Employees are key
KGM has grown considerably since those early days. Today the company has about 60 core employees and will double that number during its peak season.
“Our employees make this company what it is,” said Karla. “We have virtually no turnover. The people who work here are people we grew up with and went to school with. From our operators and laborers, to our supervisory personnel, to our office and engineering staff, we have very talented and hardworking individuals here. They really are like part of our family.”
“We are totally convinced that we have the best construction people in the state,” Mark added. “They care about quality as much as we do. We count on them and they come through for us. And from our end, we don’t put any ceiling on what they can accomplish. We try to give our employees the opportunity to succeed and advance within the company.”
Key personnel at KGM include civil techs Tom Kvas and Heath Line; foremen Dan Radle, Rick Malmstrom, Vick Phillips, Dan Lamphere, Randy Konickson and Bo Draper; crushing manager Dan Soulta; shop foreman Earl Kaster; and bookkeeper Pauline Rutchasky.
“We also rely on Roger ‘Butch’ Lindgren, Bill Purdy and Eino Suihkonen,” said Mark. “They worked for my dad for many years and also worked for KGM. Although they officially retired a few years ago, they all still come back when we need them to run jobs for us. They know a lot and we consider ourselves lucky to have them around as valuable resources.”
Top-of-the-line equipment
In order to accomplish the quality work on which KGM prides itself, the company turns to Road Machinery & Supplies Co. in Virginia, Minn., for Komatsu excavators. “We’ve used Komatsu excavators since the mid-1980s and they are top-of-the line,” said Forrest Abramson. “We’ve tried all the brands and our operators prefer Komatsu, pretty much across the board.”
“The important thing for us is dependability,” Karla explained. “If a truck goes down, you might have to haul short for a while, but you’re
A KGM operator gets a full bucket with a Komatsu PC400LC-7 hydraulic excavator — the
newest addition to the KGM equipment fleet from RMS. “We’ve used Komatsu excavators
since the mid-1980s and they are top-of-the-line,” said Forrest Abramson of KGM. “We’ve
tried all the brands and our operators prefer Komatsu, pretty much across the board.”
The operator of a
Komatsu D65PX-12 dozer
stockpiles material at a
KGM sand and gravel
operation near Biwabik,
Minn.
KGM counts on a strong
team of skilled and
experienced employees,
including civil techs
Tom Kvas (left) and
Heath Line.
still hauling. But when your excavator goes down, production stops. With Komatsu excavators, that rarely happens. We’ve found them to be very dependable and reliable.”
KGM’s current Komatsu fleet includes three hydraulic excavators; a PC600LC-6, a PC400LC-6 and a new PC400LC-7. The company also owns two Komatsu D65PX-12 bulldozers, which are