our new system we can do market analysis, computer assisted estimating,

2010s

Rain days turned into poker days for, left to right, Mac Brown, Steve Ford, Don Vandiver, Don Swisher, and Terry Winfree.

and even daily job costs.” The out-of-town crews relied on the weekly packets they received from Kansas City headquarters. These packets contained the crews’ paychecks and a copy of Montie Tripp’s weekly letter. As the company newsletter was discontinued for several years, Montie’s dictated memos, transcribed by the office staff, provide a valuable record of the company’s condition in the 1980s.

Updates were being made in machinery as well as office technology. Two new hydraulic excavators, one a Linkbelt 7400-A and the other a CAT 245, greatly increased the company’s capacity to handle large pipe jobs. Garney was ready, willing, and able to increase its volume. The national economy, however, was slowing down and impacting construction. In the March 1980 Garney News Charles wrote, “With major cutbacks in 41

In December 1980, Johnson Trucking unloaded Price Brothers pipe

The Section IIC pipe crew installed 80 joints (1,600 feet) of Price

Chuck Sapp logged a great deal of travel time as he

off of railcars in Inola, Oklahoma. In recognition of a long and valuable

Brothers pipe in June 1981.

headed up the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, project. Chuck

vendor relationship, Price Brothers received the Team Garney Award

is remembered as a gruff, no-nonsense leader whose job

in 2006.

performance and production were always outstanding.

government spending, many public works projects will be delayed, and competition will be tough.”

In a very cutthroat environment, Garney bid $39 million worth of work in March and April 1980 and was awarded $1.1 million. A bright note came in June 1980 as Garney won their largest project to date, the Grand River Water Supply contract for the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Municipal Authority. The job attracted 20 contractors from all over the country for the June 9, 1980, bid opening. The scope of Broken Arrow included approximately 33 miles of 36-inch water transmission line.

Scheduling for this massive project would prove to be very challenging.

Despite initial delays due to easement acquisitions, the $30 million Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, project sailed smoothly into 1981 under Project Manager 42

Chuck Sapp’s leadership. Broken Arrow was, to that point, the company’s longest project, largest dollar amount, and the farthest away from home.

The 36-inch PCCP pipe needed to complete this project came from three manufacturers—Price Brothers, Gifford Hill American, and United Concrete Pipe. Looking back on Broken Arrow, and many subsequent projects, J. W. Youngblood commented, “Our integrity and relationships developed over the years allowed us to successfully work with a variety of producers.”

Garney’s strong vendor relationships, and Montie Tripp’s ability to negotiate, ensured the best pricing and production of enough material. One pipe manufacturer would not have been able to keep pace with the focused Garney crews.

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THE LEWIS FAMILY

Service Award winner in 1996. The family

father’s well-respected footsteps. Joe

was pictured together on the cover of the

Lewis, Sr., a retired Superintendent, was

November 1981 Garney News as members

with Garney since the early years. Joe, Sr.,

of the Crew of the Month. Garney has a long

was elected by his peers to represent the

history of dedicated families whose names

Construction Division at the 1981 planning

are known to all employee-owners—Cobbins,

session. Winning the George Enright Award

Huskey, Lair, Lewis, and Duran to name

in 1989, Joe, Sr., embodied the award’s

a few. They have truly put “family” in the

qualifications of “putting the Company’s

history of the Garney family.

2010s

Lewis the opportunity to follow in their

2000s

the team in March 1981. He was the Gold

1990s

Garney Construction allowed Joe and Brian

1980s

FEBRUARY / MARCH 1991 EDITION OF THE GARNEY NEWS

1970s

“…a chance to fulfill every little boy’s dream−to follow in his father’s footsteps.”

best interest ahead of his own, and is always there to provide experience and support to any employee that needs it.” Through their years of working together, Joe, Jr., and Brian relied on their father’s experience and support. Joe, Jr., joined Garney in May 1973 and spent his first project, a Blue

LEFT: In 1981, Joe Lewis, Sr., was the Project Manager in Manhattan, Kansas. Both his sons, Joe, Jr., and Brian, were on

Springs sewer job, working with his father.

this crew. While laying 13,306 feet of 30-inch and 21-inch clay

Joe retired in August 2015 after 42 years as

consistently remained ahead of schedule.

a Superintendent at Garney Construction.

BACKGROUND: Brian Lewis was the Gold Service Award winner

Brian, a Garney Excavator Operator, joined

1989. Joe Lewis, Jr., received the Enright Award in 2008.

pipe and 6,119 feet of 10-inch and 12-inch pipe, the Lewis crew

in 1996. Joe Lewis, Sr., received the George Enright Award in

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Steve Ford faithfully recorded details of the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, job.

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Steve Ford, Broken Arrow’s Assistant Project Manager, reported, “The city has been surprised, and even amazed, at the production capacity, quality of workmanship, and the integrity of Garney’s workforce.” In a Broken Arrow companion project, Garney joined Chapman Brothers, also of Kansas City, to run a reinforced concrete pipeline 1,000 feet through a free bore tunnel under Oklahoma’s Verdigris River. “ There were few tunnelers who could drill and blast inside the tunnels and do it well, and we did it well…,” said Fred Chapman. The Verdigris River project required a 63-inch self-propelled American Augers, Inc., boring unit. American Augers later ran a full-page advertisement in trade publications recognizing the success of this joint venture and commending Garney’s role. The Verdigris River project attracted the attention of high-ranking Soviet Union officials. As guests of Leo Barbera, President of American Augers, the Soviet dignitaries visited the United States in October 1981 and made a stop in Kansas City.

Garney hosted a lunch and presentation to help the Soviet visitors explore ways to apply the technology of small diameter bores to larger oil and gas transmission tunnels in their country.

Don Swisher was Blaine Eldreth’s Operator in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Broken Arrow crew members included front, left to right: Delbert Hesler, Chuck Reffitt, and Don Vandiver; back: Cleo McCormick, Don Clay, Dave Mellette, Mike Tatum, and Dave Reffitt.

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Safety always had the potential to impact the bottom line as Charles explained in the JulyAugust 1980 Garney News. “Our lives and livelihood depend on our ability to prevent accidents… Safety and accident prevention are the result when you have good men in the field.”

Three-quarters of the way through 1980 showed excellent safety records. Incidents were far below

2000s

With his heart in tunneling, and not in running an office, Fred Chapman joined Garney as an employee in 1983. Going where Garney needed him, Fred later worked on the Upper Walnut Creek tunnel project in Austin, Texas, bored under a highway in Grants, New Mexico, and under I-35 in Olathe, Kansas. “I spent most of my life working underground,” said Fred.

1990s

Verdigris River in Oklahoma.

1980s

63-inch self-propelled American Augers bores head unit used to tunnel under the

1970s

Fred Chapman, known as “Driftwood” to his friends, posed with “his baby,” the

the average accident loss. Several Garney crews posted perfect safety records for the second quarter of 1980. Those team leaders were Gerald Dame, Howard Hazelett, Arnold Huskey, T. J. Huskey, and George Jonas. As well as recognition, crew members each received a $25 check. The company added its first Field SafetyMaintenance Administrator that year, Ben McWilliams, Jr., and hoped to continue their excellent safety track record. Three team leaders went on to have a perfect safety year in 1980 Gerald Dame, Howard Hazelett, and T. J. Huskey.

Montie Tripp and J. W. Youngblood inspect the tunnel under the Verdigris River in 1982.

The management team members assessed their own physical health at the Houstonian Preventive Medicine Center and the continued health of the company at the 1980 planning sessions.

In an effort to broaden perspective, the field employees, Superintendents, Project Managers, and secretarial staff all sent a representative to the annual planning session. In a company-wide election, with employees voting only on their own peer group, Eva Curry was selected to represent the clerical/ secretarial division, Gene Huskey 45

The 1982 Berryville, Arkansas, pipe crew included front, left to right: Rick Smith, Gary Gentry, Paul White, Dave Reffitt, Don Swisher, and Ben Bailey; back: Roy Huston, Rick Hutcheson, Jerald Gass, Blaine Eldreth, and Tommy Gatlin.

represented the Field Superintendents, Roy Stubbs was the winning Project Manager, and Steve McCandless the representative field trainee. At the annual dinner, Charles Garney said, “It is my feeling that everyone should be involved in the planning process. The more input we get, the more effective our plans will be…If you have ideas to make us better, now would be a good time to let us know.”

When reviewing 1980, and planning for 1981, the estimating department was given special recognition. Scott Kincaid, Estimating Vice President, discussed low bids on three projects that would assure winter work for Garney. “After a 46

summer-long drought at the bid table, sometimes bidding against as many as 22 bidders, it is refreshing to have these jobs come in at the same time.” The Construction Division prepared to install 51,000 feet of sewer in Lawton, Oklahoma.

The Utilities Division would be putting in 20,000 feet of raw water transmission line for the City of Aurora, Colorado. And, in Garney’s largest grading contract to date, the Concrete, Mechanical, and Grading Divisions would be building 10 miles of access roads, shelter houses, and camping pads for the Truman Dam Use Area near Clinton, Missouri. The Truman Dam crew, under Foreman Bob Meyers and Project Manager Kirk Smith, ended up moving 155,000 cubic yards of dirt to complete the project.

Soon after the company’s January 1981 planning session, President Charles Garney announced, “Operations in Garney Companies’ Mechanical Division will be phased out over the next six months.” Although it was one of the most profitable divisions in the late 1970s, the division struggled with a dwindling share of the marketplace. Garney elaborated in the JanuaryFebruary 1981 Garney News, “Mechanical contractors have traditionally been important customers of ours and some of them have occasionally been reluctant to deal with a

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s

A climate of great stress for many construction companies came in 1982 and Garney experienced its first unprofitable year. In the May 1982 Garney News, Charles Garney wrote, “Crisis is frequently necessary for change to take place; this gives us an opportunity to improve…Many inefficiencies creep into an organization that has such a long record of success. When this happens, people say a company is ‘getting fat.’ I am happy and proud to say

1970s

A great loss impacted 1982 with the passing of George Enright, an intrinsic part of the Garney family since 1954. He was mourned by generations of Garney employees and celebrated for his spirit and dedication to the company. George was a symbol of loyalty, perseverance, and dedication. His raw sense of humor was biting and one never knew what George would say next. He helped instill the belief that every single employee should be held 100 percent accountable to the company. George gave Garney his all.

GEORGE ENRIGHT

1960s

competitor. We are hopeful that this move will improve relationships with these contractors.”

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George F. Enright joined Garney in 1954

company and his co-workers, George

as a Laborer for Art’s plumbing company

quickly returned as Garney’s Field Safety

in Waldo. He went to Charles’ company in

Foreman, remaining in this position until

1962 saying, “There was never a doubt in

his death in 1982. Illustrating the

my mind that Charles would make good.”

importance of the company in his life, six

George worked his way through many of

of George’s eight pallbearers had Garney

the young company’s divisions and

connections: Phil Reed, Bruce Laughlin,

wasn’t surprised at its growth. He could

Don Todd, Mike Cindrich, Rob McCormick,

be found on sewer crews and water

and Don Coleman. His dedication and

crews before becoming manager of the

spirit is recognized each year with the

shop in 1971. George remembered the

George F. Enright Memorial Spirit &

early days of the company well. “Back

Dedication Award. It is presented to the

then, when [Charles] was getting

employee-owner whose performance

started, I had a contractor ask me how he

during the year most exemplifies

was going to do. I told him he was going

George’s spirit. Creating the award in

to be one of the biggest and best

1982, Charles Garney said, “George is

contractors in Kansas City, and he’ll do it

gone, but his spirit will still be with us in

in 10 to 15 years.” George’s 1975

many ways. This memorial award will

retirement didn’t last long. Missing the

help us renew that spirit each year.”

BACKGROUND: George Enright and his wife Mabel were fixtures at Garney functions for the company’s first 20 years.

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that all of us have worked very hard to make us ‘lean and mean’ in the office and in the field.” Work was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, creating a need for the company to become more competitive. Garney moved forward through the 1980s continuing to solve its customers’ problems while focusing internally on efficiency. From a 33 percent savings in equipment maintenance to a 31 percent savings on the telephone bill, every department came together and pulled the company back toward profit.

Efficiency could not erase the fact that 1983 was the 50-year low point in construction. Charles Garney remembers 1983 as the biggest time of crisis in his years with the company. The causes for this crisis were predominantly external. There was very little work available, interest rates were high, and there were often more than 20 bidders on a job. With no debt and a cushion of money in the bank, however, Garney was able to weather the storm. Charles’ belief was that a good accounting system gives an accurate account of the past, an excellent accounting system gives a picture of the past as well as where a company stands at present time, but an outstanding accounting system does all this in addition to forecasting the future. Fortunately, Garney Companies had an outstanding accounting system 48

that gave management the ability to see the company was headed for trouble if certain actions were not taken. “Because we could see what was ahead, we took the necessary actions to survive, and even prosper, while other firms were less fortunate,” said Charles, who gave full credit to the company’s accounting system that projected a loss in 1983. Because funds were tightened and actions were taken to cut internal costs, 1983 actually ended up being a profitable year.

Competition was keen, however, and several of Garney’s Kansas City competitors, including Shawnee Construction, declared bankruptcy. With the bid market down, Garney continued to look for sizeable hometown projects.

Blaine Eldreth and Steve Ford relax on a Saturday in 1982.

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During this crisis year, one man in particular stepped forward as a beacon of strength and leadership.

Montie Tripp’s spirit and positive energy encouraged the whole company to continue to prosper.

“Montie is very humble and appreciative of others, but at the In 1983, brothers Ray and I. P. Starr worked together in Austin, Texas.

Happy Birthday, Reddog! Montie Tripp’s same time, he demands only the Ray was a Garney Blaster for 30 years. I. P. was a Garney Pipelayer for Garney family remembered his birthday highest standard of performance,” 20 years. on October 4, 1982.

Charles said. In his September 13, 1983, weekly letter Montie recognized the sense of humor, a hoe beyond repair was parked employees’ continued focus. “Once again, I want outside the Austin, Texas, office sporting a to express my appreciation for everyone’s efforts plywood sign reading, “Steal Me.” Montie and J.W. throughout this summer—all the way from the Youngblood remember that unfortunately, no one office to the estimators to field people. We finally took them up on the offer. They did find the hoe went out and obtained the work and we are drug halfway to the street one morning, “Steal starting to put the work in. Kind of revitalizing our Me” having curtly been replaced with “Screw You.” whole operation and shaping us up as an ‘up and A tradition was born in Berryville, Arkansas, on coming’ construction company once again…We’ve the Carroll-Boone Water District project when been through rougher times and we all know we Blaine Eldreth buried a Stetson straw hat on the can accomplish what we want.” job. As soon as the last pipe went down, he put his Montie did not need to tell others that the hat on the pipe before the backfilling began. His company’s field equipment was rapidly aging. gesture quickly grew to superstition and his crew Until the profitability and work outlook would refuse to backfill without an Eldreth stabilized, equipment could not be replaced.

Stetson in place on the final pipe. When Blaine’s Maintenance, particularly preventative hat blew off on a fishing trip just one day before a maintenance, was essential. Not losing their

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Gary Rowley maneuvered a Caterpillar (CAT) 977L crawler loader in March 1983.

job’s completion, his crew insisted he buy a brand new hat. They also insisted he sacrifice it to the trench on the following day. Charles Garney recognized how expensive the Stetson tradition was becoming and bought several of Blaine’s 100 or more job hats.

The company found itself in transition. Loss of staff, through retirement and unfortunately death, created the need for new hires. The loss upon the passing of Howard Hazelett, the Colorado crew’s Superintendent and main Boom Truck Operator, was felt throughout the company. Montie Tripp reflected, “Howard taught me more about the water business than anyone else I ever knew.”

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Hazelett received the George F. Enright Memorial Spirit & Dedication Award posthumously in 1983.

In his October 18, 1983, weekly report Tripp noted, “As we all know there is no way to replace some of the people we have lost, but we need to find people who have leadership ability so that we can start to rebuild our group.” Experienced blasting personnel, Operators, Pipelayers, and crew leaders were all needed. To survive the early 1980s, all employees had taken pay cuts. At the time, employees were assured that once an 8 percent return on invested capital (ROIC) was achieved, the cuts would be replaced. This happened in 1983 and 3.5 percent was returned to Garney paychecks. Tripp wrote, “It has been a long struggle, everybody has had a part and everybody’s worked really hard and I want to express my appreciation to each and every one of you that have really dug in and supported us…”

As the company climbed back to profitability, equipment needs could begin to be addressed. A CAT 235 and CAT 225 were traded in on two new CAT 235s. A CAT 955 was traded for a new CAT 963 loader. Two new Deere 644s replaced the older Deere 644 and Deere 544s. New bedding conveyer and compacting devices were also acquired. The rubber tire loaders would eventually be traded for multiple new CAT 936s.

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Throughout 1984, Montie’s weekly reports grew longer and longer as the project list steadily developed. Crews were covering more of the country and a larger number of workers were hired locally. Garney experienced growing pains

1980s

The 1984 planning session focused the company on efficiency at every level, “people power,” and building the backlog. By allowing individuals to fully reach their potential, Garney as a company would reach its own full potential. The profitsharing plan, discontinued in 1983, would be replaced by distributions to employees for their individual IRAs. The contribution amount was determined annually and was based on the company’s return on invested capital. Montie Tripp explained, “…regardless of your salary, you are receiving the same amount as Charles Garney… so this is a program that is designed hopefully to build everyone’s interest in helping one another.” The concept of equality and taking care of each other was not only embraced by the employees, but defines the current corporate culture at Garney Construction.

as it adjusted to the steady expansion.

Maintenance at job sites far from Kansas City fell on the shoulders of the more experienced Operators and Foremen. Crews reported all oil changes and 250-500-1,000 hour checkups back to the Kansas City office for record keeping.

Communication between out-of-town crews and headquarters grew even more essential. It was busy in the central office as the new computer came on line. As projects became more complex, so did the corresponding paperwork. Billing, progress reports, material submittals, and maintenance records were all entered into the new computer. With less experienced crews came a rash of minor accidents. Tailgate meetings were encouraged as a way to educate younger workers and keep the crews continually focused on safety.

Montie stressed, “We really need to be watching the new people that we have on board, and make sure they understand the hazards of working around our type of work…It is very important that you older men keep a careful eye…”

1970s

New pickups as well as a new Learjet were ordered. In the midst of being grateful for new equipment, all employees were reminded to “take care of the iron.”

Having once again proved its resilience, Garney was stronger and becoming more efficient. The company, the crews, and even the computer were prepared to launch into the second half of the decade.

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Moving into the latter half of the 1980s, Garney projects continued to cover the country with crews battling the elements and aging equipment.

