J.M. Marschuetz Construction opens shop in Killdeer

• Roundabout

Courtesy Photo J.M. Marschuetz crews work on the roundabout south of Killdeer at the intersection of highways 22 and 200 in this undated photo. The project is set to be completed by the end of next month, Michael Marschuetz said. It will be the first roundabout of this scale in the state, Killdeer Mayor Dan Dolechek said.

Talk about it

After a slowdown in St. Louis, J.M. Marschuetz construction began searching for other projects and thought western North Dakota’s roads that have been crumbling under oil field traffic could use some TLC, so the suburban St. Louis-based company expanded further than it had before, Vice President Michael Marschuetz said.

The company plans to service the Williston, Killdeer and Dickinson areas and has set up shop in Killdeer.

“We were noticing the oil activity up there and the fact that the roads up there are kind of falling apart because of the oil companies,” Marschuetz said. “So we saw a need for more highway contractors up there.”

The 25-year-old company moved to the area in the past year. They are the firm building the roundabout at the intersection of highways 22 and 200 just south of Killdeer.

“I think the DOT has done a really good job trying to notify people what a roundabout is and how it benefits that intersection,” he said.

Killdeer Mayor Dan Dolechek agrees.

“I think once it’s in operation and people go about using it I think it’ll be a good fit for the community there,” he said.

The project is set to be done by the end of next month, Marschuetz, who has been coming to North Dakota weekly for the project, said.

It took the company two or three months to get settled in North Dakota, but it plans to grow and expand its services in the state, Marschuetz said.

“(There were) a couple times we thought we were squared away on some property and land leases and they fell through for us,” he said. “Luckily we were able to hook up with a fella up in Killdeer and he was easy to work with.”

The work in North Dakota does differ a bit from construction than the city down river, St. Louis, Marschuetz said.

“I guess every spec book is different,” he said. “Designs are different because of climates and the local resources.”

The company has been sending crews from St. Louis to North Dakota, and set up a camp near Killdeer to house them while working on the roundabout, Marschuetz said.

“It didn’t seem like there was anybody locally to hire from the research that we did,” he said.

The company was started by Michael Marschuetz’ father, Dennis, in 1987 with $17,000, Michael said. The company now does $25 million to $30 million worth of work each year.

He and his brother, Jason, grew up in the business and have grown into vice presidents after doing field work.

The company is excited about the possibilities in North Dakota, Michael Marschuetz said.

“We’d like to expand our market to taking care of a lot more commercial needs in Dickinson,” he said. “It seems like the Dickinson area is growing very fast and it needs some help with getting the work done.”

Call 636-938-3600 to contact J.M. Marschuetz construction. Its main office is located at 15 Truitt Drive in Eureka, Mo.

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