As Remembered by -

William Burgett, founder of Kokosing Construction Co., Inc.

How It All Started

I started working for Clever Brothers in 1948. While working there, I learned the skills of pouring concrete, tending masonry, laying concrete blocks, framing farm buildings, jacking up houses and buildings for new foundations, hanging doors and finish woodworking, and building new homes.

In 1949, Lester Rinehart was discharged from the armed services and was looking for a job. He learned that Bill Clever could use another hand and, with his previous construction experience, was hired immediately. At the end of 1950, we were both informed by Bill Clever that they were quitting the construction business. With only two weeks work left to do, we decided that Lester would do the finish work on a house that needed to be completed. I contacted a neighbor who had spent his life in construction, and he had a list of projects he had promised to do but had never done. I started working on those projects.

It was in the cold of winter, and it was necessary to build fires to thaw sand, warm the concrete blocks and heat the water to put a foundation under one barn. Ray McFearn helped on that job. Another job was building doors on a barn for J.C. Gorman, one of the founders of the Gorman Rupp Company.  

 FROM WILLIAM BURGETT CONSTRUCTION TO KOKOSING

In 1954 we purchased one acre on Waterford Road in Fredericktown and started to build an office and shop. We had two desks in the front office and the balance of the building was used as a shop. The back of the building had a dirt floor and we used that area to form pre-cast concrete panels.  

Those first few years we built a number of new houses in the Mount Vernon and Fredericktown area as well as remodeling them.  We did projects for Carroll Cochran, Scarbrough Hardware, Tom Updike, The Gorman’s, Clara Lemley, Jonas Ackerman, Charley Yost, Don Henry, & Andy Zimmerman. Meredith’s hired us to build a milk house. We did some remodeling for the Ankenytown  Church. We also began doing some small commercial work. The Mt. Vernon Dairy kept us busy most of June, July and part of August 1951.We did over $6,700.00 for them.

Around 1956 we began making precast concrete panels to use as walls for buildings.  Our first project we used them on was the Dairy Queen in Johnsville. Later on my parents George and Lenore Burgett and my brother Sam hired us to build a milking parlor for their barn and also an addition to their house. We used precast concrete panels on both these that we made in the back half our office/shop.

We worked hard and as the number of projects continued to grow, we added employees. By 1957, besides Les and myself we had Harold Cole, Waldo Stringer, Lee Keyes, John Squires, Jim Schoenfelt and our crane operator Dave Singrey. Dave assembled our first crane from a WWI Army crane he mounted on a WWII Army Mack truck.

The company was incorporated in May 1959.Continued growth in the commercial and industrial markets kept us busy. Our precast business continued, but needed more attention to really grow than I could give it at the time. So it was sold around 1960.

In 1963 a two-acre plot on Waterford Road was purchased to build a storage building and maintenance shop. It was 50 x 191 feet was constructed in 1964. This building is presently known as the Carpenter Shop.

During the 60’s we started doing larger commercial projects. We did many projects in the Knox County area, including:

• Bair’s Dry Cleaners

• Knox County Dog Pound (first bonded job for $10,000)

• Gregg Lamp Factory (this was the first project we did after hiring Eldon Weller)

• Bowling Alleys in Fredericktown and Mount Vernon

• Milking parlors, ensilage bunks, storage buildings, etc.

In 1964, if the company was to continue to grow and to qualify for industrial work, union affiliation was necessary. During this period, the work began to move away from predominantly building to a combination of building and utility work. Kokosing also expanded into the surrounding counties of central Ohio. We did industrial construction projects for Pittsburgh Plate glass, Cooper Bessemer, HPM and Shellmar (Continental Can Company). Commercial projects included Shelby Insurance and Richland Tool and Die.

Our employee list continued to expand right along with our job list. Many long term employees from the 50’s were still around and we added many new ones like  Eugene (Diz) Wise, Dallas Popham, Don Moran, John LaFever and Ralph Mc Farland.