Three crews led by Chuck Sapp fought rain in Corpus Christi, still managing to lay more than 1,000 feet of pipe most days. Steve McCandless met production deadlines for the Denver Water Board by pushing equipment to its limit. Blaine Eldreth managed to make the job in Mexia, Texas, profitable before moving on to struggle with compaction and the weather in Bentonville and Berryville, Arkansas. As Garney crews spread further afield, families at home felt the strain. The success of Garney Construction came with great sacrifice by the families of the early traveling crews. On the road, crews formed their own family unit. Living out of adjacently parked RVs, crews worked together, socialized, and often ate every meal together.

In each year after 1984, the company reached new heights. Annual revenue jumped from $32 million in 1984 to $41.6 million in 1985 and $44.7 million in 1986. Ongoing discussions about employee ownership led to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), formulated and formally adopted in 1986. Garney’s ESOP would become a defining characteristic of the company. With the vast majority of its competitors remaining closely held 52

Garney did a lot of Texas tunneling in the 1980s. Boring equipment was used on the Walnut Creek, Southwest Austin Water, and Research Boulevard Transmission jobs.

businesses, the ESOP made Garney unique. The ESOP trust began purchasing company stock on behalf of the employees and by the beginning of 1988, the ESOP debt was down to $5.5 million.

Share values had risen from $10.00 to $11.95. An attitude of ownership became apparent in all 167 Garney Construction employee-owners.

The value of the company continued to be determined by the people in the trenches. To complement these workers, the company also invested in the biggest and best machinery available. The Trencor 1000W hard rock trencher literally kept the company on the cutting edge.

The machine was strong enough to dig through volcanic rock and was used on a large job in New

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Garney Estimators were out in full force during the mid-80s. Steve Swatek, newly on the team, joined J. W. Youngblood to focus on the Texas market. Steve was literally born into the water business. His great-grandfather founded M.A.

Swatek & Company, an Oklahoma City, water and wastewater construction company, in the early 1900s. Mirroring the philosophies of Art Garney, and later Charles, Steve’s great-grandfather and father emphasized the value of time spent in the field. Throughout his youth, and for the first five years of his post-college career, Steve’s father kept him in the field. “It is the best thing that ever could have happened to me. Gaining respect for what they do out there every day—seeing how they carry the company—gave me great perspective.

You have to have their respect to be successful in this business.” Steve eventually moved to Austin, Texas, and with Steve Ford opened and operated

1970s

Mexico. The Trencor 1000W was also used, in combination with a Trencor 1400L, to cut a ditch 70 inches wide and up to 10 feet deep for two phases of Austin’s Albert Davis Water Transmission Mains and Austin’s Research Boulevard Water Transmission Main. Garney has always stressed investing in the highest quality equipment to give their field craftworkers the tools needed for success.

In November 1985, Steve Swatek, Steve Ford, and mascot Jesse broke ground for the Austin, Texas, office. Jesse was a gift from Chuck Sapp and traveled to Garney jobs in Missouri, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Billy Burks ran the vibratory compactor in Austin, Texas.

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ABOVE: Don Vandiver used his skills digging trenches in Austin, Texas. When Don had a broken leg, his crew would lift him up into his cab every morning. Most days, excepting one memorable practical joke leaving him stranded, they lifted him down as well.

MIDDLE: November 1985 found Mount Bonnell, the highest point in Austin’s city limits, being trenched by the Trencor 1000W. RIGHT: Joe Monteleone waved from the trenches of the Research Boulevard Transmission Project in Austin, Texas.

Working his way up from Laborer to Superintendent, Joe later commented, “We’re in a high risk business. What can happen compared to what we try to make happen is the real difference in the success or failure of all the jobs.”

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the Texas Garney office. Their willingness to relocate positioned the company to meet the needs of Austin’s 1980s growth spurt. Steve Swatek reflected on the time, “Steve [Ford] and I were estimating, approving invoices, managing six to seven crews. WE DID IT ALL.” Within a five-year period, Garney Construction performed more than $40 million of capital improvement projects in this region. Jimmy Roller, a South Texas Excavator Operator, questioned Garney’s method of bringing in only a few key crew members and hiring the rest locally. “Those S.O.B.s are gonna’ go broke down here.” He proceeded to be amazed at how efficiently Garney pulled a team together.

Garney Construction became so well established in Austin that residents considered them to be a local contractor. The Upper Walnut Creek tunnel in Austin, the South Texas Water Authority in Kingsville, the Albert Davis Water Transmission Mains, Research Boulevard Water Transmission Main, and Govalle Wastewater Service Area were all important company projects. Blaine Eldreth looks back on the Lower Walnut Creek as one of his “home runs” for Garney. After being the low bidder by a substantial amount, the project resulted in a significant profit. Montie Tripp impacted the $10.8 million South Texas Water Authority job by again successfully negotiating pipe from multiple manufacturers, Gifford Hill

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in on the hard Texas rock of North Austin.

longhand with a calculator and no help from Microsoft Excel.

Eldreth, and Jamie Walters.

2010s

A Trencor 1000W rock trencher was broken

Hass, Don Vandiver, Steve Swatek, Dave Porter, Jr., Louis Boyd, Blaine

2000s

The 1985 Garney softball team included Billy Burks, Steve Ford, Steve

Swatek was busy estimating. At the time, this was still done

1990s

Even while on a Colorado vacation in January 1985, Steve

1980s

Balancing sustainable growth with unwavering safety expectations continued to be a challenge.

In 1986, the Garney Companies Safety Program was implemented. Designed to reward safe

workers, the program provided each employee with significant cash awards for good safety practices. The company planned to pay out up to $120,000 annually through this program. Glenna Todd, Insurance Manager, explained, “…the payback in potential insurance savings and human suffering far outweighs the cost. When safety wins, we all win.” The program quickly produced results and 1987 brought Garney’s best safety record since 1983. Safety statistics were even better in 1988 resulting in a refund of nearly $120,000 from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

1970s

American and United Concrete Pipe. Garney was not the original low bidder on this job. When HDR Engineering called Montie Tripp asking if Garney could be ready to install 30 miles of 42-inch water transmission main in South Texas, the answer without hesitation was “Yes.” When Steve Ford asked Montie what the implications were for him, Montie replied, “Looks to me like you need to pack your bags.”

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In 1987, the Atlas Blasting News featured Garney’s Huntsville, Alabama, sewer job. Sixty percent of the 358,000 yards of material on the job was rock, known locally as “pinnacles.” This geology, combined with lots of mud and water, made drilling and blasting a challenge for Project Superintendent Blaine Eldreth. His drill team started the job with two Joy Mustang air tracks.

When drilling issues began, a new Furukawa self-contained hydraulic track drill was purchased. Like most out-of-town jobs, the key people in Huntsville came from Kansas City—

Featured in the 1987 Atlas Blasting News, the Garney drill team put a new Furukawa hydraulic drill to hard use in

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Huntsville, Alabama.

Blaine, Jamie Walter, Carl Spears, and Don Vandiver. The remaining Operators and Laborers were hired locally.

The Lake Ozark sewer project was featured in both Mid-West Contractor and Construction Digest in 1987. While installing two miles of sewer lines and a pumping station, the Garney crew battled solid granite. Some chunks as large as pickup trucks could easily destroy trencher teeth.

Norman Wilson, Garney’s Construction Manager for the project, said the rock “slowed us down bad, bad, bad.” Due to exceptional equipment maintenance, however, the project was completed on schedule and without the cost of unforeseen repairs. “We hit some granite that is so hard you can’t dig it with a trencher. You just stand there and watch the steel peel right off the teeth.”

Garney’s 1984 Vermeer T800 trencher was greased hourly. After the crew cut through rock all day, the teeth would be welded back on at night.

“If you run all day, eight hours in rock, a guy’s got to weld all night,” Norman explained. The chain, valued at $12,000 at the time, visibly changed colors because of the intense heat. Without dedicated and intense maintenance, making a profit on such jobs would be close to impossible.

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Blaine Eldreth and J. W. Youngblood were on hand for this Huntsville, Alabama, test lift of 78-inch reinforced concrete pipe in July 1987.

For the first time, Garney made Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Top 400 Contractors list in 1987 ranking 356 with a volume of $54.3 million.

“In a way,” Charles Garney reflected, “prosperity brings as many or more challenges as adversity.

We have just concluded our most successful year in the history of the company, and this is the fourth year in a row that a new record has been set.” At the 1988 planning session, Managers discussed increasing the company’s private work, adding a Salesperson and experienced Estimator to the staff, and learning to use all the office’s new technology. This technology included word processing, a fax machine, and a new phone

system. The Garney News, dormant for several years, was again published and distributed.

Everyone at Garney celebrated National Employee Ownership Week in October 1988 and reflected on their three years as employee-owners. In those three years, the stock value of Garney grew in direct relationship to the performance of the company. Employee ownership now stood at 49.5 percent, even though individual accounts would not be credited until the debt was completely paid.

Erma Menze was the ESOP Plan Administrator and kept the employees well informed of their ownership status.

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A young Dominic Duran was featured with his family, including his father Gil and mother Alice, in the NovemberDecember 1988 edition of the Garney News.

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The November-December 1988 edition of the Garney News featured Gil and Alice Duran posing with their children Alicia, Rachael, and Dominic.

Although not officially on the payroll for many more years, Dominic began cutting pipe wrap for Garney at the age of 10. On February 19, 2007, cancer tragically took Dominic at the young age of 31. At the time of his death, Dominic had been a Garney Project Administrator for five years.

His loss was mourned not only by the Durans, but also by the entire Garney family. In recognition of his commitment to Garney, Dominic Duran was posthumously awarded the inaugural MVP Project Administrator’s Award. Many Durans have positively impacted Garney Construction through the decades. As of the 50th company anniversary, Duran family members had worked a combined total of nearly 70 years for Garney. Gil began his career as a Laborer in 1980 working with Howard Hazelett in Colorado. Alfred Duran joined the company with his brother Gil in 1980 and was the first recipient of the Top Gun Award in 1994. A Garney Superintendent until his retirement in 2016, Gil

was essential to the Garney team as was his wife Alice, a Safety Coordinator who also retired in 2016, and his nephew, Brian, currently an Operator in Colorado.

Under the direction of J. W. Youngblood, marathon efforts by the Estimators added $27 million in construction services to the backlog by April 1988.

Two high-profile projects included a waterline project for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in Washington, D.C., and bridge structures for Disney World in Orlando, Florida. November 5, 1988, was the single largest day of concrete production on an individual Garney project up to that time. The big Disney World pour began at 1:45 a.m. under lights provided by six light plants. Nine hours and 2,217 cubic yards of concrete later, Garney’s General Contracting Division had completed the 19,000-square-foot base slab for a Disney World water bridge. The 70-person crew, under David “Animal” Brier’s direction, used three pumps to place 30 mixer trucks full of specially designed highly plastic mix. For more than nine hours, “Animal” barked instructions over the radio, directing trucks, spotting the pumps, and keeping the crew at a fevered pitch. Charles Garney, on site for the pour, commented that “Animal” reminded him of a Marine drill instructor. In the

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Pipe laying records were set in Pryor, Oklahoma, that remain impressive today. Superintendent Blaine Eldreth pushed his crew with bribes and bets that echoed the incentives Charles offered crews in the early 1960s. Charles had offered a case of beer to lay 400 feet a day. Blaine now offered that for 1,500 feet. Competing with the crew headed in the opposite direction, Blaine and his Operator, Don Swisher, had four record days in Pryor. On the first day, they laid 2,000 feet. They added 20 more feet a day to finish at 2,060 feet of pipe on the fourth. Blaine doubts that four consecutive days like that have ever been repeated. Competition between crews, the expectation of excellence, and the incentive of employee ownership kept Garney on a trajectory for growth and great financial reward in the decades to come.

1970s

shadow of a tornado watch and threatening clouds, the crew proved Garney could produce results while facing great challenges.

Gil Duran was a well-respected Superintendent at Garney for 36 years.

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It took a year to finish the many river crossings after floodwaters receded in Columbia, Missouri, in 1993.

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1990s “We seek growth with good profit margins which will assure company perpetuation and allow individuals to achieve their maximum potential.”

1990 GARNEY MISSION STATEMENT

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04

The last decade of the 20th century began with Charles Garney commenting, “Everything’s up to date at Garney.” Computers were on every desk, facsimile machines were not only in the office but in job trailers, “phone mail” was installed at headquarters, and cell phones were on the horizon.

In the President’s Corner of the February 1990 Garney News, Charles outlined annual goals that included improving communications by all learning how to effectively use these new tools.

With 200 people nationwide, communication was essential for the continued success of Garney Construction.

The August 1990 edition of Highway & Heavy Construction ranked Garney as number five in the

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“Giants of Drainage and Trenching.”

Crews focused relentlessly on efficiency and safety. The 1,000 feet of pipe in a day, fought for with such determination in the company’s early years, now occurred routinely even in difficult conditions. Jerry Parrish and his crew averaged 1,100 feet a day in St. Thomas, Pennsylvania, through rock, along highways, and through densely populated areas. Joe Lewis, Jr., and his crew completed the country’s first major installation of American Cast Iron’s 60-inch

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Over a four-year period, Garney bid and built nearly $50 million of work in the Washington, D.C., area. Projects included mostly welded steel and

Echoing the negotiations with pipe manufacturers on major projects in the 1980s, splitting a large pipe order between American Cast Iron Pipe and Gifford Hill American

1980s

Mike Heitmann, Greg Harris, David Lustig, Blaine Eldreth, Gil Duran, Rob Warren, Steve Ford, and Paul Bailey all contributed to the regional success of Garney in the Mid-Atlantic. The Fairhope, Alabama, office was opened in 1994.

Concentrating on expanding Garney’s operations into industrial work and diversifying the customer base was Fairhope’s main objective. This strategy proved to be a very positive and profitable corporate decision. The highs and lows of industrial and municipal work often balance each other out. As Garney’s industrial capabilities expanded, strong relationships with industrial customers developed. Satisfied owners include International Paper, Georgia Pacific, Southern Company, Westar Energy (now Evergy), and Xcel Energy.

ductile iron water mains for the Fairfax County Water Authority, WSSC, and other area clients. A hometown project in Kansas City, Briarcliff West, projected to take more than 18 months to complete, was completed in just six months.

Spearheaded by Mike Atkinson, crews led by Chuck Sapp, Floyd Auxier, and Stan Romi worked up to seven days a week in the Missouri summer heat to meet a tight schedule. Forty-five thousand feet of storm sewers, sanitary sewers, and water and electrical lines were installed as well as constructing a lake, a dam, and a 390-foot bore under Highway 9. Floyd Auxier’s crew built the unique wall structure, which remains Briarcliff’s cornerstone today. By the fall of 1990, Briarcliff West was ready for home building.

1970s

ductile iron pipe in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Excellent safety records put Garney’s 1990 Experience Modification Rating (EMR) at 0.86 and continued to improve. The company’s 1991 revenue of $40.5 million led it to be ranked third in ENR’s annual ranking of utility contractors and 114th on the Top 600 list.

Joe Lewis, Jr., and Blaine Eldreth’s crews were featured in the February/March 1991 edition of Garney News for their work in Oklahoma.

Mike Atkinson, with Garney from 1971 until his retirement in 2010, was Project Manager for the Briarcliff West Development project in 1990.

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Pipe saved a large 1990 Texas project. After being awarded the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority contract, Garney discovered the original pipe supplier was closing their regional facility. Quick work by the estimating team turned the situation into a classic Garney win/win. Good landowner relations were key on this job as well. Blaine Eldreth and his crew worked hard to pacify the many Texas cattle ranchers across whose land they dug.

The 1991 Field Managers Workshop was themed “Winning in the Trenches.” Topics included Kiss Your Machine Today with Steve McCandless, Ring the ROAM Bell with Charles Garney, and Look Sharp, Be Sharp with J. W. Youngblood and John Dillingham. The Gold Service Award was instituted in 1991 recognizing an employee-owner for excellence in equipment maintenance and operation. The inaugural recipient was veteran Operator Don Vandiver with Billy Burks receiving the award in 1992.

Hopes for continued expansion led to a concerted hiring effort. The contract administrator, estimator, and field crew base were all projected to expand. Potential employees—Welders, Pipelayers, Operators, Laborers, Superintendents, and Foremen—all had to meet 64

GARNEY GIVES BACK “If we are not helping the community and being of service to our customers, then we have no right to ask for the things that we expect from doing the work for them–profit, jobs, income, and security.”

CHARLES GARNEY

1973 PROFIT SHARING DINNER

May 2010. In Franklin, Tennessee, Garney

Garney family means working hard and meeting

Children’s Mercy Hospital. The August 13, 2005,

partners with American Cast Iron Pipe and Hayes

the highest of standards. It also brings great

Arizona Republic commended Garney for

Pipe Supply to annually sponsor a Rotary Club

reward. Since the earliest days of the company,

contributions to St. Mary’s Food Bank. A

event dedicated to charitable causes, including

service has been important on both a corporate

competition between the Buckeye, Mesa, and

providing indigent county residents access to

and individual level. Some of the greatest service

American Arsenic crews resulted in an

potable water as well as actively constructing

happens daily and quietly during crew

impressive 1,500 pounds of collected food.

international water projects in Guatemala. In

interactions with the public—a friendly wave, simply apologizing for an inconvenience. Letters acknowledging small acts of kindness by Garney crews accompany many job files throughout the company’s 60-year history. A landowner wrote in 1979, “They did many favors for me while laying

volunteer for the Heartland Habitat for Humanity.

Mike Gardner commented, “This type of event allows us to use our skills to help some unfortunate people and to really make a difference in someone’s life in a single day. We

Florida, Garney sponsors an event distributing bicycles to local children. In September 2020, Garney announced a partnership with Engineers Without Borders USA, providing employeeowners the opportunity to volunteer and build strong, sustainable communities.

plan on making this at least an annual event for

Garney Construction can be very proud of the

the Kansas City area group.” Garney chose the

lives its service has touched in the company’s

Kansas City Victory Junction Camp, slated to

first 60 years. As individuals, and at a corporate

open in 2011, for its most significant charitable

level, Garney continues to meet Charles Garney’s

Through the 1980s, Garney employee-owners

contribution in 2009. The mission of Victory

1973 challenge to serve the community.

chose organizations to aid with their Christmas

Junction is to enrich the lives of children with

Charity Program. In 1989, the Marillac Center, a

chronic medical conditions. Greg Harris, Steve

home for mentally and physically abused

McCandless, and Scott Parrish volunteered at

tile through our pasture. A fine bunch of fellows.”

One landowner even went so far as to say he would miss the Garney team.

