In June 2018, DRSC Concrete Inc. completed concrete work on one of its biggest, most complex jobs—the athletic complex at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. According to President and founder Dean Seppelt, the project put his company on the map.

Dean Seppelt (left) and his son, Robert “Bobby” Seppelt. Bobby is being groomed to one day take over running DRSC Concrete Inc. A certified diesel mechanic by trade, Bobby currently serves as the company’s equipment manager as well as oversees day-to-day operations.

When Dean Seppelt and his wife, Cindy, founded DRSC Concrete Inc. (DRSC Concrete) nearly 30 years ago, it started out as a small company offering just a few services within its immediate area.

Over the decades, the company has steadily grown in terms of employees, equipment, sales and services offered. Today, DRSC Concrete—based in Rice, Minnesota—does work in its home state as well as North Dakota and South Dakota, although most of its projects are concentrated in Central Minnesota. The company specializes in concrete flatwork, footings and poured walls.

DRSC Concrete employs 16 full-time workers and nearly doubled its revenue from 2009 to 2017, according to Dean Seppelt.

The contractor has intentionally diversified the sectors it works in. DRSC Concrete started out mainly focusing on the residential market. Today, about 40 percent of its customers are commercial, with another 30 percent residential and 30 percent agricultural.

“When we started out, we’d take anything that came on our plate,” Seppelt says. “And that grew into a bigger plate.”

Customers include Lamont Companies out of South Dakota, Lumber One, Woodland Homes, KUE Contractors, Project One Construction Inc. and Regency Homes. Projects include restaurants like McDonald’s, retail stores such as Dollar General, auto parts stores, hotels such as Homewood Suites by Hilton, health care facilities, financial businesses and educational entities. Work has also expanded into industrial warehouses, which is a growing segment for the company, Seppelt noted. The company has also started working on chicken barns, a sector that Seppelt estimates will continue to grow.

Jim Kuechle, Vice President of general contractor Project One Construction, has worked with DRSC Concrete for more than two decades on a variety of commercial and multifamily projects.

“They’re very professional and talented craftsmen,” he says. “They’re on time and provide quality workmanship.”

Overcoming Challenges

Like most companies in the construction industry, DRSC Concrete had its share of challenges when the economic downturn hit in 2008-2009.

“Profit margins were so low, and it was stressful because we had a lot of mouths to feed,” Seppelt recalls. “My people are like family to me, and if I’m not making money, they’re not making money. So we had to come together as a crew and work through it.”

As the company started to grow again after the Great Recession, Seppelt recognized that he needed help in the day-to-day operations and to better separate his home and professional life. He turned a site employee into office staff and relocated operations out of his home office to a 6,400-square-foot building he purchased.

“My wife has had to put up with me being busy and not being there a lot over the years,” Seppelt says. “She’s been very supportive.”

To help alleviate some of the burden, he hired his first office staff in 2010, and in 2012, he tapped Rinehart Colvin to be his office manager.

“It was a relief to not be taking calls all day and night and opened the doors for me to find different ways to help grow the company,” Seppelt says. “Now I don’t have to be here every day, and things run very smoothly without me.”

Looking ahead, Seppelt is already planning his succession. He and Cindy are grooming their 24-year-old son, Bobby, to eventually take over the business. A certified diesel mechanic by trade, Bobby currently serves as the company’s equipment manager. As part of his role, Bobby handles all the maintenance of most of the equipment except for major mechanical issues.

Variety of Projects

DRSC Concrete takes on a variety of projects, from simple to complex. In June, the company completed concrete work on one of its biggest, most complex jobs: the athletic complex at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

“It was close to a $2 million job and it took a lot of planning to put it together,” Seppelt says. “In the end, we got it done, and it looks nice. We’ve had very minimal callbacks on it, so this proves we can handle just about anything dealt to us.”

Seppelt is both confident and realistic about his company’s abilities. “We do know our limits,” he says. “We’ll let someone know upfront if we think there will be any issues.”

DRSC Concrete has been a longtime contractor for Habitat for Humanity. While the work is not pro bono, Seppelt says the organization can find it difficult at times to find contractors.

“The work can involve a lot of small projects that take a lot of time,” he says. “But we always fit it into our schedule.”

Seppelt believes the secret to his company’s success is simple. “We try to be truthful with people,” he says. “We’re there when we promise to be there, for one.”

The company also aims to treat its employees well. DRSC Concrete offers annual raises “if deserved,” health insurance, access to a 401(k) plan and disability insurance—benefits that are not necessarily widespread in the industry.

“There’s a labor shortage, big time,” Seppelt says. “So we know we need to compete. Plus, we did not get where we are today without our hardworking, talented and dedicated employees and subcontractors. We didn’t do it by ourselves.”