Our first accounting and financial work was prepared by Campbell-Rose & Company from Mansfield, but in 1965 we began using Richard V. Kleshinski, of Mansfield. We are very fortunate to have developed a relationship both personal and professional that has lasted over 35 years. Kleshinski, Morris and Morrison continues to prepare part of Kokosing’s financial and accounting work today.

In 1970 an additional 16 acre tract adjoining the original office site was purchased to provide for more office/shop expansion. In 1974 the second new shop building was constructed, making the total office and shop space was over 14,000 square feet. This second shop currently houses the weld shop.

The first computer system was installed in 1971. Prior to that all the payroll and job quantities were done by hand.  

Kokosing purchased The Wander Company in 1976, and entered into the treatment plant and bridge building areas of construction. With this purchase several of the Wander employees came on board: Dan Walker, Paul Stark, Phil Brown, Bob Green, Jack Weaver, Jerry McVay and many other good tradespeople. This acquisition was a significant step for Kokosing as it set the stage for major expansion in both treatment plant and highway work.

In 1976 a new office building was built around the existing office that had been built in 1954 on Waterford Road.

KOKOSING MEMBER COMPANIES

Kokosing Materials, Inc. was incorporated in January 1980. The original company consisted of the first asphalt plant and the first sand and gravel operation located in Fredericktown. KMI mixes asphalt for Kokosing’s highway operation and also sells to private customers.

Owl Creek Contracting was incorporated in December 1981 to provide independent trucking services for Kokosing and other companies.

The World’s Fair was in Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 1983. To show appreciation for the employees hard work and dedication, on August 13^th, 370 Kokosing employees and spouses boarded 9 busses for a weekend at the fair.

1983 Adena Corporation was incorporated. The Olen Corporation in Hilliard was acquired.

KMI continued to grow, opening the Mansfield plant in October 1987 and purchased the assets of Griffith Asphalt. This is the KMI Sheffield Asphalt Plant.

In 1989 Olen purchased the Fredericktown gravel plant from KMI and Olen began construction of it’s Columbus sand and gravel operations at Hartman Farms Plant #3.

In 1991 the paving operation of Newark Asphalt Paving Company became part of the Kokosing Member Group. Kokosing Materials purchased their asphalt plants.

The assets of McGraw Construction in Middletown were purchased in July 1992 and a new company was formed – McGraw/Kokosing, Inc. M/K provides heavy industrial maintenance in southern Ohio, northern West Virginia and Kentucky.

In 1993 the assets of Concrete Construction and Scioto Erectors were purchased. Kokosing’s Heavy/Highway operations were moved to McKinley Avenue in the former Concrete Construction offices.

Olen continued to grow and acquired the assets of Weber Aggregates in 1994. Making this plant # 4. Dry Creek Sand & Gravel in St. Louisville and Vanatta was purchased in 1995 and Plant #5 was established in St. Louisville.

The 1995 acquisition of the Corna & DiCesare Construction company added substantial capabilities and diversification in the full service building construction business. This company, Corna/Kokosing specializes in self-performing work for well known commercial and industrial customers.

The Adena Corporation was sold to Dave Bush in April 1997.

Land was purchased in Westerville in August 1999 to form the Westerville Industrial Park. Kokosing Materials established a new Asphalt Plant there.

In December 1999 the assets of Environmental Pipeliners were purchased and it became the first subsidiary of Kokosing Construction Company, Inc. This company repairs and refurbishes existing underground utility lines using the latest in remote technology. Corna/Kokosing purchased the assets of Northwest Conduit giving Corna/Kokosing the capability to install underground telephone and cable lines.

Training of employees in Kokosing’s own facilities became a reality with the 2000 opening of the Kokosing Training center located on a reclaimed lake

March 2000 brought the purchase by Kokosing of the holdings of Halesada Holding Company, Inc., which included Dyno Construction, H & L Underground, Inc. and Advanced Boring Technologies. The Olen Corporation purchased C.H. McCarthy Corporation, McCarthy Concrete Company and Upper Asphalt Company in April 2000.

On August 12, 2000 Kokosing Construction began the celebration of 50 years in business by inviting affiliated companies, clients, subcontractors, suppliers, employees and friends to a party at the Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio. Entertainment included the rock band “America” and country singing legend Kenny Rogers, as well as several local bands throughout the day.