2010s

carrying out a bag of trash, replanting flowers, or

Grimm Construction organized a group in 2006 to

2000s

the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and

1990s

are a grateful group. Being a member of the

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1980s

the Victory Junction Camp in North Carolina in

1970s

requests were granted including contributions to

1960s

The employee-owners of Garney Construction

children, received Batmobiles and Barbies.

Contributions in 1992 went to Safe Haven, a home for battered women. The Salvation Army was adopted in 1995 when Matt Foster, Tony Kempf, and others volunteered to ring the bell.

Employee-owners personally involved with

In June 2008, an impromptu crew of 40 Grimm Construction workers

Steve McCandless volunteered at North Carolina’s Victory Junction Camp in 2010. The Kansas City Victory Junction Camp has benefited from

charities were encouraged to make requests for

took the day to help their friend, Project Engineer and 2007 Midwest

Garney funds. In 1999, more than 20 of these

rare form of cancer, the entire Grimm family mourned Milt’s passing in

BACKGROUND: Grimm Construction employee-owners gave much of

September 2008.

their time to the Heartland Habitat for Humanity.

Leadership and Dedication Award winner, Milt Smith. Diagnosed with a

Garney generosity.

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the strict Garney standard of good character.

“Garney is looking for people with leadership qualities, who are honest, hardworking, and innovative. They must be able to fit in with the proven crews now in Garney employment.”

Looking back on the 1990s, Robert Millwee comments, “Some projects are best remembered by what it took to survive them.” Both 1991 and 1992 were unprofitable years. The external force of a mild recession was combined with several difficult projects in a row. In the December 1993 Garney News Charles Garney wrote, “…we have overcome huge difficulties. Our jobs in Columbia, Missouri, and the Linton Hall project in the Washington, D.C., area rank one and two as the biggest problem jobs this company has ever faced in its history.” The local Bruce R. Watkins project and the international Bahamas projects both required survival skills and were learning experiences for the company. The primary company goal for 1993 was “Reverse the Trend.”

As it had done in the mid-1980s, Garney would face adversity with determination and would rebound in an even stronger position.

Those who worked on the Nassau projects could no longer think of the Bahamas as paradise. The January/February 1993 Garney News ran the 66

headline “Crew of the Quarter: Bask in the Bahamas Sun.” For the third time, Garney Construction partnered with Waugh Construction Company, Ltd., of Freeport, Bahamas. The third project replaced a 60-year-old sewer system running through the Nassau streets. The job included a pump station, a sewage treatment facility, and 13,780 feet of 8, 12, and 15-inch PVC pipeline. Managed by Tony Kempf and Scott Parrish, and led in the field by Jerry Parrish and Paul Bailey, this project proved to be extremely challenging, littered with issues not of concern in the United States. Materials all had to be

Don Vandiver was part of a very experienced crew who worked on the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, project in 1981. A decade later, Don was the first recipient of the Gold Service Award recognizing excellence in equipment maintenance and operation. Blaine Eldreth commented on Vandiver as the inaugural recipient, “They picked the right man for the award…They’ll have a hard time choosing next year.”

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The Highway/Heavy Division began the $12.1 million federal and state funded Bruce R. Watkins Drive in the mid-1990s. This nearly one-mile segment of U.S. Highway 71, running north and south through an older residential section of Kansas City, was part of the largest highway job the State of Missouri had let out to that point. In contrast to a conventional highway project, four

types of work were carried out simultaneously in this complex job.

The amount of rock the Garney crews would battle had not been sufficiently considered in the bidding process and the finances of the project became grim. J. W. Youngblood saw the company refocus after the Watkins job was complete and steer clear of future heavy projects. “That job taught us to focus on doing what we know and what we do well.”

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imported, customs was frustrating, and the entire project had to be scheduled around the tides. The construction site’s plastic barrels were worth their weight in gold to Bahamians. The site required the protection of two very large locals named Ken and Uncle. Paul Bailey recalls the first night they poured the clarifier floor. Still curing the slab after dark, the Garney crew watched a local Bahamian man crawl over the fence and head toward a plastic barrel. “The next thing I knew, Ken and Uncle dragged the guy behind the trailer. Whatever they did back there, we never had another problem.” The Garney crew did mesh with the Bahamian crew. Their combined work was colorfully described in the Tribune Limited, Freeport’s daily newspaper. “For two days Tribune staff had a bird’s eye view of men at work—and we do mean work…These men had set themselves a task and with grim determination they intended to complete that task before day’s end.”

A letter, typical of many sent by Charles Garney, welcomed Ed Rolf back to Garney and outlined the company’s high standards.

By 1993, the ESOP and its 210 owners controlled 49 percent of the company stock. In its first distribution, the ESOP paid more than $36,000 to two employee-owners due to disability. Garney lowered its EMR to 0.70 by the end of 1993. With the industry average EMR at 1.0, this outstanding safety record continued to give Garney a significant advantage over the competition.

Trench boxes, trench collapse safety procedures, drug screening, and pre-employment physicals all continued to result in Liberty Mutual premium returns going straight back to the bottom line. The 1994 ENR ranked Garney number two of all specialty utility contractors nationally.

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The Top Gun Award was established in 1994 to recognize outstanding field employees, other than Operators or Superintendents, who exhibit great skill in their field of expertise, have loyalty and concern for the company, are safety conscious, production oriented, and are overall a team player. The first Top Gun recipient, Alfred Duran, joined Garney in 1980. Montie Tripp said, “Alfred has served as the Lead Man on a number of pipe laying crews. There are a lot of critical responsibilities to keeping the pipe laying operation moving along well and Alfred is one of the best men our company has ever seen in this position.”

Garney’s team approach to estimating differs from much of its competition. Most County, Florida, Western Regional Water System members of the estimating team later Transmission Mains project in December 1993. This $1.9 million project was completed in January 1994. work on successfully bid projects. J. W. Youngblood explained, “There’s no finger pointing that way. If something were to occur that caused the job to go over the estimate, for example, the Superintendent on the job can’t point to an Estimator who’s not around and say ‘he just figured the job all wrong.’” In the public arena, being the low bid was of prime importance. “But it doesn’t do any good to be a low bidder,” J. W. Tony Kempf documented Phase 1-A2 of the Orange

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added, “if we’re going to lose money on the job.” In the private arena, owners often based their decisions on more than price. Past performance, timeliness, safety records, and financial strength all came into play.

The continuing development of technology greatly impacted the estimation process. Since the days of the earliest IBM computer, Garney had good job cost analysis. Work In Process (WIP) and estimation, however, was still done by hand. Steve Swatek credits Scott Parrish with the conversion of the estimation process into the sophisticated methodology used today. “Scott had all the knowledge and computer skills to refine our process. He took the estimating sheet that had been used since the 1980s, combined it with WIP data and created what we use today. It made us more efficient and allowed us to bid bigger jobs.

Still, you are only as good as your input.”

Garney’s excellent reputation in all areas only continued to grow. By the mid-1990s, Garney Companies had been awarded eight publicly bid projects on which they were not the low bidder.

The company’s reputation for excellence, quality, and dependability influenced these owners to select Garney, trusting they would get the job done right the first time. The Louisiana

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THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1993

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costs. It took more than a year to get the river

the Midwest and Garney Construction was certainly

crossings back and the job completed. Project

no exception. The flood left crews scrambling in

Manager Ed Rolf said, “The extent of the flood

both Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri. When the

represents a mind-boggling disaster.” All

Garney underground storage facility in Kansas City

dewatering systems were lost but the work to date

was threatened, an around-the-clock emergency

was thankfully secure. Waiting for the waters to

operation persisted for four days. Every available

recede, the crew pulled out and was sent to Lincoln,

Garney crew member and piece of equipment took

Nebraska. Returning to mud-filled pipes, the crews

extreme measures. Across the state, floodwaters

worked through an additional winter and completed

A 150-ton crawler crane represented a substantial part of the

raged through the Columbia Effluent Pipeline

the project in 1994.

loss Garney suffered in Columbia, Missouri.

encountered unstable soil and a pipe collapsed.

This set the stage for an extremely difficult and expensive job. Specialists were required to address dewatering and soil stabilization issues. Garney was in the process of another of the seven Perche Creek crossings when the flood hit. Charles believes there were two floods during the Columbia job and notes although both were considered 500-year floods, they devastatingly occurred in a single year. Equipment was stranded for months.

The depth and scope of the flood led to the loss of a

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crossings. During the very first crossing, Garney

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concrete pipe and multiple 30-foot deep creek

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Project. Begun in 1992, this job involved 78-inch

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The Great Flood of 1993 was devastating to many in

Charles worked closely with the President of Burns & McDonnell (the design engineer for the Columbia project), the engineer for the City of Columbia, and a major subcontractor’s representative. These four men formed a committee to generate win/win solutions for the many difficult challenges presented by the project. The four became close friends and, naming their group the Perche Creek Partners, met annually for many years to celebrate this “impossible” project’s successful completion.

Humorously reveling in their accomplishments, the Perche Creek Partners had t-shirts designed and

The Flood of ’93 forced Blaine Eldreth out of a Stetson. The Columbia project was so loud, key crew members were forced to wear headsets for clear communication.

BACKGROUND: It took a year to finish the many river crossings after the Columbia floodwaters receded.

even adopted a group theme song.

150-ton crawler crane and skyrocketing overhead

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International Paper job illustrates many of the reasons Garney is held in such high esteem. Rarely shutting down their plant, International Paper required repair of a 48-inch critical line. Making tie-ins for the one-mile HDPE pipeline Smiles, wiped away by the Flood of ’93, had returned to Columbia, Missouri, by 1994. The crew included, among others, required Garney crews to face Roberto Suarez, Blaine Eldreth, Carl Spears, Johnny Gorham, Ed Buxton, Don Swisher, Don Vandiver, Billy Burks, and Ed Rolf. large open trenches and fusionwelded pipe. Job Superintendent Blaine Eldreth shut down less time-sensitive jobs and called in a handpicked team. He specifically requested Joe Monteleone and Carl Spears from Texas along with Paul Bailey and Fred Chapman from Kansas City. The crews were able to complete the job using only two and a half of the four allotted shutdown days. Praise was lavished in the November-December 1994 issue of the Garney News, “The International Paper job represents Garney’s style—laying the proper groundwork, setting up a firm schedule, bringing in the appropriate crews, making sure the correct equipment is available, and going the extra mile to assure the job is completed in a safe, efficient, and timely manner.”

Garney crews were making positive impressions on large national companies and small 70

municipalities alike. Jerry Parrish and his crew spent 10 months in Gravette, Arkansas. With a population of only 2,000, Gravette is nestled in the northwest corner of the state. The Gravette citizens took their sanitary sewer improvement project very seriously and had concerns about working with outsiders. During an early meeting, a member of the city staff asked Jerry if his crew wanted to be notified when an inspection team was preparing to visit. Parrish replied, “The quality of our work will be the same no matter if you notify us or not.” That single comment seemed to turn the tide and gained the community’s confidence. Giving respect to local owners, meeting their concerns with honesty and consideration, has consistently been a hallmark of Garney’s first 60 years. Montie Tripp once said, “Our real legacy is how the surface looks when we’re gone.” Many job files contain letters of thanks, like the one written by Gravette’s mayor, “The daily working relationship that we enjoyed with Jerry is a credit to Garney Companies.”

The 1994 George Enright Award, recognizing an employee-owner with exceptional company spirit and dedication, was presented to an unsuspecting Charles Garney. The award committee explained, “Cooperating with people to make the most out of the company, Charles has kept the company in the

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The single most pivotal year in Garney history may be 1995. On June 30, the employee-owners purchased Charles Garney’s remaining 40 percent ownership of the company.

Simultaneously, Charles stepped down to make way for Robert Millwee as President and CEO. A nationwide search was conducted in 1994 to find the right leader for the company.

Each officer individually interviewed the top two candidates. Robert was their unanimous choice. He was selected as the ideal man based upon his leadership On June 30, 1995, Garney Construction became 100 percent employee owned and style, which was ruling by Charles Garney turned over the reins to consensus. “Robert has Robert Millwee.

always held great respect for the opinion of others,” said Charles. “He runs the company with great humility that is rare in today’s world.”

Charles remained Chairman of the Garney Companies Board of Directors until his retirement from the Board in 2011. Robert said Charles Garney’s vision and ability to stay ahead of trends were essential elements that attracted him to the company. Charles’ eye on the future combined with an accomplished management team, financial strength, depth of experience in field organization, ESOP ownership, and growth opportunities led Robert to say, “I am very optimistic about the future of Garney Companies.”

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forefront of the construction industry. He always wants everyone to succeed. That’s the kind of spirit that Charles brings to the table, and that’s why our committee selected him for this award.”

Thirty-three years after founding Garney Construction, Charles continued to lead by example, promoting the win/win philosophy that would remain with the company well into the 21st century.

During 1995, Garney became a 100 percent employee-owned company, grew its private pipe business with significant financial success, and overcame serious setbacks in the highway business. Robert wrote, “Changes such as these test a company’s metal. Garney Companies’ metal has held up well.” The company was listed nationally in 1995 as holding a record low EMR of 0.58. This rating was based on job experiences and safety records maintained during the threeyear period of 1991 through 1993. Receiving this rating was a significant accomplishment and Garney shone against the national industry average of 1.0. The November 20, 1985, ENR 71

Blaine Eldreth presented Rodney Johnson with the Top Gun Award

Completed in September 1996, Kansas City, Missouri’s, Station Casino was the first Garney project grossing a million-dollar profit.

in 1996 recognizing his company loyalty and great skill in the field.

ranked Garney 149th in their Top 600 Specialty Contractors issue. By 1996, this ranking had jumped to 129th and to 100th by 1997.

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President Robert Millwee continued the traditional Garney focus on annual goal setting.

He made it clear he would be managing from an employee-owner perspective and consensus building would be a top priority. The 1996 company goals addressed overcapacity in the construction industry and meeting that challenge by concentrating on areas of proven competence.

Gross margin became the focus over volume.

Garney now had 113 employee-owners in the Kansas City metro area and 67 others at locations across the country. In the first two months of 1996, jobs awarded to Garney totaled $17.3 million accounting for 30 percent of the annual goal.

Lake Gaston in Virginia Beach was a high-profile job that everyone in the industry was talking about in the mid-1990s. The memorable, and lengthy, bidding process was thwarted twice. The first bidding round was halted for environmental concerns. A dispute between North Carolina and Virginia brought the second round to a stop.

During the third bidding cycle, Garney was awarded one of the five sections for a contract amount of $17.2 million. Experienced Garney people on this large diameter pipe project included Blaine Eldreth, Don Vandiver, Johnny Gorham, Darrell Scott, and Matt Foster.

The year 1997 found Garney in Texas installing unique pipe for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS). Since the early 1960s, San Antonio had been using treated wastewater in their municipal electric utilities. Growth in demand throughout

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In 1997, Mel Spangler joined Garney Construction.

While working from his home in Littleton, Colorado, Mel chased opportunities around Colorado and the Midwest. In the fall of 1998, the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, awarded Garney a $22 million project to expand their current water treatment plant. Having had almost no large treatment plant experience prior to this project, this award was based on the team Mel had pulled together, along with his outstanding reputation in the Rocky Mountain Region. This project, along with the acquisition of Grimm Construction, began Garney’s reputation as a premier plant contractor in Colorado. It also proved that the design-build / negotiated delivery model was successful in

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the SAWS service area led to a necessary expansion of recycled water use. The resulting program of water conservation resulted in plans for a citywide water recycling system. Garney installed 42-inch C303 pipe for the Leon Creek segment of the SAWS project. Attempting to maintain separation of the recycled water from the existing distribution system, the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission required the project’s pipe to all be purple. After the normal manufacturing process, purple slurry was applied

by Gifford Hill American to achieve the memorable lavender color.

The Virginia-based Lake Gaston Pipeline crew posed in May 1996.

Don Vandiver is in the driver’s seat with Superintendent Blaine Eldreth leaning on the cab. Johnny Gorham is to Don’s left and then Darrell Scott. Matt Foster is standing just below Darrell.

Purple pipe was laid for SAWS in 1997. Garney completed the Leon Creek portion of the SAWS water reclamation project in San Antonio, Texas.

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FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

Flooding devastated the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1997. As a result, the city dedicated itself to improving its stormwater systems through a series of capital projects. Choosing to use an Alternative Product Delivery System (APDS) for design and construction, Fort Collins Utilities selected Garney in 1999 as their construction partner. Two decades later, this alliance has led to nearly 80 stormwater and infrastructure projects ranging in size from $15,000 to more than $22 million. The long list of Fort Collins projects began in 1999 with the Potable Water Interconnect and the “5000 Series” Water Treatment Plant Improvements design-build project. Grimm Construction had several Fort Collins jobs underway, including the $7 million Oak Street Outfall project, when Garney acquired the company in 2001. The October 2003 issue of Colorado Construction Magazine

From left to right: Mario Armendariz, Ryan Wright, Victor Varela, Fred Nunn, Colby Esquibel, Todd Anderson, Jeff Moore, Rich Trimble, Adam Yarborough. Gary Haas is not pictured.

honored Grimm with the Gold Hard Hat Award for an Outstanding Environmental Project for the Sheldon Lake Drainage Improvements job. The Canal Importation Ponds and Outfall Project began construction under several work orders in 2008.

As Scott Terry and Jeff Moore reported in the May 2009 Advancing Water newsletter, “…what can you say after nearly 10 years and 57 highly successful projects, other than What a Great Owner and What a Great Way to do Business!” In June 2015, the City of Fort Collins again selected Garney as their contractor to provide water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities infrastructure design and construction services. By extending another five-year contract with Garney, Fort Collins continues to play a significant role in the ongoing success of Garney’s Rocky 74

Mountain Region.

Since 1999, Garney has successfully completed nearly 80 projects for Fort Collins, Colorado. The Fort Collins Water Treatment Plant was one of the first.

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Garney’s Board of Directors was expanded during this era to include two outside members, Tom Sanders and Peter Brown. Tom was President and CEO of MMC Corporation, an employee-owned company founded by Tom’s grandfather in 1932.

Attorney Peter Brown was a partner in Lathrop & Gage’s Kansas City office. Both were elected to three-year terms with the expectation they would bring the benefit of their diverse backgrounds, knowledge, and experience to the quarterly Garney Board meetings. Tom Sanders retired from the Board in 2017. As of the company’s 60th anniversary, Peter Brown continues to serve as an outside member, along with Tom Keckeis, former President and CEO of Messer Construction, and Bill McDermott, former CEO of MMC Corporation. Peter became Chairman of the Board in 2018. He links the win/win Garney attitude to its continued success.

