Moving Dirt for 45 Years By Mary Savage
T
he first time Andy Surkon climbed into the cab of a bulldozer, he was 17 years old. It was also a moment in time that foreshadowed his career, though he didn’t realize it. By the time Andy was in his late 20s, he had completed an overseas term with the Army, received his ticket as a welder, was married and had started a family with his wife, Denise. And now he was about to become self-employed – moving dirt. He started Kon Construction Ltd. in 1967 with one bullbull dozer and moved dirt from ‘sunup till sundown,’ while Denise looked after the books and raised their four kids. By 1974, Kon was incorporated and they had landed their first big subdivision job: grading the site for the Red Carpet Trailer Park in southeast Calgary. The business had carved out a well-respected name for itself and contracts contincontin ued to come through the door, but Andy and Denise kept the operation small. For the first seven years, the couple did all the work themselves – running the business from their home office. Andy subscribed to a few simple principles: you don’t expand unless you’ve got the money in the bank and you ‘reap what you sow.’ He believed in hard work, honest busibusi ness dealings and a genuine commitment to the customer. Since the late 1960s, Kon has survived the peaks and valval
The team at Kon Construction. Photo by Mary Savage.
leys of Alberta’s economic landscape – learning, growing and evolving as they built a more efficient operation. Kon has expanded and contracted to meet market demand and its longevity is evidence of the family’s deep-rooted comcom mitment to the business and the industry. “In construction, we are the first to feel any shift in the economy and it’s a very volatile industry. There are so many factors that affect our business and when you’re able to survive for as long as we have in this industry that says a lot about the company,” expresses Carrie, the youngest of the four kids. During the late 2000s, Andy retired from the daily operaopera tion, although he still keeps a hand in the business and visits the Calgary office from time to time.
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Over the course of 45 years, and as fate would have it, all four siblings have worked for Kon, and today, the second generation is planted firmly at the helm – a proud accomaccom plishment given that only about 30 per cent of family-run businesses succeed to the second generation.
Integrating the Second Generation During the late 1970s, Andy and Denise’s three sons started to work for the business while still in high school. They helped out in the field, in the shop and ran equipment. By the late ’80s they all found themselves in managing positions while their little sister cleaned offices at Kon after school. Her dream was to attend uniuni versity and earn a degree. Although all the kids grew up surrounded by the family business, Carrie had set her sights on a different path, yet just like her father, she was 17 when she climbed aboard and operated her first piece of heavy machinery. While the brothers worked full time with their father, Carrie earned a degree in business. During the early ’90s and shortly after graduation, she was living in Edmonton and found herself drawn back to the family business, runrun ning the office that she helped to open in the late ’80s. “Over the years, we have persisted when many people would have thrown in the towel. We have worked very hard
One of Denise’s fondest memories, from the early years, found her visiting Andy in the field. She would load their three sons into the car and deliver a hot lunch while the boys climbed aboard the dozer to keep their father company.
and it’s been the family unit, along with the help of Wayne Chabot, operations manager, who joined us in 2008, that has kept the business alive – it wasn’t the lenders or finanfinan cial institutions,” remarks Carrie. “We operate very much as a team. My second oldest brother Craig, along with Wayne, our superintendent, Tim Bibe (with Kon for over 20 years), and myself work closely together, but we recognize that all of our staff play an important role in our success,” she adds. “And that’s the package that people get when they hire Kon. We are not a group of people who go home at the end of the day and forget about the work,” she says. “You can never truly leave the work – it’s 24-7. We have been successful because of our beliefs; anybody can move dirt, but our belief in achieving success – colcol lectively – has kept us going.” As the siblings look to the future, they are optimistic Kon will continue Heavy Equipment to see steady growth, they are not Rentals & Sales afraid of new challenges and they are TOLL TOLLFREE: FREE: 1-877-796-7223 1-877-796-7223 slowly starting to integrate the third DIRECT: DIRECT: 403-968-4468 403-968-4468 generation. “We have a very unique work Most of our equipment is located in our yard just outside of Calgary environment that is both challengchalleng ing and rewarding,” adds Carrie. “We Congratulations to Kon Construction on their 45th Anniversary! have passion and a commitment to each other, to the business, to our customers and our parents.” •
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Congratulations Kon Construction! 8330 - 48 St. SE Calgary, AB T2C 2S1
Phone: 403.279.5216 Fax: 403.236.7268
Congratulations to Andy Surkon & Kon Construction on their 45th year in business as a family run company. Wishing Kon much success in the future.
We are proud to have been a part of your 45 years and wish you lasting success as you embark on new challenges and opportunities.
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Renfrew Insurance congratulates Kon Construction on 45 years of excellence! Sam J. Feldman - Senior Vice President, Insurance P: 403-299-1694 | sfeldman@renfrew-insurance.com Chris Sikorski - Senior Vice President, Bonding P: 403-216-1911 | csikorski@renfrew-insurance.com
KON CONSTRUCTION on 45 Years of
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