EQUIPMENT – IN THE EARLY YEARS

First Tool Box

 First Working Tool Box 

Foote Foundry 1.5 cf Cement Mixer

The Foote Foundry 1.5 cubic foot Cement Mixer was our first concrete mixer. We used it to mix concrete for foundations as well as mortar for laying blocks. It was replaced by a 6.5 cubic foot Jeager cement mixer with automatic waterer and a skip hopper you could pre-load. While the batch was mixing you could immediately dump to the skip and into the mixer which sped up the mixing time.

Before ready-mix came to our community, we would shovel and mix concrete, depending on the size of the floor, most of the day. It would then be an all-night job troweling since the mixing took so long.

Power Trowel

When I heard about power trowels, I knew I needed one. Again, it would replace a couple of people and do a better job. 

I was building a house for Tom Updike and he signed a blank check and gave it to me to pay for the trowel. I bought the trowel and used it in the basement of his home.

At this time I had no office, shop or garage and we were living in the basement of our new home. You can’t imagine what my wife said when I took the trowel down the basement stairs and stored it in our bedroom.

Ferguson 20 Tractor with Shawnee Backhoe

Shawnee was, to the best of my knowledge, the first rubber tire backhoe sold in our area. At the time the backhoe was purchased, we were charging $1.50/hour for construction workers. The backhoe would do three times the amount of a pick and shovel, so we were able to charge $5.00 for the backhoe. We were all very happy to lay down our picks and shovels and let the backhoe do the work.

A local businessman, who we were doing a lot of work for at his butchering plant and farms, said when he first saw the tractor and backhoe, that “It just might pay for itself.” Another comment from Bill Clever was, “That’s a funny looking tool for a carpenter to have.”

The backhoe was purchased in 1952. It was used not only for our work, but for custom work like installing underground fuel tanks for a local fuel distributor.

Allis Chalmers HD 6 Dozer

This dozer was purchased in 1959 to build a street in Mansfield, Ohio. It was also used to pull a 4 yard trailer pan.

After purchasing the orange Allis Chalmers tractor, we decided to use the Allis Chalmers orange paint color for the backhoe, concrete mixer and other equipment. This eventually became “Kokosing orange.”

20 ton Quickway Truck Crane with 25’ boom

This crane was purchased from Marion Power Shovel. It had a 100’ main boom and a 20’ jib. When pricing new cranes, we were short on money to buy what we wanted. I was told by Howard Martin, the salesman at Marion Power Shovel, that I had a beer pocketbook and a champagne appetite. In order to get the price down, the rear fenders were removed from the dual wheels, but it was still too expensive. Dave Singrey, who had been running the old P & H crane, asked Howard how much the power steering was. Howard told him $500. Dave said that would buy a lot of liniment and to leave it off. I then purchased the crane.

25 ton Grove Hydraulic Crane

When I saw a brochure on the 25 ton Grove crane, I really liked the looks of it but didn’t have the money to purchase it at the time. Six months later I secured a contract for removing all the stone pinnacles, towers and cornices from the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. I decided that this was the opportunity to buy the crane (this was 1965). Only one had been sold in the state to Salinsky’s in Canton. When I went to Salinsky’s to inspect it, I was even more impressed. I went to a very small manufacturing facility, which was building farm ensilage wagons and small fire trucks, to view the crane first-hand while it was being manufactured. I was very impressed with the design and performance they demonstrated in their yard using various weights.

After purchasing it and putting it on the first job, the ironworkers were skeptical of the boom because it didn’t have any pendant cables. They had to learn the advantages and disadvantages of hydraulic cranes. They were fast to set up, easy to transport, but the load charts were less at various radii than the cable machines. In order to move what was classified as the world’s largest hydraulic crane at that time, we steadied the wheel loading, tire sizes, spacing, etc. and Diz Wise built the first “cheater axle” for this type of crane. We added flotation tires to the front, which made the Grove the first 25 ton crane to travel Ohio highways without a permit.