When looking to the company’s future, Peter doesn’t believe it is outside the realm of possibility for Garney to have a strong international presence and be one of the largest construction companies in the world. His optimism is reminiscent of the 1970s planning sessions where big dreams were encouraged and nothing was viewed as impossible.

If the early years of the decade were spent preparing for employee ownership, the later years were spent adjusting to it. The monthly newsletter, now called The Pipeline, shared great financial detail with all employee-owners. Estimating results were reported by category—public, private, heavy highway, and design-build—and also by individual Estimators. The Pipeline Bid Tab clearly showed each Estimator’s annual goal compared to actual achievement. Retired Superintendent Stan Romi reflected on the early years of the ESOP and echoes the thoughts many had at the time. “I thought I’ll probably never see anything out of it… but after about four years it started snowballing.”

Stan is now quick to say, “Charles had the right idea when he started it. I don’t know how many millionaires there are now…I’m just happy to be one of them.” The full impact of 100 percent employee ownership had yet to be realized. It was clear, however, that great success could come out of individuals all working toward the same goals.

In 1998, the ESOP was transitioned from a C Corporation to a Subchapter S Corporation. This change in tax status resulted in the ESOP trust receiving substantially higher annual contribution amounts. With an impressive increase in value of more than 18 percent, the value of Garney stock climbed to $15.23 a share in 1998.

1970s

Garney’s line of business and opened the door for countless projects that might otherwise have been overlooked.

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LEFT: The Pipeline’s new format made annual goals and actual achievements of individual Estimators easy to track. Their combined efforts beat the 1998 goal of $7.5 million in awarded contracts.

RIGHT: Employee-owners could easily follow their investments, represented by the broad scope of Garney projects shown monthly in The Pipeline.

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The ESOP began to impact every level of Garney from the trenches to the back office. Rob Warren, retired Superintendent, was there at the beginning of the ESOP formation. “It took a while for the ESOP concept to sink in.” After the second or third statement was delivered, however, he could see an attitude shift. Everyone became more focused on productivity and safety. He remembers beginning to hear, “That’s not good for my ESOP.” Every accident, every tool left in a trench, every machine left running—it all detracted

from the bottom line. As one Project Manager described it, a culture had been created where “every penny was watched by every person.”

Thirty-five years after the ESOP’s formation, it is still an effective motivator. In 2010, General Superintendent David Lustig said, “I know that every decision I make—big or small, financial decisions, equipment decisions, production decisions—I know that at the end of the day, it impacts everyone’s retirement. I think about that every day.”

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fifth consecutive year bringing increases of 15 percent or more.

1990s

more than an 18 percent increase from the 1997 value. Impressively, this was the

Wayne O’Brien joined the Garney team at the close of the decade. His keen management of all facilities work in the western region has been a great contribution to the company due to his extensive experience in the field, value engineering ideas, team player attitude, and strong client relationships. Today, Wayne serves as COO of Western Plant Operations, overseeing the Littleton, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona, offices and more than 300 employee-owners.

1980s

By the end of 1998, Garney stock was valued at $15.23 per share. This represented

President and now serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Eastern Pipe Operations.

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At decade’s end, crews were working in Mississippi, Colorado, Virginia, Texas, Iowa, and Florida. Managed by Jason Seubert, the Orlando, Florida, regional office opened its doors in 1999.

Jason joined Garney after his 1994 graduation from Central Missouri State University.

Superintendent Joe Monteleone and his crew of seven comprised the remainder of the Orlando operation. The regional office model, as established by the Austin, Texas, office in the 1980s, would serve Garney well as the company continued to expand. The Orlando office positioned itself to cover the entire Florida market with its own crews and little help from the Kansas City corporate office. Under Jason’s leadership, this region would make great contributions to the bottom line. In 2007, Jason was promoted to Vice

The August 1999 Crew Spotlight focused on the LSP Energy project in Batesville, Mississippi.

Project Manager Mike Heitmann, a University of Kansas graduate who joined Garney in 1990, and Superintendent Youral Winegeart, from Garney’s Fairhope, Alabama, office, overcame the project’s multiple challenges. Obstacles included major creek crossings, a 600-foot bore under I-55, and a centrally located plummeting bluff. Easement issues and working during the wettest time of the year further complicated the Batesville job. In true Garney fashion, the crews overcame these potential problems while beating estimated production time. They completed the 3,640 pipe joint job in only five months.

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The September 2000 ENR reported impressive rankings for Garney Construction in multiple categories.

Closer to home, Stan Romi and his crew finished the 1990s with an emergency repair project stabilizing some of Kansas City’s 60-inch sewer lines. Damaged by torrential spring rains, it was feared that the lines crossing Blue River had become unstable and posed the risk of environmental disaster. Stan’s crew worked from daylight to dark completing the project in just 25 days, well ahead of the city’s allotted 60-day window. Swimming is not a skill often required of Garney Laborers but Butch Portell, Aaron Summers, and Dennis Lewis were needed to swim cables under the piping, creating support cradles necessary to stabilize the sewer pipe. Going well beyond the call of duty, Stan’s crew beat the company cost estimate by a substantial margin 78

and finished an impressive three full months ahead of schedule. This project was nationally recognized at the 2001 APWA (American Public Works Association) International Public Works Congress. The Blue River sewer project was the 2001 Project of the Year in the Under $2 Million Disaster/Emergency Construction/Repair Category. All employee-owners applauded successful projects such as these, recognizing them as positive contributors to their own bottom lines.

The 1999 company goals were short and sweet: enhance marketing focus, increase operating efficiency, and create a quality work environment.

Increasingly sophisticated employee-owners studied The Pipeline’s Bid Tab, Gross Margin Added to Date, and Dollar & Sense columns and, with five years of annual stock growth over 15 percent, they eagerly anticipated the yearly ESOP meetings. Employee-owners made a strong connection between safety and the bottom line. A close eye was kept on newer employees and everyone watched everyone else’s back. From 1997 until 2001, the company’s EMR never rose above 0.65. Garney transitioned to the 21st century with one of the best safety records in the industry.

2000s 2010s

in the company’s ability to provide quality work on an ever-

1990s

cutting edge of technology and tools has played an important role

1980s

always been a key factor in Garney’s success. Remaining on the

1970s

Good equipment, and the resulting vendor relationships, have

1960s

VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS

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increasing scale. In 2010, Steve McCandless was Vice President of Operations as well as Garney’s Equipment Manager until Ed Rolf took over as Equipment Manger upon Steve’s retirement in 2018.

Paul Clark, Global Core Industries Director for Caterpillar, Inc., began working with Steve and Garney as a District Manager for CAT in the late 1990s. Paul recognizes the unique culture of Garney and finds them to be a “truly employee focused company.”

“Steve [McCandless] looked at every decision he made from the perspective of the people on the ground.” Garney’s reputation for the expectation of excellence and the candor of Steve have been valuable to vendors throughout the years. Paul knew CAT could count on Steve for unbiased opinions on equipment, applications, and quality of service. Garney shares a similar relationship with John Deere and has joined Deere in a number of pilot projects.

Tony Pasket, General Manager of Deere’s Corporate Business Division, said, “Garney is not your typical construction company.”

He believes the ESOP is the company’s driving factor and has “fully aligned them as a team.”

TOP: This 644K loader was one of 10 John Deere wheel loaders Garney took delivery of in May 2010.

Steve McCandless traveled to Davenport, Iowa, to follow this machine down the assembly line.

BOTTOM: A Dean Machinery Company CAT advertisement featured familiar Garney faces.

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In 2003, Gil Duran and his crew worked on the Longmont, Colorado, Design-Build Raw and Treated Waterlines Project. Like so many Colorado projects, the Duran family was well represented on the pipe crew. From left to right: Ramon Cortez, Lorenzo Reyes, Jose Balderama, Dave Garcia, Eloy Ortega, Gene Lopez, Gil Duran, Dennis Stewart, Joe Duran, Brian Duran, Waldo Romero, and Dominic Duran. Crew members not shown are Ondray Johnson and Jose Marez.

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2000s “We have a pool of bright young minds that will carry the ball for us into the future.”

CHARLES GARNEY JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1989 GARNEY NEWS

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05

Garney Construction, now ranked 107th of ENR’s Top 600 Specialty Contractors, entered the 21st century accepting the first of many awards the decade would bring. The 2000 APWA Project of the Year Award in the $2–10 million Environmental category was the Salt Valley Trunk Sewer Project in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Through the year 2000, Garney had constructed projects totaling $1.2 billion in contract value. The green states represent the broad scope of work completed by Garney as it neared its 40th anniversary.

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Working through winter conditions and a wet spring, the crew ran 78-inch concrete pipe parallel to the existing 60-inch line installed in the 1960s. Due to the depth of the trench, using line-of-sight hand signals was often not possible on this project. The operators and pipe alignment crew were all equipped with wireless headsets. Garney worked on Phase 2 of the Salt Valley Project the following year. While installing 7,000 feet of fiberglass pipe, Garney used a beam-and-plate trench shoring system that was a new technique in the Midwest. The August 14, 2000, Midwest Contractor featured Phase 2 of the Salt Valley Project and took an in-depth look at Garney’s decision to use beamand-plate as a cost-effective alternative to steel sheet piling.

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office in 1977 when he founded the company and the Phoenix, Arizona, office opened in 1987. Robert Millwee moved over to cover the Grimm acquisition and Montie Tripp stepped into position as Garney’s new President. Montie said at the time, “I am honored to have the title of President, but the fact remains that this The Officers were notified in April 2000 that Robert Millwee outlined the Grimm Construction company is fortunate to Garney’s Salt Valley Trunk Sewer Project had won purchase in the May 2001 newsletter. the 2000 APWA Project of the Year Award for the have an officer group with $2–10 million Environmental category. support staff and a Board of Directors each contributing their diverse talents A major milestone for the company was marked and skills to the success of the company…The in 2001 as Grimm Construction, Inc. was team concept for making management acquired. On April 2, 2001, fifteen months of decisions has served us well.” Corporate focus negotiation drew to a close. Garney Holding now revolved around uniting Garney’s Company doubled its construction capacity by experience in large pipeline work and Grimm’s purchasing 100 percent of Grimm Construction. extensive water treatment and storage With crews specializing in concrete and experience. With a classic Garney win/win underground utilities, Grimm came with 170 approach, the identities of the two companies employees, a strong backlog, and an even would come together offering maximum service stronger reputation. Grimm had wellto the customers and maximum return to the established offices in Colorado and Arizona. employee-owners.

Pete Grimm opened the Denver, Colorado,

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THE AMERICAN DREAM

With the acquisition of Grimm, many

landscapes for seven years. Moving

experienced and highly dedicated

from sheep herding to a Colorado dairy

employee-owners were added to the

and later a meat processing facility, they

Garney family. Some are immigrants

began the 1980s as Laborers for Grimm

who, much like Art Garney, came to this

Construction. By the mid-1980s, they

country with little more than

had become skilled Carpenters and

determination and an undying work

have since learned many other trades

ethic. Brothers Francisco (Frank) and

intrinsic to the wastewater industry. In

Jose (Joe) Yriarte have a story that Art

2010, as they celebrated their 30th

Garney would recognize and admire.

anniversary at Grimm/Garney

Born and raised in the Basque Region of

Construction, the Yriarte brothers

Spain, the brothers were French

inspired their fellow employee-owners.

lumberjacks in the 1960s. They came to

Their positive attitude, reluctance to

Wyoming’s vast sagebrush country in

complain, and dedication to their craft

the late 1960s to work as sheepherders,

remind many that the American Dream

or “borregueros.” Since the end of the

is alive and well at Garney Construction.

19 century, men from the Basque

Francisco Yriarte (second from left) and Jose Yriarte

region of Spain like the Yriartes have

(far right) posed with Colorado Senior Project Coordinator

been herding sheep in the American

McCandless as they celebrated 30 years with Grimm/Garney

th

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Maria McCracken and Senior Vice President Steve

West. The Yriartes lived this difficult life

in 2010. Expressing the thoughts of many, Vice President

in some of the West’s most desolate

dedicated employee-owners than Frank and Joe.”

Scott Terry remarked, “Without a doubt, there are no more

As Garney continued to evolve, familiar names remained in the trenches giving stability and continuity to the company. Bill Lair had been with the company 39 years as had John Goreham. All with 30 or more years under their belts, Don Vandiver and Blaine Eldreth were still on projects while Wylan Flory and Terry Parsons announced their retirements. New names on the Grimm side were added to a long list of new projects: Fort Collins, Brighton, and Castle Rock, Colorado, were all Grimm projects valued over $5 million. The Chandler, Scottsdale, and Gilbert, Arizona, projects each neared $3 million and were all estimated by Tom Auay-Fuay, Phoenix Project Manager. Revenue took a leap skyrocketing from $75.5 million in 2000 to $137.4 million in 2001.

Grimm and Garney alike mourned the loss of Greg Thompson in September 2002. Originally hired by Garney in 1999, Greg went on to become a key member of Grimm’s project management team and was Superintendent at the Mount Crested Butte Wastewater Treatment Plant at the time of his death. Working with his wife Lauri and Project Manager Tim Alley, the team positioned Crested Butte for a threemonth early completion. Until 2011, the Water Facilities Group presented the Greg Thompson

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During the summer of 2002, Garney formed a partnership with Integra Engineering (now Dewberry) to propose on the Longmont, Colorado, Design-Build Raw and Treated Waterlines Project. Glenwood Springs, Fort Collins, Arapahoe County, and East Cherry Creek, Colorado, were all design-build projects awarded to Grimm before the 2001 acquisition.

Garney’s first design-build project had been the Westminster, Colorado, Northwest Water Treatment Plant contracted in 2001. In Longmont, planned to be Colorado’s largest true design-build pipe project to date, the Garney team prepared multiple estimates, schedule projections, and constructability comments. Illustrating the changes made

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Leadership and Dedication Award annually in his memory.

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After 30 years with Garney, Wylan Flory retired in 2001.

In a true illustration of the design-build process at work, Gil Duran was on site to evaluate locations for a particularly challenging section of the Longmont pipeline. Gil proposed installing the pipe right off the edge of the pavement for the entire stretch. This idea, one not thought of by the design engineers, kept the crew out of groundwater and away from deep cuts. Some unique requirements of this job, not contracted until 2004, involved humanely removing more than 400 prairie dogs and taking responsibility for both raptor and burrowing owl surveys.

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during the process, Garney’s initial proposal of project costs was $9.3 million, increasing to $11.1 million in the final design.

Both Garney and Grimm made a good showing in the 2003 ENR rankings. In the utility contractor list, Garney Construction was fifth with Grimm at eighth. The October 2003 issue of Colorado Construction Magazine honored both Grimm and Garney with Hard Hat awards. For the Sheldon Lake Drainage Improvement Project in Fort Collins, Colorado, Grimm received the Gold Hard Hat Award for Outstanding Environmental Project. One challenge of Sheldon Lake was removing more 85

The North Pinery Water Tanks and Pump Station in Parker, Colorado, were under construction in 2002.

Led by Project Manager Eric Gopsill and Superintendent Brad Juracek in 2002, Grimm constructed a 10 million gallon tank in Aurora, Colorado. The East Cherry Creek Water Storage Tank, along with companion project Kuiper Pump Station, was worth nearly $7.3 million.

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than 100 years of accumulated sediment after the lake was drained. This was a two-month process requiring 4,300 loads to haul away. For the East Cherry Creek Water and Sanitation pipeline, Garney was awarded the Silver Hard Hat Award for Outstanding Public Project. This job required installing 76,500 feet of welded concrete-lined steel water pipe, designed to hold more than 8.5 million gallons of water.

In 2003, Steve Ford and Senior Project Manager Gary Goff opened Garney’s regional office in Nashville, Tennessee. In the office’s first six months, Nashville’s three original pipe crews constructed $6.7 million of work. Managing Garney projects throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and parts of Mississippi, the Nashville operation quickly expanded. Veteran Project Manager Youral Winegeart joined the Nashville team in 2004 and helped reinforce Steve Ford’s strong relationships with owners and engineers throughout middle Tennessee.

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After watching the steady development of the Wyoming market, the Water Facilities Group expanded to take advantage of the projected growth. Personnel were relocated to Wyoming, combining with existing crews. In the spring of 2004, Garney Wyoming, Inc., landed its first project when the Crow Creek and Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project was awarded to Moltz Wyoming and their partner Garney Wyoming, Inc. The City of Gillette Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement project was begun by Garney

Wyoming in 2005. On this job, bid at $12.85 million, Garney Wyoming was accepted into the OSHA Wyoming Employer Voluntary Technical Assistance Program (EVTAP), meaning the crew was eligible for an exemption from routine compliance inspections. This was reminiscent of the earliest days in Kansas City when inspectors always knew Garney projects would be done correctly.

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In 2004, the decision was made to close the Fairhope, Alabama, office and relocate the southeast operations to Atlanta, Georgia. After being in Fairhope for 10 years, Mike Heitmann moved to the Kansas City office. Having worked for Garney from 1986 to 1993, Greg Harris was rehired and charged with opening the Atlanta office. Mike, promoted to Vice President in 2002, sees Greg as a great strategic hire, “Greg quickly built the Atlanta organization. He hires great people and puts together great crews. His established relationships with many owners in Atlanta became the basis for that region’s ongoing success. They are a multi-talented group of people.” Greg describes the Atlanta office as “a non-stop festival of love.”

A large influx of personnel came in 2004, including Mike Gardner, Grimm’s Midwest Area Manager, who positioned the Water Facilities

The Atlanta, Georgia, regional office began their first job in 2005. The Santee Cooper Power Company project in Cross, South Carolina, involved installing 120-inch and 84-inch restrained joint pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe. The work area was extremely tight requiring a partially sheet-piled excavation and 100 percent haul-off of excavated materials.

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“Even compared to our peers in the S-Corp world, Garney has a

very unique story. The ESCA staff considers us to be the ‘poster child’ for how an ESOP should be run. Everyone at Garney should be very proud of how well-received our ESOP story is.”

STEVE MCCANDLESS AFTER ATTENDING ESCA’S 2008 FEDERAL POLICY CONFERENCE

Garney Construction is an active member of the Employee-Owned S Corporations of America (ESCA), an organization whose exclusive mission is to preserve and protect S ESOPs and the benefits they provide to the employees who own them.

ESCA provides the vehicle and the voice for telling federal policymakers about the tremendous success of the S ESOP structure in generating retirement savings for working Americans and their families.

Over the past two decades, Garney employee-owners have been involved in numerous ESCA related events. Many have attended lobby days in Washington, D.C., where they visit a number of congressional offices in the span of a couple days. Others have been involved in visits to Garney job sites with members of Congress, giving the opportunity to educate them on the influence the ESOP has on the success as a company, as well as providing the ability to control how to build the retirement savings of the employee-owners. These efforts help get the message out to those who can determine if the ESOP benefits should be preserved into the future.

