“very good machines,” according to Forrest, and three Load King belly dump trailers from RMS.
“In addition to quality equipment, we like the service Road Machinery & Supplies gives us,” said Karla. “Our salesman Ryan Milette looks out for our needs, and Kenny ‘Jake’ Jacobsen, their shop foreman in Virginia, is very knowledgeable and helpful. We also like the fact that RMS is able to work on a number of different brands for us.”
“RMS is down the street, so to speak, and they’re good people,” added Mark. “They’re like us. When they say they’re going to do something, they do it. We appreciate that.”
Future is in good hands
While some siblings might find it difficult to work together, the family dynamic works well for KGM. “I estimate and bid the jobs while Kerry and Gary take care of the field work,” Mark related. “Karla handles the financials and cleans up any problems or messes that may develop. Forrest keeps an eye on the big picture and advises us when we need it.”
“We work well together and that’s a credit to our dad,” added Karla. “He instilled in us the concept of teamwork and the fact that the only thing that’s really important is doing quality
Part of the KGM team is shown below with a Komatsu PC600LC-6, the largest excavator in the
company’s fleet. They include (L-R standing): RMS sales rep. Ryan Milette with Forrest
Abramson, president Karla Abramson, bookkeeper Pauline Rutchasky, all of KGM; Todd
Gabrialson, a service consultant for the company; (L-R top row) KGM corporate secretary and
head estimator Mark Abramson; civil tech Tom Kvas and shop foreman Earl Kaster.
work and satisfying the customer. So each of us has the same goal and we’re all on the same page all the time. If there’s a problem, we don’t point fingers. We look for solutions.”
As a result, KGM is still growing. “We go after work aggressively,” Mark noted. “We feel like we owe our employees that. They have families and they’re counting on us to provide them with steady, well-paying jobs. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Growth is also the only way we can continue to offer advancement to our employees, so yes, we’re definitely still in a growth mode.”
Partnering for success
Along with aggressive bidding, Mark says KGM also keeps its eyes open for new opportunities. “If you can keep an open mind, more things are possible. Down the road, I would like to see us increase our private (nonpublic) workload. There’s more of a team atmosphere and more partnering on the private side. By working closely with a client in the planning stage, we can sometimes see potential problems that can be engineered out of a job before work ever begins, thereby helping the owner or developer save money on the project.”
That’s the type of attitude that earned KGM the “Partnering of the Year” award from the St. Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2001. The St. Paul District covers most of Minnesota, the western half of Wisconsin, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. KGM was chosen from among 32 contractors who worked on Corps projects that year.
Regardless of whether it’s private or public work, KGM owners say the company will always do its best and will always treat its customers the way it expects to be treated. “Our bid is our word and it’s a commitment,” Mark explained. “If it turns out a job costs us more than we anticipated, that’s our problem. We don’t go back to the owner to make up the difference.”
“Our dad taught us that this business isn’t all about the money,” added Karla. “A deal is a deal and the most important thing is keeping your word and doing quality work. As long as we continue to do that, everything else will take care of itself.”