Grove asked us to build the cheater axle units for them, but we just did not have the time. We did tell them, however, that they could copy the principles.

The Grove crane has been retired for the past 5 years, after it was upset at the Olen Gravel Plant in St. Louisville.

The tools and equipment fleet has grown dramatically from these early years; but I hope each of you take great pride and care of the tools and equipment you use to build the projects today.

Bill Burgett -  Philosophy of Equipment and Machinery

Bolts, nuts, screws and metal have always intrigued me.  I got my first erector set when I was four years old.  Later on, when I was six years old, we moved to the farm on Lost Run Road. It had a shop building where I began to spend any time I could steal away from the farm work.  For the next twelve years I would build and make things for around the farm and the house such as wood turnings for lamps, trailers, wagons a  buzz saw, and do various farm repair work in this little shop. The swing saw that was on display at the historical tent was one of the many tools I built at night to make our work easier and faster during the day.  I built a trailer to pull behind the pick-up truck to haul our scaffolding and construction materials.  My dream while on the farm was to some day have a weld shop of my own where I could continue to build equipment and machinery.  That did not materialize because the only job I could get was helping with construction.  My love for machinery and equipment was based on the fact that it extended the human body to produce much more work and easier than could be done by hand.  I never will forget before WWII setting on the corn plow pulling the levers up and down to raise and lower the shovels and hearing about push buttons that some day you would push a button and it would make things happen.  Little did we know back then about hydraulics and cylinoids because they became the backbone of the push-button era. In the early days of construction,  I watched a big machinery as they built the interstate system.  One contractor stood out head and shoulders above all of the rest and that was Verne Holderman.  His equipment was kept immaculate His people were well-trained and he built and designed a lot of specialized equipment to do highway construction more efficient. Although I was never in his shop, from the stories people told I could envision most of what it would have been like.  He is one of many contractors that I have used as a  role model on how to take care of the equipment or not to take care of equipment.

Over the years I’ve worked with many manufacturers to develop new equipment.  Some of them have been Heine Warner, Bucyrus Erie, Caterpillar, Astek, Roadtec, CedarRapids, IHC, and John Deere. The latest piece of equipment I helped design is an asphalt transfer machine, which we have presently been using on the third lane I-71 project north of Columbus.  One of the big changes in the engineering of equipment that has taken place over the past several years is that the manufacturers are engineering their equipment so that the structural integrity of their machines in most cases does not need any welding.  The kind of equipment purchased and the way it is being operated and maintained over a period of years is a reflection on the contractor’s capabilities, quality of work, and performance. 

Bill Burgett – Business Philosophies

We in the construction industry get three kinds of rewards for our work:

• Satisfaction in seeing that we’ve created something tangible and useful

• Financial rewards which are quickly spent for labor and equipment

• Relationships we form with clients, employees and fellow contractors which we keep a life time

Good fortune in business comes from a few key things:

• Hard work

• High standards

• Christian principles

• Proper selection and handling of people

The success of any company is people, if you don’t have quality people you don’t have quality work.

The secret I learned early in life is there is always a lot of work to be done, but it’s not always packaged into a job with a paycheck at the end of the week. This became the future for Kokosing, packaging work into jobs with the right people.

My strengths are:

• My wife

• The solid foundation my parents gave me

• My faith

• The three D’s

Desire – to accomplish whatever I set out to do

Determination – to do top quality work

Discipline – the most difficult of the three D’s

Life has trade-offs

Everything has a price

Discipline keeps you in line with the goals and values you have established to accomplish what you set out to do       

My philosophy has never been to limit yourself to the amount of work you can produce in a day for a customer because there are days when things do not go right and sometimes mistakes have to be corrected. The quality of work that each individual produces will have an impact on the overall quality of any job or product. It is important to have an open mind to the things that surround our business and lives that are constantly changing. If we are not open to change today, then tomorrow we are liable to be passed by. Integrity is the most important asset any of us can have. People need each other’s trust in order to have a good business relationship. It is important to dream dreams of the future and lay plans for long term accomplishments that will fit in to the future, which is unknown.