Group for expansion into the Midwest. The 2004 Project of the Year edition of Trenchless Technology recognized the group’s first midwestern project, the Beaver Water District Intake Expansion Project in Lowell, Arkansas.

The project also won a National ABC Excellence in Construction Pyramid Award—Garney’s first.

Overcoming extreme challenges, it was an Honorable Mention in the New Installation category. This project required micro-tunneling through karstic limestone and underwater retrieval after each of the eight intake microtunnels were completed. The year also brought the Water Facilities Group’s first midwestern design-build opportunity, the Olathe Water Treatment Plant Improvements. This nearly $18 million project was completed in December 2005.

Crews were pulled off the Beaver Water District project for an emergency river crossing project in San Antonio, Texas. SAWS called on Garney when another of their contractors was having difficulty completing a 650-foot stretch of 60-inch pipe.

The existing subsurface strata, as well as the water table, made this an extremely tricky crossing of the San Antonio River. Due to the emergency nature of the work, Project Managers LEFT: The Dry Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements project expanded the Garney

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Construction market into Wyoming leading to the formation of Garney Wyoming, Inc.

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The Water Facilities Group accomplished what competitors thought was impossible in 2004.

The City of Thornton, Colorado, needed the Columbine (now Wes Brown) Water Treatment Plant replaced to meet increasing demands. For what should conservatively have been a threeyear project, the time frame allotted was a mere 12 months. In order to meet this deadline, Garney proposed a method to divide the plant’s production process and split the facility in half.

Critical scheduling allowed demolition to simultaneously take place with underground pipe work and construction of new buildings.

Manpower on site peaked at 225 people. Crews worked 70-plus hour weeks, at times averaging 6,700 hours in a single week. The 25 Superintendents held weekly coordination meetings. The building schedule, prepared by Mike Halbur and Rick Fell long before the actual work began, totaled 67 pages. David Lustig, General Superintendent of the project, used the February 2005 Pipeline to express sincere appreciation to the many people, and their sacrifices, who made the project a success,

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Scott Parrish and Ed Rolf called in multiple experienced teams. The May 2004 Pipeline commended them for their “safe, quick, and quality work.”

The time frame of the Columbine (now Wes Brown) Water Treatment Plant Expansion in Thornton, Colorado, appeared impossible to Garney competitors. The Water Facilities Group successfully completed this enormous project in only one year.

The Water Facilities Group worked on the Olathe Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project in Olathe, Kansas, in 2005.

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saying, “…It is truly an example of what skilled and dedicated people can do when they set their minds to a task, no matter how great it may be.

This job exemplifies what Garney is all about.”

The Southwest 34th Street 36-inch Force Main Replacement Project in Gainesville, Florida, won Garney Construction the 2005 Florida APWA Award.

Water Facilities Group Project Manager Don Cabral remained in the prayers of his fellow employee-owners as he was stationed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Serving with the MACG-38 Third Marine Aircraft Wing, Don was grateful for the support he received from Garney. At the 2006 annual managers’ meeting, Don presented Vice President Scott Terry with a commemorative United States flag he had flown above his Marine air base, Al Asad, in the name of Garney Construction.

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In 2005, Garney and Grimm were Award of Merit Winners in the Excellence in Construction Awards given out

by ENR. This award gives nod to innovation, quality, and teamwork. While company acknowledgment at a national level is certainly a great source of pride, recognition by individuals of small gestures

by Garney crews is no less impressive. A resident of Gilbert, Arizona, sent a thank you note to the company in 2005 stating, “Garney’s employees introduced themselves to us and gave a friendly wave as we drove through the construction work…They made a

conscientious effort not to run their equipment except during normal work hours. There has been a consistent effort to wet down dirt to minimize dust. These things alone create a different experience than what we have had in previous months…” The note went on to explain, in their opinion, why Garney is “extraordinary and truly stands out from any other construction companies.” With a recently remodeled home, the grateful writer had accumulated much construction debris. The Garney crew used their loaders to remove all the trash and deliver it to the dump. They returned to ring the doorbell and asked, “What else can we do to help?” This truly amazed and grateful neighbor represents so many who have come in contact with Garney workers throughout the years. Job files are filled with such notes and illustrate the effect of only hiring the highest quality individuals.

The winter of 2004–05 found Garney crews braving a frozen swamp in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This unique project consisted of more than 76,500 feet of 54-inch raw water steel pipeline traveling from Lake Michigan to the Green Bay Water Utility filtration plant. Within the 14-mile project, 10,000 feet of the pipe crossed a swamp. As in many larger Garney jobs, a split pipe order was needed to complete the project. To meet the Wisconsin

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frozen swamp.

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The challenges of the Green Bay, Wisconsin, project included crossing two miles of

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in December 2005.

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The $23 million Virginia-Highland Water Main project in Atlanta, Georgia, was kicked off

Department of Natural Resource’s environmental impact requirements, it was determined the swamp crossing must be made in the dead of winter. A composite roadway system was floated across the frozen swamp creating a road that was 21 feet wide, 4,000 feet long, and strong enough to bear the load of heavy equipment.

On what was to become a favorite job of his career, Blaine Eldreth mobilized his 15-person crew to the project in mid-December working seven days a week for the next four months.

In September 2005, Matt French and his crew installed 6,400 feet of 36-inch and 9,400 feet of 30-inch pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe through the busy streets of Overland Park, Kansas, for WaterOne.

Johnson County Water District No. 1 (WaterOne) and Garney were developing a strong relationship that would continue well into the future. In the October 2005 Pipeline, Project Manager Tony Kempf described Garney’s work for WaterOne, one of the Kansas City metro area’s largest water suppliers. Three projects were ongoing with a total of more than $15 million in contract value and requiring more than 61,000 feet of pipe. All three jobs involved rock excavation and responding to the needs of many adjacent business owners. Crews led by Matt 91

In 2006, Don Vandiver operated the CAT 385 while Todd Milford guided a 72-inch steel pipe into the trench for the Metropolitan Utilities District

After the challenging winter of 2006, spring was a welcomed arrival to the Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant job in Colorado.

of Omaha, Nebraska.

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French, Joe Lewis, Jr., and Butch Crawford managed to keep everyone happy and laid the foundation for the more lucrative WaterOne contracts in Garney’s near future.

yard pipe. Although the jobs have grown exponentially, the principles originally set in place by Charles Garney continued to drive the company.

In 2006, for the third year in a row, ENR ranked Garney first in their Top 20 Contractors in Transmission Lines and Aqueducts. They also placed Garney in the Top 15 in Water Treatment/ Desalination and Sanitary/Storm Sewers categories. Statistics from the Blue River Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion project give a glimpse into the magnitude of 21st-century Garney work. The Blue River job required 169,595 work hours, 13,035 cubic yards of concrete, more than 40,000 cubic yards of excavation and backfill, 39,500 square feet of masonry, and 22,750 feet of

In January 2006, Garney broke ground at the Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant in Colorado.

This was the beginning of a job that would last well into 2008 and would be worth $40 million.

Sixty employee-owners were needed in Boulder to modernize the city’s only wastewater treatment plant. In five of the project’s early months Garney installed 1.5 million pounds of rebar and poured 5,000 yards of concrete. The scope of this project required an immense amount of cooperation and coordination. Excavation occurred simultaneously with construction; as concrete was poured, the

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In their first several years, the Garney Atlanta office had two pipe crews and less than 10 office staff. After the very successful Virginia-Highland Water Main project in 2007, the office, under the leadership of Greg Harris, boasted 42 employeeowners. The $23.4 million Virginia-Highland project was located in one of Atlanta’s oldest and most prestigious neighborhoods. Garney went to extremes to minimize the impact on local residents. Under the guidance of General

Superintendent Jason Koon and Project Manager Jeff Seal, there was not a single recordable accident and the project was finished several months ahead of schedule. As Garney turned 50, the 110-person Atlanta office boasted six pipe crews and a growing facilities staff. Greg Harris’ continuing contributions to the company were recognized in January 2011 when he joined the Officer Team as Vice President of Garney.

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mechanical crew mobilized. Project Managers Mike Graeve, Matt Wampler, and Ruben King were given the additional challenges of working around the City of Boulder’s budget constraints and through six straight weeks of snow.

The Orlando, Florida, regional office, opening in 1999 with a total head count of nine, was booming. By 2007, they had 12 crews with close to 100 employee-owners. Jason Seubert reflected on their growth, “We’ve built work ranging from 1-inch to 84-inch, public and private, bid jobs and

Sixty Garney employee-owners were needed to complete the Boulder project in Colorado. One crew included, top, left to right: Manuel Bencomo, Miguel Luna, Maximino Solozano, Jesus Ruiz, Arturo The enormous scope of the Boulder Wastewater Treatment Plant

Canalas, and Carlos Alvarez; bottom: Felix Canalas, Ilay Alvarez, Mario

expansion project, Colorado is best appreciated from above.

Treviso, Jose Alvarez, and Tim Mendeas.

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AMES ELEVATED PENSTOCK The 2006 Ames Elevated Penstock project in

crews worked every single day from mid-

winding Forest Service trails at the bottom. After

Telluride, Colorado, is an example of a project

September until the day before Thanksgiving,

the first concrete pour, the company supplying the

others may well have called impossible. Matt

mostly in severe winter conditions, to make this

concrete and bedding refused to run their trucks

Foster wrote of Ames Penstock, “…this was a very

project a huge success.” A few of the specific

into the job due to hazardous conditions. From that

steep, tight, tough job built in the wrong time of

challenges of the project included a 400-foot

point on, all concrete and bedding were hauled to

year…It cannot be stressed enough how expertly

segment in the side of the mountain at a 40–60

the job using a 950G loader, one bucket at a time. A

all the risks and challenges were managed—from

percent slope, three 90-degree elbows requiring

helicopter was used to string pipe down the slope

the rock slide risk, to getting the pipeline up and

large thrust anchors, and a line where pressure

portion of the project. The incredible pictures give

running again before winter really set in, to

could reach 1,200 psi under surge conditions.

a glimpse into the magnitude of the challenges of

fighting snow and cold and slippery conditions

Access consisted only of a 14-foot wide railroad

the Ames Elevated Penstock.

every day. With no accidents Gil Duran and his

cut in the mountain at the top and two miles of

A pad was constructed at the top of the slope on which a huge winch was

Due to the potentially high pressure under surge conditions on this line,

held in place with rock anchors. The winch raised and lowered the John

butt welding and x-ray testing was necessary on all joints. For any given

Deere 200CLC excavator up and down the mountain.

joint, it took two welders up to six hours to complete a single weld and another three hours for the x-ray testing.

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The “To-Hell-You-Ride” (Telluride) crew posed in front of the helicopter.

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Joe Monteleone and his crew built an 84-inch potable

The Virginia-Highland Water Main crew in

water transmission main for Tampa Bay Water in Florida.

Atlanta, Georgia, came across this sign in 2006.

In 2006, posing on the Komatsu 1250 excavator from left

One business owner wrote to Garney, “When

to right: Jose Rivas, Juan Castillo, Bryan Taylor, Rito Mata

construction first began…I poured ‘Maalox

(kneeling), Jason Seubert, Sam Flowers, Steve Swatek,

Cocktails’ and toasted the end of business with our

Joe Monteleone, Preston Holland, Gabriel Mendoza, Jose

employees…Fortunately for us, YOU were hired for

Alvareq, Pedro Vasquez, and Moe, their mascot, in front.

this project.”

negotiated. We’ve worked from the Keys to Pensacola so we’ve really covered the gamut.”

Jason spoke of his office in a way that seemed to reflect a company-wide posture, “…there isn’t anything special about us, just a great group of people who work hard.”

The Nashville, Tennessee, office, under the direction of Steve Ford, also experienced tremendous growth and expansion during the latter part of the decade. Senior Project Manager Jeff Seal moved from the Atlanta office to Nashville which now boasted seven pipe crews

Superintendent Keith Fisher and his crew dug in Kissimmee, Florida, on the Carroll Street Reclaimed Water Main project for the Toho Water Authority. Left to right: Vasel “Big Seal” Abazajin, Ben Levario, Eric Jacobsen, Coy Alspach, Keith Fisher, and David Kelley. In the driver’s seat is Shane Rickman.

and three plant Project Managers. As Garney Construction celebrated 50 years, more than 90 employee-owners were contributing to Nashville’s continuing success. The Nashville group finished the decade having just completed the largest pipe project in Garney’s history, and having secured the award from Nashville Metro Water Services on the $17 million Washington CSO Control Facility project in a proposal-based selection process. This project, among others, was secured largely in thanks to the efforts of Vice President Scott Terry, who relocated to the 95

Perched above the trench box, Joe Monteleone supervised the 84-inch Cypress Creek job in Tampa, Florida.

Steve Morris and his crew were part of the effort in 2006 to construct the world’s largest desalination plant facility in El Paso, Texas. Top: Greg Theriot; cat walk, left to right: Roger Dell, Humberto Rodriguez, Jesus Ramirez, Jesus Mejia, Arturo Lopez, Gregorio Pereida, and Floyd Weston; ground: Jason Jansen and Steve Morris.

The Buckeye Wastewater Treatment Plant’s two phases kept the Southwest Region Water Facilities Group busy from April 2005 until April 2007 in Buckeye, Arizona.

Taking a well-deserved break in Pasco County, Florida, are from front to back: Seth Carson, Rito Mata, Preston Holland, Pedro Vasquez, Jose Alvarez, Jose Rivas, Juan Hernandez, Gavriel Mendoza, Juan Castillo, and

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Bryan Taylor.

Southeast from the Littleton, Colorado, office in 2009 to assist in establishing Garney’s plant work throughout the area.

The Water Facilities Group was busy completing two phases in Buckeye, Arizona, during the second half of the decade. More than 60 employee-owners put in 100,000 hours in the small farming community 45 minutes west of Phoenix. The desert climate fluctuated bringing summer temperatures over 125 degrees to extreme winter cold as low as 12 degrees. Mother Nature challenged the crews with monsoons and severe thunderstorms. Garney successfully completed both phases of the project bringing

WaterOne. Valued at $74 million, the Wolcott Water Treatment Plant completed in February 2010 and, with a contract value of $74 million, was Garney’s largest project to date.

project start date was May 10, 2007. Ranking tenth of Garney’s largest projects at that time was the WaterOne 60-inch Transmission Main

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The Wolcott Water Treatment Plant built for WaterOne of Johnson County, Kansas, was

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celebrated its 50th anniversary, its largest contract to date was with

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Kansas. It is one of the biggest water utilities in the entire state. As Garney

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producing 180 MGD and serving 400,000 end users in Johnson County,

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WaterOne, Johnson County’s Water District No. 1, has the capability of

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WATER ONE

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Sections 1 and 2. This initial contract was nearly $34 million with a start date of August 21, 2007. The water treatment plant work produced an additional 30 MGD for WaterOne customers. A unique aspect of this project was the complex architectural design of the buildings. In order to blend into the rural Kansas setting, each building on site was reminiscent of traditional farm buildings. The staggering number of elements in the overall project included two aerators, a basin flow splitter, a 130-foot diameter primary basin, a 167-foot diameter final basin, a residuals control building, an operations building with membrane filters, a below ground 1.5 MG cast-in-place concrete chlorine contact basin, a below ground cast-in-place 4 MG treated water storage reservoir, a high service Garney also installed more than 26,000 feet of 60-inch steel pipe for WaterOne.

pumping station, surge control facilities, and a 0.5 MG wash water basin.

The transmission main work consisted of two contracts, both of which were 100 percent lap-joint welded steel pipe with no gaskets and a test pressure reaching 380 psi at the low points. Crews installed 26,090 feet of 60-inch Hanson pipe for one contract and 27,413 feet of 60-inch Northwest pipe for the other. The contracts included 78-inch steel cased tunnels and four major underground concrete structures. Acquiring easements from Wyandotte County residents for the Johnson County project was just one of

The new facility has the capability of producing 210 MGD for the 400,000 end users of Johnson County. The pall membrane installation crew positioned 1,080 membranes in six days.

the challenges of this massive and financially successful project.

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KAW HIGH SERVICE MAINS The decade drew to a close with Kentucky

was established if the school buses were

American Water (KAW) awarding Garney

unable to run. The crews worked in

a $57 million contract for their High

tandem completing the project well

Service Mains pipeline. The KAW

before school buses needed to be back on

project’s 30 miles of 42-inch ductile iron

the roads.

pipe made it the largest pipe project in Garney’s history and required two crews for completion. Superintendent Juan Gutierrez began north of Frankfort on Contract A while Steve Morris and his crew began north of Lexington on Contract B. Senior Project Manager Gary Goff and Assistant Project Manager David Burkhart quickly earned the respect of Kentucky American Water. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet granted permission for full road closure on particularly narrow rural sections of the project. Their permission, however, led to a compressed completion deadline as a caveat requiring the roads to be completed before school opened was attached. A per diem penalty of $5,000

Ever present limestone added challenge to the project and required the skill, and GPS-assisted custom Trencor 1760 trenching machines, of subcontractor H. L. Chapman of Leander, Texas. The consistently superior quality of H. L. Chapman’s work prior to this job brought

With Roger Dell and Cecil Wiley on CAT 345D excavators, the crews from Contract A and Contract B raced toward the finish line of Kentucky American Water’s High Service Mains Project.

them the Team Garney Award in 2008.

Other challenges of the KAW project included crossing North Elkhorn Creek and the high level of restoration required by the owner. Passage across some of the most renowned Thoroughbred horse farms in the country required extra care. In typical Garney fashion, the crews quickly gained landowner trust and acceptance.

The crew members from both contracts celebrated the installation of the Golden T-Bolt signifying completion of the 30-mile job. Contract A Crew: Juan Gutierrez, Cecil Wiley, Teofilo Binuelo, John Guterrez, Wayne Dyer, Octavio Chavez, Reynaldo Binuelo, Isidro Binuelo-Ramirez, and Ronald Mays. Contract B Crew: Steve Morris, Roger Dell, Humberto Rodriguez, Greg Theriot, Gregorio Pereida, Arturo Lopez, Jesus Ramirez, George Byers, and Osiel Rodriguez.

