Our History

"Making Memories, Not Wishes"

In the early 1970’s, Ed and Joyce Kroeker started out "on their own". With one small tractor and a disc, they worked side by side just as they do today.

Since Ed loved machinery and Joyce was excellent with “the books”, it was a perfect team. They would clear land for developing often going through weeds and debris taller than the tractor. Then they would clear and prep individual lots of all sizes and shapes for building. They cleared old roadways, cleaned ditchbanks, and would put the tractor and disc in places that seemed impossible.

The railroad saw their work and asked if they would disc their right of way. Ed and Joyce thought this was a great idea. There was just one small problem. The right of way they wanted done was 120 miles each way.

Somehow, with no money, no outside help, and only the tracks to follow, they completed the job. The success of this project led to a contract for spraying the tracks each winter for an even greater distance than before. They worked for developers in good weather, worked for the Railroad in the off season, and worked all night repairing and maintaining their tractor and disc for the next day’s project. Joyce would take care of the house, the kids, the books and find time to meet with Ed to help at every turn. Ed would run the tractor, maintain the equipment, weld and fabricate, and complete each job just as had been promised.

In 1979, they really needed to expand. There wasn't enough money to buy what they needed, and they couldn't borrow enough to meet the demands of the work ahead. They needed a dump truck, a small crawler tractor and a trailer. Since they had done work for Gary McDonald, a leading home builder in the area, they explained their plan to him. He decided to help them with the loan. From this a strong bond was formed that continues today, and the excitement of new equipment and new opportunities began its formation.

By now, son Jeff was running the tractor in the summer as he was still in high school. Dad, Ed, had made the deal to purchase a new International Dump truck through a contact from Mr. McDonald. Ed was so excited to show Jeff, he drove from the truck dealership directly to where Jeff was working. As he pulled up in the new truck, Jeff flew off the tractor and was hanging on for “dear life” since the tractor was still moving with Jeff dangling near the blades of the disc. Was Jeff overexcited or had he lost his mind? It turns out that just at the time Ed pulled up in the new truck, the tractor Jeff was running hit a large wheel and tire buried in the weeds. The tractor stopped instantly, throwing Jeff out of the seat. This was the first truck for “Kroeker Custom Tractor”. It is still in operation today.

The economic downturn of the early 80’s would take its toll. Work was at an all time low, and now there were equipment payments, greater obligations, and no money to pay the bills. Joyce said that we sometimes had just enough to feed the kids and the dogs. “Ed and I would have to wait”. They turned to finding work in the agriculture area. They even somehow acquired 3 combines that they would use for custom harvesting. They did nothing but work with no return. The economy had to turn or they would be facing disaster.

Slowly, the economy began to improve. The interest rate was dropping, homes were being built and there was a need for “Kroeker Custom Tractor”. Ed and Joyce began to grow with the times. They added one truck, then another. They even hired their first employee who stayed with them for 13 years. In their words, bringing on an employee is a “huge responsibility”. “We want families to succeed, raise their kids, pay their bills, and have a place to work”.

Working out of their house with a small shop and a little over 2 acres was a problem. If equipment needed to be repaired, several trucks and tractors had to be “shuffled” just to get to the one that was ‘down’. It was time to look for more property. Ed and Joyce, along with son, Jeff, decided to buy 20 acres on the South edge of town. They knew it was way too much property, but felt they could rent some of it to someone that could use it. (Today, they have 47 acres and use it all) Now, with more room and more equipment, Kroeker Demolition (now named) was growing to meet the demands of its customers.

Ed explained that with growth there is some learning that has to take place. It seems that in a large school interior demolition project, walls that were to be removed had a large red “X” painted on them, and walls that would remain were left blank. It seems that there was some confusion and the crew removed the blank walls and left the marked walls. This learning process has never been duplicated.

Also, a demolition of a structure was to take place in a rural area. The operator who was one of the original Kroeker operators and is still with the company as a division manager was sent to the address with an excavator to complete the demo. The demo was completed in no time. The small problem, which is part of the learning process Ed explains, is that there were two structures at this same address. There were two houses, one house in front and one in back. As luck would have it, the wrong house was demolished. Ed and Joyce made amends immediately. The customer even phoned later saying, “You did such a good job of demolishing the wrong house, I’d like you to do some more work for me.” This learning process has also never been duplicated.

Today, the company has grown to include demolition, recycling, roll-off service, concrete sawing and coring, and crushing. With hundreds of pieces of equipment and hundreds of licensed vehicles, the seed of one tractor and a disc has grown into a very large business doing work in many states in the West.

Their daughter, Jill, joined the company during this building phase and has taken the burden of dealing with the bills, the accounts receivable, and plays a vital role in the company structure.

Along with a feeling of responsibility to employees and families, this family owned business continues to feel the same type of responsibility to the local community. Businesses and organizations of all types have received the support and influence that exists in the workplace.

Ed and Joyce are still active in the business and still do what they enjoyed in the beginning. Joyce is involved in the “books” and Ed is working on equipment. They have restored some old vehicles and if you look at their license plate frames on each one of their vehicles today it says, "Making Memories".

As Joyce explains: "My mother told me that it’s better to do something and make a memory because if you don’t, you’ll wish you had".

Ed and Joyce Kroeker are still making memories.