These dreams can be accomplished with steadfast desire and most importantly the strong discipline of an individual and/or company. It is important to complete whatever you start out to do and carry it to completion, but sometimes it is necessary to stop before you finish because conditions have changed.

My Mother Lenore Burgett used to share this poem with me when I would go to her during discouraged moments.

How Did You Die?

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way

With a resolute heart and cheerful?

Or hide your face from the light of day

With a craven soul and fearful?

Oh, a troubles a ton or a troubles an ounce,

Or a trouble is what you make it,

And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts,

But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, that’s that!

Come up with a smiling face.

It’s nothing against you to fall down flat,

But to lie there- That’s a disgrace.

The harder you’re thrown,

Why the higher you bounce;

Be proud of your blackened eye!

It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts,

It’s how did you fight – and why?

And though you be done to the death, what then?

If you battled the best you could;

If you played your part in the world of men,

Why, the critic will call it good.

Bill Burgett  - 

Brian Burgett was appointed President of Kokosing Construction Company in 1981.  I continued as Chairman of the Board. Kokosing continued to grow and my role became less administrative. I continued giving leadership where needed on specific problems and projects. The other part of my time was spent working with Shirley, farming the children’s farms. After my daughter Marsha Rinehart, V P Administration, moved back to the Fredericktown area from Arizona, she started laying the groundwork for what is now Kokosing’s Human Resource Department.

With the turndown of the economy in Ohio, we were bidding work through the south and as far as the west coast.  Brad, who had developed and started the asphalt and gravel operations, was now looking to start a western division, which turned out to be in Arizona in 1982.  We also set up an office in Texas in 1983.  This left the asphalt and aggregate operations for me to develop and give direction. During the late 70’s and early 80’s I became involved with the National Utility Contractors Association where I was involved with legislative issues on the national level as well as taking leadership. In 1993-1994 I became president of NUCA.

In 1994 I became president of the Ohio Contractors Association. During that term I was able to give leadership and bring the Ohio Contractors Association together to build and own their first office building

During 1982 I was heavily involved with the operating engineers labor negotiations and helped lay the ground work to make the operating engineers more productive as well as making the union contractors more competitive through those negotiations. 

1983-1985 I found myself traveling to Arizona to help with the development of the Western Division.  I also worked with the leadership of our asphalt plants and equipment to make them more efficient, as well as establishing more permanent plant sites.  With the death of Brad in Arizona on October 26, 1985, things came to a halt for myself as well as the rest of the family. Brian as president, was able to keep the company on track and we all pulled together with the help of a lot of tremendous friends and family. We had to deal with our Arizona work, our work in Texas, as well as getting our farm-work done. This kept us all very busy. 

1986 Valerie Matusik, VP Public Relations, resigned her teaching position in Canton, Ohio and joined Kokosing Construction in accounts payable.

Barth Burgett, VP Equipment/Maintenance, took over the responsibility of the management of Kokosing’s equipment department in 1990.

The next three to four years are just a blur in my mind.  It wasn’t until 1988, I brought up in a management meeting about the land of the Hartman Farm which Brad and Tobey McKee had investigated prior to Brad going to Arizona.  After some reinvestigation it was decided that we should construct a sand and gravel plant on the Hartman Farm and develop those resources.  This was a two-year project, which proved to be very challenging and invigorating. 

In 1989 my attention was turned to the Ohio political arena when then Mayor George and Janet Voinovich had a meeting with Brian and myself at our Fredericktown office and asked our help to get the construction industry involved in his race for the Governor of Ohio.  These last 11 years I have spent considerable time developing grass roots involvement from the construction industry to legislative matters affecting the construction industry.  These efforts have paid off in helping to develop a consistent flow of funds here in Ohio for our highway system. 

In November 1989 I was appointed to the Operating Engineers Apprenticeship as the representative of the Ohio Contractors Association. During that period of time the total training program was changed to a regimented block training course and only after the applicants had proven they had the ability to be trained, they were indentured into the union.  During the ten years on the board of directors, the trustees made a major step by approving the construction of an in-door training facility that was large enough to dump asphalt trucks into pavers as well as operate back-hoes inside the facility during inclement weather.  This was the first in-door-training arena ever to be built in the United States.  It became my responsibility to help design the building as well as to approve its final construction. 