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The City of Gillette, Wyoming Wastewater Treatment Plant crew included top row, left

2007. Santa was happy to join the Garney crew at a local Phoenix, Arizona, park.

to right: Rafael Castillo, Raul Ballesteros, Jacob Crosby, Wes Connaway, Jack Carruth,

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The Water Facilities Group’s Southwest Region held its second annual Christmas party in

Jeff Parker, Brunza Labore, Guadalupe Ramirez, and Wayne Barker; bottom row: Jesus Exparza, Florentino Alvarez, Jamie Caballero, Ruban Munoz, Maneal Cruz, Francisco

Buckeye’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in line with its population expansion. Phase 1A won an award for Public Works Project of the Year in the Environment ($2–10 million) category from the Arizona Public Works Association in 2006. The new Phoenix office proudly displayed the plaque and positioned itself for more work in Buckeye.

Garney called on its strong vendor relationship with American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) in 2006. Receiving the Team Garney Award in 2002, ACIPCO has played an important role in many Garney projects. The Lake Barkley Raw Water Transmission project in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, required 27 miles of 36-inch ductile iron pipe crossing two counties and 57 different property owners. ACIPCO was told that delivery of pipe would be accepted as quickly as they could produce it. Consistent with their actions

Jurado, Frank Yriarte, Joe Yriarte, Tony Cruz, Arturo Santoyo, and Angel Cruz.

throughout the 50-year relationship between the two companies, ACIPCO committed to keeping pipe production ahead of the crews. Garney was given a contract on August 15, 2006, and notice to proceed was issued on September 1, 2006. True to their word, the pipe deliveries began shortly after on September 11, 2006.

ACIPCO’s Jerry Burns and Skip Benton are proud of the strong and long relationship their company has with Garney. Having worked with Garney since 1982, Jerry believes, “The best thing about Garney is its people. They have placed an emphasis on hiring quality people at every level of the company. All of them have a great deal of integrity. Most companies have some of these types of people. At Garney, they are all that way.”

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MCCLURE PENSTOCK Matt Foster submitted the McClure Penstock

contract. The crew began the project in September

Foster, continued as the Principal-in-Charge. The

Replacement Project bid proposal in July 2009.

2009 and included 13,300 feet of 84-inch spiral

McClure project team on site included Project

Acknowledging the importance of completing the

weld steel pipe. They worked through December of

Administrator Nate Miller, Superintendent Gil

penstock located just outside Marquette, Michigan,

that year then returned in February 2010. As

Duran, and Safety Manager Alice Duran. Finishing

prior to the winter season of 2010, Garney

Marquette often experiences up to 200 inches of

comfortably within the contract’s timeline, the

presented an aggressive schedule and work plan.

snow each winter, the conditions were extremely

McClure Penstock was filled for testing in early

Impressed with Garney’s experience and proposal,

wet. The completion date was set for November 15,

October 2010.

the Upper Peninsula Power Company (now WEC

2010. Adhering to Garney’s strategy for

Energy Group) awarded Garney the $13 million

accountability, the project’s Lead Estimator, Matt

TOP: The original McClure crew and the Garney crew 90 years later would have enjoyed swapping stories. Equipment, materials, and techniques have certainly evolved, but the Michigan landscape remains virtually unchanged.

BOTTOM: A bifurcation section of 84-inch spiral weld steel penstock was installed on the McClure Penstock Replacement Project in 2010.

BACKGROUND: The original McClure Penstock was constructed of wood stave pipe in 1918. These pipes were made of sections cut from short lengths of wood then banded with steel cables

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for stability.

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recognized as the winner of the 2009 President’s Award for General

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Contracting in the $1–5 million Industrial category and, in addition, was

1990s

Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) first place award for General

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Truing Facility in the Argentine Yard of Kansas City, Kansas, won the

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In December 2009, Grimm Construction’s work on the BNSF New Wheel

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BNSF NEW WHEEL TRUING FACILITY

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Contracting. The ABC announced in early 2010 that the project had also earned Grimm an Eagle Award in the Industrial, less than $5 million category of the ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards. Grimm’s representatives accepted the award during the 20th annual ABC convention in San Diego, California. ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel said, “This project is an outstanding example of the innovation and commitment to superior craftsmanship that embody merit shop construction. It is a pleasure to honor this project with the association’s top construction excellence award.” The project was selected from entries submitted from across the nation and was judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and cost.

TOP: In February 2010, Grimm Project Manager Anthony Mravunac (far left) and Superintendent Ray Gerdes (far right) accepted the Eagle Award from ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel.

BOTTOM: The Grimm project team on BNSF Railway Company’s New Wheel Truing.

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In June 2007, Superintendent Joe Ross (center) and Project

The outlet structure for the Eagle Mountain Connection

The Project 7 Water Authority Water Treatment Plant in Montrose,

Manager Joey Perell (right) accepted two awards presented

Pipeline Project near Fort Worth, Texas, came across Eagle

Colorado, was completed in August 2009.

to Grimm Construction at the ABC’s awards celebration in

Mountain Lake on a barge.

Washington, D.C.

Working successfully on many major projects throughout the years, Jerry and Skip have a relationship with Garney that goes beyond business. “J.W., Montie, Steve Swatek, and many others have become personal friends of ours. We might have as good a relationship with others but there is no relationship that is any better.”

Offering a great compliment Skip said, “Garney is not only recognized by vendors but by other contractors around the country. They are respected for who they are, what they do and how they run their business. Garney is an icon of our industry.”

In June 2007, Grimm Construction won two awards recognizing their success with the Olathe, Kansas, Water Treatment Plant Expansion designbuild project. Both awards were presented at the Associated Builders & Contractors Excellence in Construction and National Safety Excellence 102

awards celebration held in Washington, D.C. They received the first place Eagle Award for Excellence in Construction Awards Competition in the Mechanical/Industrial $2–10 million category. The second award was the Design-Build Institute of America’s “Partnership Award Recognizing Efficiency in Design-Build.”

Garney ranked 29th overall in ENR’s 2007 ranking of the Top 200 Environmental Firms. Accolades continued to roll in. During the Colorado Chapter of the APWA’s annual meeting, Garney took all three awards in the 2007 Water Treatment and Distribution category. The Large Community award went to the City of Thornton project. The Medium Community award went to the Clifton Water District, and North Table Mountain Water and Sanitation District of Golden, Colorado, won the Small Community award.

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and really cares about his work.” The project, featured in Texas Construction magazine’s December 2008 issue, was named Best Public Project of the Year. The company’s 2008 body of work put them at 178th in ENR’s Top 400 Contractors. Strict safety policies and continued vigilance by all in the field resulted in a company-wide EMR of 0.63, much better than the industry average.

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The Eagle Mountain Connection Pipeline in Fort Worth, Texas, reached substantial completion in the spring of 2008. A unique element of this project was the installation of 700 feet of 78-inch Hobas pipe at the bottom of Eagle Mountain Lake.

This project involved seven Superintendents and five crews from both the Pipe and Water Facilities Groups. This, the largest Garney pipe job to that point, had the distinction of being Blaine Eldreth’s final project. As Chris Roberts worked under Blaine for 14 years on many of Garney’s most challenging jobs, it is no surprise that Blaine takes special pride in the quality of Chris’ work, saying, “He does things like I did. He takes his job to heart

The Water Facilities Group kept to a tight schedule at the Foothills Water Treatment Plant in Denver, Colorado. The plant, Denver’s largest water producing facility, serves 1.2 million end users and was in need of an upgrade to meet U.S.

Tying rebar on the outer cage for the pipe encasement

The Shoshone Penstock crew completed the $4 million job

Pipe work of the early 1900s led to many profitable Garney

on the Shoshone Penstock Substantial Repair project in

in Colorado in March 2008.

jobs in the following century. The Shoshone Power House

Glenwood, Colorado, are, left to right, Waldo Romero,

and Penstock in Glenwood, Colorado, seen here in 1908,

Gene Lopez, Ramon Cortez, Gil Duran, Noe Avila, and

did not look much different when Garney crews arrived

Lorenzo Reyes.

100 years later. Photograph by L. C. McClure, courtesy of Denver Public Library, Colorado Historical Society.

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.

Setting an aggressive schedule, construction began in December 2006 with the dismantling of an existing warehouse, demolition of several thousand feet of piping, and mass excavation of 120,000 cubic yards to make room for a new structure. A full plant shutdown occurred in the winter of 2007–08 with the plant successfully back on line in April 2008. During this same time period, the Water Facilities Group and Pipe Formwork was flown into the White Tanks Regional Water Treatment Group were involved in Plant Project in Surprise, Arizona. This remote job site had no water, sewer, electric, or phone services.

Garney’s most financially successful contract at that time—a water treatment facility for WaterOne in Johnson County, Kansas.

At the beginning of 2009, Garney announced adjustments to its corporate leadership structure.

Five Garney employee-owners, heavily involved in the daily management of the company, were promoted to Vice President. Steve Ford, Matt 104

Foster, Tony Kempf, Jeff Lacy, and Scott Parrish were positioned to lead the company smoothly into the next decade. Since its inception, smooth transitions from one generation of technology, equipment, and leadership to the next have kept Garney at the top of the industry. While change occurred at corporate headquarters, the skill and teamwork shown in the field was nothing new.

May 2009 brought an opportunity to show what true team effort can accomplish. The Great River Energy Coal Creek Station Connection Project in Underwood, North Dakota, required a complete shutdown of the entire power plant. Generating $3 million of electricity per day, the plant understandably wanted to keep the outage time as brief as possible. Garney contracted to install one 120-inch connection and three 96-inch connections in a 132-hour period. There was a significant incentive to finish early and an opposing penalty to finish late.

As Matt Foster and Ryan Blake explained in the August 2009 edition of Advancing Water, “With a potential early completion bonus of $268,000, we took this seriously, called for reinforcements, and planned everything down to the hour.” Gil Duran and Phil Werner shut down another ongoing project and brought their crews to North Dakota.

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Garney’s Atlanta, Georgia, regional office and Grimm’s midwest office found new locations in 2009. The Atlanta team had outgrown their existing space and Grimm moved from Olathe to Gardner, Kansas. As the company celebrated 50 years, Mike Gardner was managing 100 people

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The continued success of the Rocky Mountain Region team led to the acquisition of new office space at 7911 Shaffer Parkway in Littleton, Colorado. After completing 63 successful projects for the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, they extended Garney another five-year contract in 2009. Working out of their new office, the Garney team continues to be Fort Collins’ contractor to provide water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities infrastructure design and construction services. With completed contracts valuing more than $87 million, Fort Collins has been a significant factor in Garney’s bottom line. In the February 2010 Advancing Water, Wayne O’Brien

thanked Scott Terry, Jeff Moore, and his team, including Gary Haas, Rich Trimble, Jose (Luis) Barrutia, and their dedicated crews for building such a strong customer relationship with Fort Collins.

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Mike Hall, Charles Woody, Jr., and their crews had been preparing for five weeks anticipating the shutdown. Working around the clock in cold wind and freezing mist, the crews finished more than 24 hours ahead of the deadline, collecting the full bonus. Matt Foster wrote to the Officer Team, “There were many skeptics within Golder and Great River Energy that did not think this could be completed. I actually thought we would be lucky to finish on time. Garney’s performance on this project has blown them away. We should all be proud of the hard work and sacrifices these crews put in on this project…I believe this was a once in a lifetime challenge and…WE KICKED ASS.”

The aerial installation of 7,500 feet of 36-inch American Spiral Weld Pipe in Key Largo, Florida, presented unique challenges on the Jewfish Creek Bridge project in 2009. Members of the crew, from front to back: Thad Anderson, Feliz Morales, Pedro Vasquez, Geronimo Higgino, and Jose Alvarez, with Jamie Krum on the crane.

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out of the Gardner office. In 2009, the Water Facilities Group won bids for its first Oklahoma project, the Claremore Wastewater Treatment Plant, and its first Iowa project, the Secondary Treatment Facilities Improvement in Sioux City. In January 2011, Mike joined the Officer Team as Vice President of Garney.

The City of Wichita, Kansas, provided an opportunity to unite the resources of both Grimm and Garney. The Cowskin Creek Pump Station and Force Main Modifications project and the MidContinent Water Quality Reclamation Facility were bid and awarded as separate projects. Due to their

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Garney crew members placed concrete encasement for new hydraulic

Jeff Wallen and his crew removed 100-year-old 24-inch cast iron

lines while suspended on swing stages from the Big Tooth Reservoir Dam in

pipe and installed new 24-inch ductile iron pipe through the heart of

Colorado Springs, Colorado.

downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

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The Claremore, Oklahoma, Wastewater Treatment Plant crew included Curtis George, Laurie Grace, Tracey Kean, Jeremy Shipley, Terry Tyler, Crew members at Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer were, top, left to right:

Sean Byson, Edwin Raudales, Francisco Soto, Alex Duran, Octavio

Matthew Stewart, Rick Loveall, James Brown, Saul Santos Palos, John

Ramirez, Rudy Puskas, Dave Tavis, Dustin Michelle, Dillon Michelle,

Fitzgerald, Luis E. Cruz, Orlando Torres, and Mark Abram; bottom:

Norman Michelle, Luke Becker, Donnie Atchley, Teddy Atchley, Norman

Charles Fox, Tim Harris, Tony Smith, Will Woody, Paul Lamar, and

Collier, Dustin McClanahan, Matt McCann, Tim McGuirk, Casey Miller,

Alfonza Flournoy.

Kyle Puskas, Richie Atchley, and Frank Amende-Lara.

proximity, however, they were constructed as a single job pulling Grimm and Garney into concert.

With a total contract value of $27.2 million, both projects were on or near Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport. Project Managers Marcus Grace and Chad Sharbono reported in the August 2010 Advancing Water, “Thanks to the cooperation of both Garney and Grimm forces, this project was successfully completed on time and under budget.” In addition, these projects won the 2010 ABC National Excellence in Construction Eagle Awards for their respective categories. The Manhattan, Kansas,

Water Treatment Plant, completed in August 2012, was the first project that the groups jointly bid.

These projects illustrate the opportunities provided by combining the diverse resources and workforce of Garney and Grimm.

Entering its sixth decade, diversity of culture and expertise among its 700 employee-owners made the Garney Construction team stronger than ever and anxious to meet the challenges of its next half-century.

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In the early 2010s, the Florida pipe operations group was busy installing Phase 3A and 1A interconnect pipelines for the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority, who maintains a network of more than 40 miles of transmission mains for the delivery of drinking water to several counties in west Florida.

As part of the Authority’s Regional Integrated Loop Pipeline System, the two projects included 18 miles of 24-inch ductile iron and 48-inch steel pipelines along with a high service pump station and 5 MG water storage tank. Garney would also later be awarded the Phase 3B interconnect pipeline in 2019.

Garney’s relationship with the Authority was strengthened further by the acquisition of Encore Construction Group based in Florida, who had completed a major $78 million expansion at the Peace River Water Treatment Plant, several pump station and filter projects, along with continuing services contracts.

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2010s “We see the fact that we are 100% employee owned as the foundation to our success. It is what drives our employee-owners.”

MIKE HEITMANN

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06

The 2010s were a pivotal era for Garney that included several strategic acquisitions, accelerating the company to the forefront of water and wastewater treatment throughout the nation. In 2007, Garney’s leadership began exploring opportunities to expand its plant operations. Unfortunately, with a market downturn in 2008, progress was slower than they had anticipated. During Garney’s 50th anniversary year, changes were seen in leadership of the company. Mike Heitmann, who has spent his entire career with Garney, became Garney’s President and CEO in September 2011.

Promoted to the roles of COO were Wayne O’Brien and Jason Seubert. Jeff Lacy was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Greg Harris as Vice President.

New Weaver employee-owners posed with Garney leadership after their

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acquisition in 2011.

In 2011, the economy was looking brighter. With Garney’s recent transition in upper management, the team realized the time was right for expansion. In July 2011, Garney acquired Weaver General Construction based in Parker, Colorado.

In business since 1951, Weaver specialized in the construction of water and wastewater facilities, and founder and owner Wes Weaver remained with the company for a few years to help with the transition. Weaver employees assimilated to the Garney principles with ease as the cultures of each company were similar. Beth Melchior was one such employee. Starting with Weaver in the

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Garney’s leadership team began focusing acquisition efforts in the eastern United States.

The Sunshine State’s market tended to favor local contractors, which made it difficult for an outsider, but as Florida’s population skyrocketed, Garney recognized an opportunity. Jason Seubert met

Garney acquired Encore Construction in December 2012. Encore specialized in the construction of water and wastewater treatment facilities and pump stations with a strong presence in the Florida market. At the time of the acquisition, Encore had an average annual revenue of $68 million and 180 employees on the payroll. Garney welcomed the Encore employees

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Shortly after the Weaver acquisition, Garney’s new leadership hit the ground running with a $250 million project in Brighton, Colorado. The Northern Treatment Plant project began in August 2011 and was the largest progressive designbuild plant in the country at that time, a foreshadowing glimpse into Garney’s emergence as a leader in collaborative delivery projects. On a 90-acre site, Garney built a 24 MGD wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with more than 30 facilities totaling over 300,000 square feet.

Construction was completed in 2016 and included nearly one million hours of self-performed work.

Garney employee-owners poured 80,000 cubic yards of structural concrete and installed 24 miles of buried yard piping and 14 miles of interior piping ranging in diameter from ½-inch to 84-inches.

Mark Kelly early in his career through industry events and years later, Mark introduced Jason to Pat Rainey, the founder of Encore Construction based in Winter Garden, Florida. A channel of communication was established, and Garney’s leadership team started gathering information for an acquisition.

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early 1980s, Beth transitioned to Garney after the acquisition and retired in June 2020 after 37 years of dedicated service.

Teamed with CH2M, Garney built the Northern Treatment Plant for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District in Brighton, Colorado, which was the largest progressive design-build project in the country at the time.

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50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Charles Garney was correct in 1973 when he espoused that the company would

Encore and Garney team members in Florida posed for a group shot

continue progressing independent of any one individual. This theory was tested

after Encore joined the Garney family in December 2012.

again as Garney Construction neared its 50th anniversary. On September 29, 2010, Robert Millwee issued a memo entitled “Management Succession.” After six months of development by the Officer Team and Board of Directors, specific management succession decisions were determined. “Garney Construction is very fortunate to have great depth and strength in its overall management team, and the new Officer Team will need your support. Over the near term, the implementation of this new organizational plan should create many opportunities for individuals to step up and help fill the void left by the retiring Officers. This is as it should be.” Individuals who had been the backbone of the company for decades were making way for the next generation. Robert Millwee, Montie Tripp, J. W. Youngblood, Steve Swatek, and Mel Spangler all retired.

Garney hosted a 50th anniversary ceremony honoring its commitment to employee ownership and efforts to protect and preserve the S-Corporation ESOP structure. Charles Garney was in attendance for the evening presentation and shared his personal story about what it meant to him to transition ownership of his company to its employees.

with open arms, and with 95 percent of Encore’s employees staying on board after the acquisition, the merge was a true blending of cultures into a powerhouse of water and wastewater capabilities.

