Small Town News

Holding company buys Hamm Inc.

---

Summit Materials LLC, a mining and materials holding company, announced Friday that it had concluded the acquisition of Hamm Inc., a regional mining, highway construction, and waste services company serving northeast Kansas.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

Hamm is headquartered in Perry and is one of the largest materials and highway construction companies in the state. The 70-year-old company serves many state, county, and municipal clients with its products and services.

While the holding firm has purchased the employee-owned company, it will continue to operate with the same personnel, Charlie Sedlock, division manager, said.

"We have had a lot of growth the last 20 years and this move will just help it grow even more," Sedlock said.

The holding company is relatively new and this is its first purchase.

Hamm is currently constructing new roads, highways, and bridges in the Lawrence area. It also sells stone products and provides waste services to counties and cities in the region.

Among the Lawrence-area projects is a six-lane highway extension and a bridge across the Kansas River. Numerous improvements are also being made to the stretch of road referred to as the "farmers' turnpike" between Lecompton and Lawrence in Douglas County.

Hamm operates a regional solid waste landfill on the Jefferson-Douglas county line serving the city of Lawrence and 14 other northeast Kansas counties. A fleet of trucks haul solid waste from as far west as Abilene and north and south from the Nebraska line to Emporia.

The company's quarry operations number 35 and are operating in 15 northeast Kansas counties along with several asphalt plants.

The company was founded by Norman R. Hamm, who got his start during the 1930s with wheat harvest crews before expanding into road construction.

He purchased his first bulldozer in 1946 and contracted his first road construction job in 1947. He expanded into the quarry business in 1948.

With his construction and quarry businesses expanding, he stopped sending out wheat harvest crews after 1963. He had expanded to 10 combines and his crews made up what came to be known as "Hamm Town."

Hamm's veteran senior management team will continue to lead the company, which has 250 employees.

Rod Hamm, president of Hamm and a grandson of the founder, said, "We are pleased to join forces with Summit Materials so that we can continue to grow our business and product lines and to provide excellent service to our customers. We view this as a win-win partnership that allows the Hamm family and our employee-owners the opportunity to diversify while, at the same time, expanding the company's ability to grow geographically and offer more products to our clients."

The Jefferson County Economic Development Commission honored Hamm Inc. with a Leadership Award in 2003, honoring the company for its longevity and its contributions to the community.



Copyright 2009 The Valley Falls Vindicator, Valley Falls, Kansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 The Valley Falls Vindicator Valley Falls, Kansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from The Valley Falls Vindicator