In the early 90’s I was getting back some of my previous interest, one of which had always been in water and boating.  In 1991 I purchased a 44’ Viking motor yacht and spent considerable time on Lake Erie, various rivers going to Florida, and back up the Atlantic through the Hudson River, Erie Canal and back to Sandusky, Ohio.  Over the next seven years, I made this 4,000 mile trip six and a half times, taking family, friends, and employees, having a very enjoyable time.  The 90’s saw much expansion in the asphalt and gravel operations.  With the adding of new asphalt plants, the acquiring of the Olen Stewart plant #4 as well purchase Dry Creek Sand & Gravel deposits and building a new dredge and gravel operation in Vanatta.  In 1994 one of the biggest machinery and equipment challenges was to build a dredge that would dig 65’ deep, producing in excess of 1,000 tons per hour.  We spent one year with IHC of Holland convincing them to build the first dredge of its kind using a Caterpillar chain.  The dredge weighs 1½ million pounds and cost over $8 million to build.  The subassemblies were built on floating pontoons on-site under the direction of Dean Rinehart and Dick Frendt who served as project engineer.  The total construction force was from Kokosing’s equipment department. 

During 1994-1995 I served on the Fredericktown Community Library committee.  I served on the Architectural and Construction of the library. The library was built with voluntary help except for laying the brick, the interior finish work, and the installation of the heating and air conditioning.  This was an exciting time for me as we worked not only with people from Fredericktown, but employees of Kokosing Construction who came for the great day when we raised the library from the foundation to the roof including the windows, plywood and paper on 75% of the roof.  There were over 300 people who helped that day including the churches and community who prepared the meal. 

In 1994 I became Chairman of Flexible Pavements, Inc.  In 1997 I was asked to serve on a scholarship fundraising committee that would give scholarships to students who would take the asphalt technology course. The funds were to be raised from asphalt producers throughout Ohio.  Fred Frecker, Executive Director of Flexible Pavements, and myself traveled throughout Ohio several different days with our helicopter to raise over $750,000 for scholarships. These are being presented each year to engineering students at seven of our engineering colleges that had not previously taught asphalt technology before Flexible Pavements started this program. 

1998 saw some new animals on the farm of Janenne Burgett, our daughter-in-law.  They turned out to be Clydesdales horses. Over the last two years I have gotten involved in training and showing teams of Clydesdale horses. My trainer, staff and I have traveled throughout Ohio, the northern part of Ontario, Canada to Springfield, Massachusetts, west to Jordan, Minnesota and south to Louisville, Kentucky and to numerous parades and competition in between. 

In the fall of 1997 KMI purchased 100 acres on the Ohio River at Wheelersburg to build a new asphalt terminal.  With the last of the construction completed in 2000, it has a total capacity of 2 million gallons of liquid asphalt. The system has the capability to mix various blends of asphalt.

In the summer of 1998 we started construction of our employee training center.  It was an interesting project because it was built out onto the water on sheet piling driven into rock.  A portion of it was built on spread footers.  The construction took a year and a half to complete.

In 2001Bill Burgett was awarded The William W. Baker. The award was established by the Board of Directors in memory of Mr. Bill Baker who served as President/Executive Director of Flexible Pavements from 1976 until his death in 1991. Mr. Baker’s commitment to quality and dedication to the asphalt industry was well known not only in Ohio, but throughout the country. This award is symbolized by the American Eagle as it also stands for those traits of quality, dedication, and respect for which Mr. Baker was so well known. This is the highest honor given by Flexible Pavements on behalf of the Ohio HMA Industry.

BILL BURGETT received this award because of the significant and positive impact on the asphalt paving industry he displays along with the qualities that are synonymous with Bill Baker and the American Eagle.

As I look back on the last 50 years in the construction business it gives me a sense of accomplishment, but what I mostly appreciate are the people I have met, the relationships and friendships that have developed and the memories………sincere thanks to all.

Bill Burgett