Garney CEO Mike Heitmann stated, “We are fortunate to have acquired a dedicated, hardworking team of people at Encore and look forward to taking on new opportunities with our combined forces.” Tim Behler started at Encore in December 2002. The acquisition, according to Tim, has allowed Garney to increase their geographical influence in North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and Virginia as well as become one of the largest treatment plant contractors in Florida and South Carolina.

FAR LEFT: Garney celebrated its 50th year with a strong management team in place. Pictured at a quarterly meeting in 2010 are front row, left to right, Tom Sanders and Charles Garney; second row, Mike Heitmann, Scott Terry, Steve Ford, Steve Swatek, Mel Spangler, J. W. Youngblood, and Scott Parrish; third row, Matt Foster, Jeff Lacy, and Mike Gardner; back row, Montie Tripp, Tom Dahl, Robert Millwee, Jason Seubert, Wayne O’Brien, Tony Kempf, and Greg Harris. Not pictured: Steve McCandless and Peter Brown.

LEFT: The 2010–2011 retiring officers were, from left to right, Steve Swatek,

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Montie Tripp, Mel Spangler, Robert Millwee, and J. W. Youngblood.

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depth of additional resources dedicated solely to treatment plant

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work, paving the way for long-term, accelerated growth Members of the Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility design-build team pose with bicycles they collected and donated to local charities within Hillsborough County, Florida.

to become one of the largest water/wastewater plant contractors

BACKGROUND: Throughout the decade, Garney’s Florida resume exploded with significant

in the United States. One-third of Garney’s workforce is based in

joint venture design-build project, Hillsborough County’s largest design-build project to

the Southeast and their continued success in the collaborative

Garney’s future success in the west Florida market and statewide recognition as the state’s

delivery market has resulted in some of the largest successes

2010s

collaborative delivery. Since acquiring Encore, Garney has grown

2000s

throughout the eastern United States. The market was changing, though, and that’s where Garney found another profitable niche—

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Garney’s strategic acquisitions throughout the 2010s resulted in a

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EAST PLANT OPERATIONS

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feats, including the $193 million Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility Expansion date. The 20 MGD plant expansion won awards from both ENR and DBIA and set the stage for premier treatment plant contractor.

within the company.

Helping to solidify Garney’s presence as a leader in this new

Since 2016, Garney has become the contractor of choice for BAE Systems with 25 projects at both the Holston Army Ammunition

market was the $53 million T.Z. Osborne project in Greensboro,

Plant in Tennessee and Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia. The majority of this work was awarded through a rigorous

North Carolina. It was one of the first construction manager at

competitive bid process, which established Garney as a leader in the Virginia and Tennessee markets.

risk (CMAR) projects in the state.

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INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH The Atlanta operations team secured two pivotal industrial contracts in 2010. In early 2010, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) selected Garney to rebuild their historic Blue Ridge Dam and Penstock. The project included slip lining 1,000 feet of 147-inch diameter steel penstock pipe that is 160 feet below lake surface and placing more than 425,000 tons of aggregate to ensure future seismic stability.

This was a significant industrial contract for Garney—the largest in its history at the time.

Later in 2010, International Paper Co. awarded Garney a contract to install a new effluent pipeline at their paper mill in Cantonment, Florida. The pipeline

Emerging as a leader in the collaborative delivery market, Garney completed the City of Apopka, Florida’s first-ever CMAR project in 2018. Garney self-performed more than 50 percent of the work on this $62 million water reclamation facility expansion.

consisted of 51,000 feet of 48-inch ductile iron sanitary force main pipe. This was an extremely sensitive project from an environmental and public relations standpoint—more than 25 wetlands were crossed along the length of the pipeline.

Garney continued growing in the industrial sector plant market as well with the V.C. Summer Water Treatment Plant System, a design-build-operate project in South Carolina. Another successful design-build industrial project was the Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4 River Water Intake Structure for Georgia Power. This $50 million contract included a 72 MGD raw water intake structure and will house one of the world’s most advanced nuclear reactors. Units 3 & 4 will be the first in the United States to use the Westinghouse AP1000 advanced pressurized water reactor technology.

BACKGROUND: The Blue Ridge Dam in Georgia was Garney’s largest industrial contract at the time in 2010.

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While projects were ramping up in the eastern United States, things were looking good on the opposite side of the country. Garney Pacific, Inc. was a new venture to tap into water projects in California. In 2014, Matt Foster, Scott Parrish, and Mike Heitmann were at a pizza shop and their discussion turned to how they could expand Garney in California. They knew Bill E. Williams, who lived in California, from industry events and proposed visiting with him on how this could be accomplished. A few weeks later, while on a fishing trip, Matt asked Bill if he had thought of leaving his present employer, and in October 2014 he was hired to manage the Garney Pacific office

1990s 2000s 2010s

MIDLAND COUNTY FRESH WATER SUPPLY DISTRICT NO. 1 / PARKHILL

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In the past five years, Garney Pacific has completed more than 90 projects, two of which Bill identified as especially notable. The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply project started in November 2015 with California American Water,

JAY EDWARDS, PE

1970s

In March 2015, they had their first project, Lennar Homes of California, Inc. led by Operations Manager Kevin Downs, Garney Pacific’s second employee-owner. Garney was responsible for installing 5,820 feet of storm drains.

“Garney is not going to let me down. It doesn’t matter who I’m working with at Garney, we get consistent service—and that’s refreshing.”

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in Livermore, California, bringing with him three decades of experience in the field. “Our goal for 2015 is to get field personnel and crews established in the market and all on a firm foot,” said Bill.

T-BAR RANCH

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After suffering from severe drought conditions, Midland, Texas, faced a severe water shortage in 2013. The booming oil and gas industry was attracting more people to the city, so water was in high demand. Two of the city’s three water reservoirs were nearly drained, and the third was only 15 percent full. More than 50 years prior, the City of Midland had purchased T-Bar Ranch with the Pecos Valley Aquifer underneath it.

Garney teamed with Black & Veatch and Parkhill, Smith & Cooper (now Parkhill) to design and build the T-Bar Ranch Well Field Development & Delivery Project, which included 60 miles of 48-inch transmission main and 21 miles of well field collector piping—all installed in 10 months. The project also included 44 production wells, a 20 MGD high service pumping station, two storage tanks, and a chlorination facility.

LEFT: The T-Bar Ranch project in Midland, Texas, brought much-needed water to a community about to run dry.

The Monterey Peninsula Water Supply project in Pacific Grove,

BACKGROUND: Aerial view of the well field

California, was a key project awarded to Garney Pacific in its early days.

water storage tank construction.

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VAL VISTA PROGRAM During the 2010s, Garney developed a very strong relationship with the City of Mesa, Arizona. Garney crews have completed $125 million worth of work for the City and continue to build job order contracts as well as larger capital improvement projects. On the Val Vista Water Transmission Main program, Garney was the CMAR for all three phases, which included 8 miles of 72-inch to 48-inch C303 waterline that delivers 90 MGD of water from the Val Vista Water Treatment Plant, operated by the City of Phoenix, to three City of Mesa reservoir and booster pump stations. Addressing public relations concerns was very important since this large diameter pipeline went right down the middle of residential and business developments; the project included more than 100 traffic control plans.

LEFT: Superintendent Phil Werner and his crews were instrumental to the success of the Val Vista Program.

Phil retired in March 2020 after 26 years as a Garney employee-owner.

BACKGROUND: Garney installed 8 miles of C303

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waterline through the streets of Mesa, Arizona.

a desalination pipeline network that included 22 miles of pipelines, pump stations, and storage facilities. In just over a year, Garney Pacific had been awarded the $76 million project. The second notable job was a canal conversion in Oakley, California, for Contra Costa Water District. The magnitude of this project and the creativity it required made it a standout for Bill.

When asked where he saw Garney Pacific in 10 years, Bill said he’d be on the cusp of retirement, but he is looking forward to training others to take over his position. He also envisions Garney Pacific expanding on the West Coast. Bill chalks Garney Pacific’s success to hiring like-minded people and to “do what we say and say what we do.”

Not only was 2015 big for California, Garney also broadened their base in the federal market by establishing Garney Federal, Inc. To lead the new endeavor, Garney hired Jay McQuillen, who had experience with federal projects. Fred Thornhill joined in July 2015 to head the efforts of business development for the new company. Projects soon kept Garney Federal busy. In July 2016, Garney received a contract with the U.S. Air Force administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on a depot maintenance complex support infrastructure project at Tinker Air Force

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Garney played a key role in the Southern Delivery System (SDS) program for Colorado Springs Utilities, which included the construction of more than 50 miles of 66-inch steel pipe, three pump stations, and one water treatment plant. Construction began in 2010, with the entire system completed in 2016. Garney completed nine pipeline segments totaling more than 22 miles of pipe and $111 million in contracts. Pictured above at the SDS final segment ceremony are, left to right: Matt Foster, John Miller, Tyler Bain, Bill Williams, and Scott Parrish.

Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Mud Mountain design-build project in Enumclaw, Washington, began in late 2016. At a cost of $8.5 million, Garney worked once again with USACE on this project, which won numerous awards from the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) and ENR. Two years later, Garney worked on a $50 million water treatment plant for the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, North Carolina. In addition, Garney has built more than 25 projects for BAE Systems at the Holston and Radford Army Ammunition Plants. Garney had found another profitable niche.

In a joint venture with Contrack Watts, Garney Federal successfully completed the KC-46A Depot Maintenance Complex Support Infrastructure for Tinker Air Force Base project in May 2019. This depot maintenance facility is home to the U.S. Air Force’s next generation aerial refueling aircraft, the KC-46A Pegasus. This project marked the first of several military construction projects to deliver KC-46 capabilities to Tinker. The 158-acre campus includes eight hangars, ramp infrastructure, software innovation labs, and engine test facilities.

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VISTA RIDGE While Garney was expanding its reach across the United States, behind the scenes a big project was brewing. In 2011, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) requested a proposal to supply the City of San Antonio, Texas, with an alternate water supply due to forecasted growth in the region. SAWS accepted Garney’s proposal in 2014 and the goal to deliver 44 million gallons per day to San Antonio by 2040 was established. Vista Ridge was

the largest water supply project in North America delivered through a publicprivate partnership (P3). The project took a hit in 2015 when the team’s lead declared bankruptcy. Not wanting the project to stall for long, Garney took the initiative and requested to take over the job, which SAWS approved in June 2016.

Scott Parrish, COO of Garney at the time, was instrumental to this project becoming a reality. He worked tirelessly to achieve

financial close of the project in November 2016, which allowed Garney to proceed with the project. “Achieving financial close is a huge milestone and development of this important project,” said Scott.

Taking the helm on the project for Garney during construction were Director Bill D. Williams and Senior Project Manager Marcus Grace. Easement acquisition was the first step and Garney worked with the Central Texas Regional Water Supply Corporation, co-borrower and owner of the rights-of-way. This step was vital as the project would not be completely funded until 15 percent of the easements were procured. Ultimately, 511 easements were secured and 13 sites were purchased, all without court proceedings. Unique to this market, while easements were acquired, design for the project was moving ahead as well.

The engineering team, led by Pape-

LEFT: The 142-mile Vista Ridge pipeline traversed seven

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counties, three rivers, and all types of geographical areas.

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International North America Water Deal of the second from right, accepting the award.

The final design consisted of a well field, three pump stations, and a delivery point.

Eighteen wells made up the well field, nine in the Carrizo Aquifer and nine in the Simsboro Aquifer. Each well site included a structure to house the electrical equipment, variable frequency drives, surge protection, and a piping collection system to deliver the water to the high service pump station located in Caldwell, Texas. Two intermediate pump stations were located in Elgin, Texas, and Seguin,

Texas. The main pipeline included 142 miles of 54-inch and 60-inch pipe that traveled through seven counties and three rivers. No geographical area was immune as pipe was installed in cities, residential neighborhoods, rural communities, and industrial zones. The project wrapped up in the fall of 2019, which allowed for performance testing in early 2020.

That performance test became key to the project. It was designed to demonstrate that the project could deliver both the quantity of water required as well as quality of water, all without delays. The test began on January 17, 2020, and ran 24 hours a day for the next 28 days. After running close to 1.3 billion gallons of water, the test was completed on February 17, 2020. Only one thing was

left to finalize—achievement of Commercial Operations. Per the contract, SAWS could not accept the project and purchase water until April 15, 2020.

Garney was proud to hand the reins over on April 15 and water began to flow to San Antonio.

2010s

Dawson Engineers, was composed of four other firms: CP&Y; RW Harden & Associates; Parkhill; and V&A Consulting Engineers. The process had to be very flexible as plans changed as easements were completed. The first pipe was installed in February 2017 when the design had only reached 50 percent.

2000s

Year. Pictured here is President Scott Parrish,

1990s

LEFT: The Vista Ridge project won numerous awards, including the Project Finance

The $927 million total P3 Vista Ridge project was complete. At its peak, more than 250 Garney employee-owners were devoting time and energy to the task. A massive undertaking and definitely one of the company’s largest milestones, it was completed in less than four years.

BACKGROUND: Garney plant crews built a six-cell cooling tower.

Each cell is capable of cooling hot water from 104°F down to 83°F.

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GARNEY MARINE Subcontracting certain tasks of a project was familiar to Garney. It was from the need to self-perform all aspects, and a lack of good subcontractors, that led to an innovative new branch of the company—Garney Marine. Jeff Seal is responsible for establishing Garney’s marine work. He stated, “Being able to self-perform this work and not rely on a subcontractor gives us a competitive edge on bidding projects and better control of our projects. Having this expertise and know-how backed with the ability to selfperform this work differentiates us from most of our competitors.” According to Jeff, the Decatur to Limestone County Water Transmission Line was Garney’s first large self-perform marine project. This project entailed drilling under the Tennessee River 3,000 linear feet into the bottom of Lake Wheeler. There, a connection was made to a

A Garney Marine crew connects a pulling head to drill steel for the final pull

36-inch pipe and over one mile of additional pipe was installed on the bottom of the

Decatur, Alabama.

back on the Decatur to Limestone County Water Transmission Line project in

lake. “Successfully completing this job gave us the confidence to take on just about anything,” recalled Jeff.

Another pivotal job for Garney Marine was the Melton Hill Lake project. “This was another large project and afforded us the opportunity to make the investment and purchase our current fleet of marine equipment,” stated Jeff. This project was contracted with the West Knox Utility District in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was completed in late 2019.

Ramar Hawkins, Hank Choate, Kyle Jenkins, and Patrick Fielding install a fitting on the Melton Hill WWTP Outfall Line project in Knoxville, Tennessee.

BACKGROUND: Garney Marine crews set a raw water intake ductile iron pipe manifold into the Monongahela River on a project in southwestern Pennsylvania.

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Costello and Billy Page (third and fourth from the left).

In October 2018, an important change was made to Garney’s leadership. Scott Parrish was named President and Matt Foster assumed the role of COO of Western Pipe Operations. Scott’s role as President is focused on operational strategy and resource management, allowing CEO Mike Heitmann to focus on longer-term aspects of the company’s growth.

Garney once again added to its growing assets in late 2018 with the purchase of Warren Environmental and A&W Maintenance. In the mid-1990s, Greg Harris was a Warren applicator with his previous employer. He remained friends with Danny Warren through the years and after his return to Garney in 2004. In 2016, Greg was invited to Massachusetts to see Warren’s product line.

Always on the lookout for new endeavors, talks began to bring Warren into the Garney family.

2010s

Build Excellence Award. Helping lead the team to success were Project Managers Patrick

2000s

30-inch ductile iron gravity sewer pipe. This project won the 2019 DBIA Southeast Design-

1990s

7.5 MGD pump station, 17,300 feet of 18-inch ductile iron force main, and 6,400 feet of

1980s

for the $24 million Honey Creek Pump Station and Pipeline project that included a new

1970s

needs for the next 45 years. The County chose Garney as its progressive design-builder

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DeKalb County, Georgia, needed to upgrade its sewer system to meet anticipated sewer

CUMBERLAND CITY LOW TRANSMISSION WATER MAIN In 2017, Garney crews worked on the $30 million Cumberland City Low Transmission Water Main for Metro Water Services in Nashville, Tennessee.

Garney self-performed 77 percent of the project, which included 25,640 feet of 10-inch to 60-inch ductile iron pipe to provide a redundant waterline to serve area residents and businesses. Portions of construction were within major intersections, so crews performed work at night to minimize traffic disruptions.

Six crews worked rotating shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week for nearly a year to complete this project.

”I always like working with Garney because they know what the client wants, they control costs, meet timeframes, and they have a lot of experience. It’s always a pleasure working with Garney.”

CYRUS TOOSI NASHVILLE METRO WATER SERVICES

BACKGROUND: Garney installing two 60-inch gate valves and a 60-inch tee along McGavock Pike in Nashville, Tennessee.

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TOP CONTRACTORS BLAHBLAH ENR n BLAHBALH ENR TEXAS FIRM & LOUISIANA OF THE YEAR CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR

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Each May, ENR releases the Top 400 Contractors, naming the top U.S.based contractors according to their construction revenue. An overall list The Work Pours In is published as well as broken down For Water Contractor into 10 U.S. regions. In 2019, Garney was ranked 101 out of 400; however, ENR Texas & Louisiana (a region composed of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas) recognized Garney as the 2019 Contractor of the Year based on growth and notable projects in the region. An article by John Gregerson in the August 5/12, 2019, issue of ENR Texas & Louisiana cites Garney’s active involvement in Texas with owners such as the City Revenue for Garney Construction has nearly doubled in the past three years on the strength of its versatility and close relationships with clients BY JOHN GREGERSON IN STORAGE

Vista Ridge, a $927-million P3 project involving Garney, will incorporate four water storage tanks as part of an undertaking to meet 20% of demand for the San Antonio Water System.

The state of Texas has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for water, and Kansas City, Mo.-based general contractor Garney Construction seemingly has endless resources to supply it.

Although active throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, the water/wastewater contractor primarily focuses on Texas because of its steady population growth, says Dave Burkhart, director of central pipe operations with Garney. The firm, 100% employee owned with a workforce of 1,500, likewise is growing.

Its regional revenue has nearly doubled—from $164.4

million to $308.66 million—from 2015 to 2018.

Operating in three Texas offices—Houston, San Antonio and Leonard, a city near Dallas—the 58-year-old enterprise provides services ranging from pipe, plant and pump stations to tanks, sitework and heavy civil for both public entities, including federal, state and municipal agencies, and private companies, including industrial enterprises, says Burkhart.

