Our History
The 20's, 30's 40's
The Mathiowetz Construction Company started operations in
Leavenworth, Minnesota, in 1924 and built it's first shop in
1934.
The company, started by Martin and Louisa
Mathiowetz built driveways and agricultural ditches for the
local farm population. The equipment used was self-constructed
by Martin and typically was drawn by one piece of power
equipment. The company grew slowly through the 30's and 40's as
it withstood the ravages of financial recessions and the Great
Depression. The firm survived to continue construction through
the diligent work of Martin and the tireless accounting by
Louisa.
The 50's
Tragedy struck the firm in the early 50's when Martin was struck
down by a back injury and was forced to a reduced his work load.
Rudy, Martin's 21 year old son, was killed in a rollover
accident.
Martin was able to continue in a reduced capacity, but the
future of the business fell to the newly graduated Richard
Mathiowetz, fresh out of high school and his new bride two years
later, Mary Lou (Koll) Mathiowetz under Louisa's guidance.
The 1960's
Under Richard's guidance, in 1964 the now established firm
was incorporated at its location and was busily constructing the
County State Aid Highway system and the Trunk Highway system.
The employee base had grown from couple of local farmers to 30
employees that relied on the business for their main source of
income. Most of the work constructed was still within 30-40
miles of the home office.
The 70's
In the 70's, Richard and Reinhold expanded Mathiowetz
Construction's shop facility to accommodate the newer larger
more efficient earthmoving equipment that was now purchased from
vendors. Caterpillar 637D scrapers became a mainstay in the
fleet. The crowning achievement of the late 70's was the
construction of the piece of interstate in Minnesota known as
the "Golden Spike" constructed in Blue Earth Minnesota. It was
the last piece of Interstate 90 connecting the West Coast of the
United States with the East Coast in one continuous stretch of
highway. Mathiowetz Construction expanded to 65 employees and
the office moved from a home based office to it's present
location in Leavenworth. The office staff grew from 2 people to
4 and the company grew on...
The 80's
The company experienced unprecedented change in the 80s
and had a difficult transition early on with the split off of
Reinhold into his own company. Richard assumed sole ownership of
Mathiowetz Construction and was joined by Brian, Glen and Dean,
his sons.
The boys helped to pick up the reins of leadership as they
proceeded through college and participated in the running of the
business at various stages. Each learned the business from the
bottom up. Richard continued to mentor operators and supervisors
alike but the procurement process was still very much a one
person operation to provide work to keep a $5 million 80
employee operation progressing. The company's work circle
expanded to allow finding work and often extended 65 miles from
the home base.
The 90's
Throughout the 90s, Richard continued his mentorship of Brian
and Dean, the equipment operators and the office project
procurement. Changes and inclusion of skilled people in key
positions of project management and estimating strengthened
Mathiowetz Construction. In 1995, Brian made the commitment to
remain in management and assume the role of President of the
prosperous firm. The firm had grown to 110 employees, but
remained very much a family business.
Supervisors were asked to grow from the operator ranks. They
have both the technical know-how to construct a project quickly
and efficiently along with the ability to lead employees toward
a common goal. Under Brian and Dean, with Richard mentoring, the
company grew from 110 employees to 150 employees with a 100 mile
radius of operation. The company established policies and
procedures to enhance the experience of both employees and
customers. Quality of work and the safety of the employees
remained the highest priority and this attitude continues on
into the present.
Today
In 1999, Richard Mathiowetz passed away and full ownership of
the Mathiowetz Construction Company was assumed by Brian
Mathiowetz, Julie Anderson and Ronda Mathiowetz.
The present company structure of Project Management Staff and
Supervisors was formalized and each department contributes to
the delivery of the Highest Quality work.
During the first decade of the 21st century Mathiowetz
Construction has expanded it's work radius to include Iowa
and South Dakota. The company also started an equipment
certification program to ensure that our employees are
fully
qualified to operate the equipment.