“We’re unique in that we bring a full range of services to clients,” says Mark Kelly, Garney’s director of business development. Further, says Burkhart, the firm

TX48 ENRTexas&Louisiana m August 5/12, 2019

A&W Maintenance applies Warren’s epoxy on Garney’s McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facility

Warren Environmental and A&W Maintenance employee-owners at their first Field Managers Workshop in 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. Back row, left to right:

One of Warren Environmental’s largest epoxy coating applications to date was for the Passaic Valley Sewerage

Improvements project for Charlotte Water in North Carolina, the ultimate win/win/win.

Wesley Maples, Greg Swartz, Jeffrey Morales, Manny Reyes Ruiz , Greg Harris, Brian Brandstetter, John Sedbrook. Front row: Max Silva, Vicci Messina, Beth Fletcher, Sue Terry, Phil Warren, Jane Warren, Danny Warren, Melvin Colon, Terry

Commission’s wastewater facility in Newark, New Jersey.

Warren, Fran Smith, Dan Fortin, and John Fernandi.

enr.com/texas-louisiana

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KGBTEXAS COMMUNICATIONS

Warren Environmental manufactures epoxies used to coat and protect pipelines and other structures. A&W Maintenance applies the product and oversees the training of Warren’s worldwide applicators. Garney recently used the product on the McAlpine Creek Wastewater Management Facility for Charlotte Water in Pineville, North Carolina. Although not the lowest bidder, Charlotte Water based their choice on the savings the product provided. Most epoxies are applied in multiple layers, each requiring time to cure.

Warren’s epoxy is a single-layer system, allowing for a much faster application and dry time.

Because of this, Charlotte Water was able to save a considerable amount, both in cost and time.

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In late 2017, Garney’s pipe and plant forces were awarded the Sabine River Pump Station CMAR project in Deweyville, Texas,

water treatment plant for the City of Thornton, Colorado.

Delivered via progressive design-build method with

Pipeline. The Town of Boone, North Carolina, was lacking water and needed a new pipeline to bring additional water to its residents.

near the Louisiana border. The $64 million project replaced an aging raw water pump station on the Sabine River with a new

Burns & McDonnell, this project included a 20 MGD conventional treatment process with an intermediate

Garney installed 10 miles of ductile iron pipe through a series of challenging trenchless crossings. Another key challenge was extensive rock excavation, calling for 21,000 cubic yards of blasting.

85 MGD facility. Work also included a 285 MGD intake and 7.5 miles of 66-inch pipeline from the new pump station site to the Sabine River Authority’s Gulf Coast canal system.

ozone system manufactured by Suez.

of McKinney, North Texas Municipal Water District, and SAWS. The article quotes Cesar Baptista, Assistant Deputy for Engineering and Construction for the North Texas Municipal Water District, “If we’re implementing a complex and difficult project, one of the first lines of thought is working with Garney.”

On July 23, 2019, Garney was dealt a blow when long-time employee-owner and recent retiree Steve McCandless passed away from CreutzfeldtJakob disease, a degenerative brain disorder.

Steve was one of Garney’s most involved employee-owners, having worked for the company for 39 years. Matt Foster recalls Steve being “the smartest guy in the room.” He was known for his strong work ethic and doing whatever it took to get the job at hand completed.

2010s

The flagship project for Garney’s reinvigorated North Carolina pipe operations in 2017 was the USDA Raw Water Transmission

2000s

From 2017 to 2020, Garney performed preconstruction and construction services on the $85 million greenfield

In the mid-1990s, Steve worked with Tom Dahl on the company buy-out from Charles Garney. He was an ESOP Trustee from 1996 until 2014 and was appointed Chairman in 2008. He built relationships with Caterpillar and John Deere to get the best pricing and service on equipment.

Having the innate ability to know what to do at just the right time meant problems always seemed to gravitate to Steve, whether it was a project, OSHA regulation, or insurance. He always stood behind Garney and its employee-owners. His love and compassion for Garney, the people, and the work showed in the way he dealt with issues and people. Not one to back down from a challenge, he also knew how to appreciate those he worked with. If a signed Twinkie appeared, it was Steve’s way of acknowledging a job well done. He left 123

behind a legacy at Garney and his influence is still felt. A dedicated husband and father, wife Brenda, daughter Mallory, and grandson Carter Mac mourned his passing.

Scott Parrish presented Steve McCandless with a jersey for his retirement in June 2018. The plaque reads, “Better Than the Rest: What it Means to Retire an Athlete’s Jersey. Retired jerseys are often referred to as ‘hanging from the rafters’ as they are, literally, put to hang in the team’s home arena.

There is a tacit understanding that no future player could ever live up to the number of a legend, whether it be on the field or off. This display commemorates the retirement of Steve McCandless’s ‘Garney’ jersey. The Garney employee-owners thank you for your extraordinary career from 1979-2018.”

Steve McCandless stands next to the east portal of the Colsman Tunnel for Southgate Sanitation District in Centennial, Colorado—one of the last projects he helped build. The project’s success was due largely to Steve’s innovative ideas and inventions.

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Since becoming CEO in 2011, Mike Heitmann has instituted many worthwhile initiatives and changes. It was no surprise when an addition was made to Garney’s Philosophies in November 2011.

According to Mike, “We see the fact that we are 100 percent employee owned as the foundation to our success. It is what drives our employeeowners. When we stepped back and looked at our Goals & Philosophies, we thought it was important that it was visible.”

“Getting to Know You” lunches were started in the Kansas City office in 2012 as the headquarters continued to grow larger in headcount. Held multiple times each year, the goal of the lunch has always been to not discuss

anything work-related, but for office mates to get to know each other on a more personal level. Still ongoing into the company’s 60th anniversary, what started with 30 people in 2012 has grown to a headquarters office tradition with more than 75 employee-owners.

Rolled out at the 2013 Field Managers Workshop (FMW), Mike created a Garney 101 document that includes the company’s purpose statement. Still in effect today, the purpose statement guides the company to stay focused on why it exists and why employee-owners come to work every day. The 101 document is updated each year with the company’s annual objectives along with general company information and statistics.

Beginning in January 2014, several internal communication tactics were implemented to keep all Garney staff updated on what’s going on with the company. “Message from Mike” emails keep everyone in the company informed of corporate initiatives. Other tactics include quarterly financial reports, an ESOP information column in the newsletter, and on-site update meetings called “Quarterly Shutdowns.” Later that year, Mike rolled out his very first videos at the 2014 FMW, one titled “Why is the CEO Bothering Me?” and another called “Conference Room Confessions,”

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In late 2020, Garney relocated its company headquarters. Strong growth drove the need for a larger office space than its long-time location along Vivion Road in Kansas City. The new headquarters, a 32,000-square-feet renovated warehouse office, is located at 1700 Swift Street in North Kansas City, Missouri.

2010s

where Mike showcased his humorous side. The videos were such a hit, he continues filming around the country at regional offices and unveiling them each year at the FMW.

2000s

Garney’s purpose statement from the Garney 101 document.

1990s

OWNERSHIP. OPPORTUNITY. RETIREMENT SECURITY.

1980s

Our customers and employee-owners embrace this culture and the result is growth and success. Growth creates opportunities for our employee-owners and provides them a fulfilling career. Success brings profitability which allows our employee-owners to retire securely. All of this while building systems that provide clean water for our communities. 100% employee owned - this is the Garney formula.

Garney has had many accomplishments in the last decade. In 2020, the company reached $1 billion in revenue with 1,600 employee-owners. Bill E. Williams identified several reasons why he feels Garney is successful, but it all boils down to the company’s culture. Garney looks after its employee-owners in numerous ways. Resources are always available and workplace safety is enforced. Having employee ownership makes everyone work harder and take pride in what they do. Bill summed it up, “Garney has some of the best people you’ll ever find in the world.” Greg Harris echoed this sentiment, “There is no other company out there with a higher level of caring about our customers. When faced with a problem, we will find a way to figure it out.”

1970s

BY OPERATING UNDER GARNEY’S GOALS AND PHILOSOPHIES, WE HAVE CREATED A UNIQUE CULTURE THAT REVOLVES AROUND OWNERSHIP.

1960s

WE ARE BUILDING THE IDEAL EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY.

Autonomy, empowerment, and opportunities are what makes Garney successful to Jason Seubert.

“Each individual leader [has] the ability to put their own touch on an operation,” Jason explained.

“With corporate financial services handling all the ‘back office’ tasks, it allows operations to do what we love, which is build. From all this, our ownership model provides the opportunity for an amazing retirement that may be as close as you can come to owning your own company without doing so.”

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MID-ATLANTIC PIPE OPERATIONS Garney’s Mid-Atlantic pipe operations picked up steam in the mid-2010s with Steve Ford and Jordan Carrier again planting a flag near our nation’s capital.

Some of Garney’s most notable Mid-Atlantic pipe achievements are detailed below.

On the Smith Mountain Lake WTP

The South Potomac Supply

The South Adelphi Transmission

In 2019, Garney completed the

Pipelines in Bedford, Virginia, Garney

Improvement Project for

Water Main Replacement /

Colchester Interceptor System

installed 29 miles of waterlines under

Washington Suburban Sanitary

Relocation was a $12 million

Improvements for Prince William

a subcontract to Black & Veatch /

Commission (WSSC) was located

contract with WSSC to replace

County Service Authority in

Overland Contracting. This new

less than 10 miles from the White

existing PCCP with 5,400 feet of

Woodbridge, Virginia. This project

system connects to a new regional 3

House. Construction included 10,000

60-inch welded steel. “Jordan

included replacing a failing

MGD water treatment plant, providing

feet of 42-inch ductile iron pipe to

Carrier, Clay Greene, Mike Hall, and

reinforced concrete gravity sewer

drinking water for 160,000 area

replace WSSC’s aging and failing

Will Kennedy have demonstrated an

pipe with over 2,000 feet of 54-inch

residents and businesses. Garney

PCCP water infrastructure. This

exceptional professional work ethic,

fiberglass pipe, new force main

interfaced with more than 60 property

project won the ENR Mid-Atlantic

and they should be commended for

piping, and the construction of a new

owners throughout the project to

Best Project Award in the Water /

their service,” noted Dan Hamilton,

sewage pumping station.

ensure minimal impacts around each

Environment category in 2017.

PE, Construction Manager at WSSC.

of their needs.

The Garney crew on the Smith Mountain Lake project poses happily with

The Colchester Interceptor System Improvements project included 2,500

The South Potomac crew huddled up to celebrate the final hydrostatic

their brand new CAT 335 excavator.

feet of 36-inch HDPE pipe among numerous other improvements.

pressure test of their 10,000-foot long waterline.

BACKGROUND: Operator Mike Waterworth works his magic in a CAT 349 excavator, installing a 60-inch steel water main for WSSC.

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facilities at WaterOne’s 180 MGD Hansen Water Treatment Plant. The

are housed within a new 14,200-square-feet ozone generator building. welded and concrete-lined steel contactor pipelines. Instead of

2010s

Garney crews also installed 2,800 feet of 96-inch and 108-inch spiral-

2000s

two 13,000-gallon tanks and three vaporizers. The five ozone generators

1990s

ozone facilities include a liquid oxygen (LOX) storage system consisting of

1980s

In Kansas City, Kansas, Garney crews constructed new SUEZ ozone

1970s

For 60 years, the Garney name has been synonymous with integrity, quality, and hard work.

The legacy of Art Garney and the leadership of Charles Garney have created an employee-owner culture that demands excellence and expects success. Rarely do more than 1,600 people join together and work toward a common goal. This is in fact what happens at Garney Construction every day. From the trenches to the boardroom, everyone at Garney acknowledges the hard work of those who have gone before and protects the company’s reputation for those who will come after. This unique company, envisioned by Charles Garney 60 years ago, truly gives purchase to the American Dream. As Art Garney believed when he immigrated to the United States, hard work and devotion to customer service can lead to great success. Success not only at the corporate level, but also for the individuals building the company with their sweat, blood, and the invested years of their lives.

HANSEN WTP

1960s

Matt Foster anticipates Garney will continue to lead the industry in pipeline and treatment plant projects but will also broaden its base into other related products. He looks for expansion in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Northeast. Matt said all they need is a champion to take hold of these regions and establish the Garney base...and Garney is full of champions.

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constructing the typical contact basin, these contactor pipelines allow the ozone chemical treatment to have proper contact time with the raw water before flowing to the next treatment process stage. This design saves space on WaterOne’s site for future projects.

Employee-owner Frank Lara booms up to

The project included the installation of 1,000 feet of 96-inch and

unhook the LOX storage tank from the crane

1,800 feet of 108-inch spiral-welded and concrete-lined steel

after setting it in its permanent location.

contactor pipelines.

BACKGROUND: Garney crews built a new ozone generator building that houses five ozone generators.

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A DECADE OF SUCCESS FROM EAST TO WEST With more than 3,200 miles of sanitary sewer lines in service, the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) in Louisville, Kentucky, collects wastewater from more than 270,000 homes, businesses, and industries in the metropolitan area. Project WIN (Waterway Improvements Now) was formed as a complete sewer improvement program to spearhead EPA standards compliance. Garney constructed the Logan CSO Interceptor as part of the program in 2014-2017, which included 11,000 feet of 24-inch to 96-inch diameter PCCP and PVC combined gravity sewer to convey flow from 12 combined sewer overflows to a future basin site. Later in 2017-2020, Garney also built the Lexington and Payne CSO Interceptor that included more than 4,300 feet of 36-inch to 102-inch PCCP. Combined, the contracts were valued at $56 million.

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The City of Largo, Florida, needed to upgrade a portion of its existing

Garney has formed a special relationship with the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, having completed six projects with them from 2012 to 2020. The largest

wastewater pumping and force main system to increase capacity to

project was the Ammonia Removal Improvements and Biosolids Dryer, a $51 million project at their 54 MGD water protection facility that included

prevent sanitary sewer overflows. Funded by a State Revolving Fund,

reconfiguring several water protection facility processes to achieve higher ammonia removal to meet more stringent DNR permit requirements.

Garney completed improvements to seven different lift stations and

Another notable project was the Interior Drainage Stormwater Pump Station design-build project where value engineering came into play and a

installed new force main and gravity sewer pipelines.

revised design saved the City $400,000 and reduced the schedule by 12 months—a true win/win situation.

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Garney built and managed the $60 million Rifle Range

In 2018, the North Texas Municipal Water District broke ground on the Bois d’Arc Lake Project—the first new major reservoir in Texas in nearly

Road WWTP Expansion CMAR project for Mount Pleasant

30 years. The 16,641-acre reservoir in Fannin County will meet the water needs and demands for the growing region of 1.8 million people until

Waterworks near Charleston, South Carolina. The project

2040. The program includes five different major areas of infrastructure. Garney was selected as CMAR for two of those areas—the 280 MGD

consisted of major modifications to increase capacity to 6 MGD

water treatment plant with two pump stations, and the 65 miles of raw and treated water pipelines. In total, the construction value of these two

annual average daily flow.

projects is roughly $715 million, making this one of the largest water supply projects Garney has ever managed and constructed.

In 2012, Garney was awarded a CMAR contract for North Texas Municipal Water District’s $280 million Lake Texoma Outfall to Wylie WTP Pipeline project, which included installing 48 miles of 96-inch and 84-inch steel waterline along with constructing a 240 MG balancing reservoir, 200 MG blending facility, and five blend and surge tanks. This project was necessary for the District to access surface water from one of its reservoirs that had been infested with zebra mussels and was, therefore,

As one of the largest projects in its history, the City of Loveland, Colorado, selected Garney as CMAR for its WWTP BNR and Digester Improvements project. This $35 million contract upgraded the City’s existing facility to meet new state regulations and allow for future growth.

Garney finished the project in 26 months and was $300,000 under budget.

restricted by the government.

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In 1961, Charles had an office staff consisting of one—her name was Marie Love. Sixty years later, that number has grown to more than 120. The office staff’s primary focus is to support those in the field.

Garney’s presence has evolved through the years, from the original Hot Dog Stand in Kansas City to 19 regional offices and a new headquarters in North Kansas City. In 1986, the sole Garney office located in Kansas City had a marketing department, general contracting, estimators, accounting, and a data processing department. In 2021, Garney’s office staff is spread across multiple office locations and countless job trailers throughout the United States. These employee-owners provide support to all operations in areas such as safety, risk management, benefits, human resources, finance, administration, information technology, estimating, marketing, business development, and employee development.

Today, the office staff personnel do everything they can to ensure they are making the lives of those in the field more efficient and productive. The ESOP provides a common goal for all employee-owners...everyone pulls in the same direction, no matter his or her role in the company.

“I love wearing the many hats of the administrative roles at Garney. The key to our success as a team has been creating a culture with open communication and identifying strengths in others. We have hired an amazing group of dedicated employee-owners who support Garney’s Goals & Philosophies. I am honored to be able to call them my co-workers, my team, my friends, and my Garney Family.”

– Beth Gardner, Division Manager of Administration 130

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It would not have been possible to compile the history of Garney Construction without the unwavering assistance of Whitney (Clarke) Briggs. She cheerfully and quickly answered questions, found information, and directed me to further resources. Garney is lucky to have her and I sincerely thank her for her contributions. Everyone I met at Garney, from the boardroom to the trenches, had a number of things in common. They were friendly, helpful, proud of their company, and seemed genuinely grateful to be part of the Garney family. Three days were especially pivotal in the completion of this project; one spent with Patty and Charles Garney, one with Steve Ford and Slim Huskey, and the third with Montie Tripp and J. W. Youngblood. I thank them for their perspective and the gracious gift of time. Unless otherwise noted, the photographs for this history came from the company archives, Charles and Patty Garney, and the personal collection of many employee-owners, especially that of Steve Ford. For all who dug through their memories and agreed to share them, this history would not have been complete without you.

- Annie Miller Devoy As the editor for the original 2011 book, it was my pleasure to bring the story of Garney to their sixtieth year. Some names were familiar and it felt good to catch up with the progress of the company. A big thank you to Whitney Briggs, who was my resource and was always willing to answer questions or get information. Thank you also to the employee-owners who sat through an unreliable Zoom meeting interview or visited on the phone. You added the human dimension to the story and I appreciate your time.

- Anne Burns

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Annie Miller Devoy is a graduate of the Hotchkiss School, Brown University, the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (J.D.), and the University of Washington-Seattle School of Law (L.LM. in Marine Affairs). She is the lucky daughter of Ann and Frank Miller, the happy wife of William P. Devoy, and the proud mother of William Henry and Robert Joseph Devoy.

Anne Burns is an editor and sometimes writer with the Donning Company Publishers. She is a graduate of Northeast Missouri State University (currently named Truman State University) and Graceland University. She loves spending time with her children and grandchildren, traveling, and, of course, reading.

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