June 15, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Knife River.

Sometime in the early 1950s, R.S. Sweetman made an offer to his construction co-worker Frank Weisenbach.

He was working on a deal to buy C.A. Wagner Construction Co., Sweetman said to Weisenbach as the two worked side by side.

If it went through, Sweetman said, would Weisenbach go with him?

The answer was yes, and shortly after Sweetman became owner in 1952, Weisenbach “was one of the first ones he hired,” his son, Joe, said.

In the decades that followed, generations of the Sweetman family helped build the company into a regional leader.

Generations of the Weisenbach family were there every step of the way.

“We keep telling the Sweetman boys the Weisenbachs might have more time in here than the Sweetmans do,” Joe Weisenbach said, laughing. “It’ll be close.”

He accounts for a good chunk of it himself. Joe will mark 50 years at the company, now Knife River, this summer. He worked one season with his father in 1968, doing interstate construction. Now, he regularly crosses paths at work with his son Tim, who has been part of the company for 16 years.

Combined, the family has touched countless projects that have helped shape the Sioux Falls area into the place it is today.

“I think their actions speak volumes. You wouldn’t let your son go to a company you didn’t think was financially stable, had a safe work environment and a healthy culture,” president Clark Meyer said. “We know their work ethic and background, and they’re just a great part of our team.”

Joe grew up riding along as his father drove a Concrete Materials truck. He had his own CDL at 15, before he even had a driver’s license. He remembers watching Frank help build Interstate 229.

“I used to go with him every Saturday he was working, and then we briefly worked together,” Joe said. “After 1968, he had a heart attack and couldn’t do the same work anymore, so I went into the quarry that year.”

When he became a father himself, the company’s focus on family kept Joe in the job.

“I could have gone out and drove over the road and made more money, but my kids were growing up. I talked to Dick Sweetman and told him about it, and he said: ‘Read your handbook. It’s family, religion, work. If you want to be home every ballgame, we’ll make sure.’”

And they did.

“We were working 60, 70 hours a week sometimes during the busy season, but every Wednesday and Friday night, the kids had ballgames, and they always made sure I was out by 5 p.m.,” Joe said. “I don’t think I missed a complete game while they grew up, and that’s the biggest reason I stayed: because of the family atmosphere.”

He continued the tradition of bringing his own kids to work on Saturdays, and it stuck with Tim.

After serving in the South Dakota National Guard in Iraq, Tim returned home and applied at Knife River’s Harrisburg location. He since has held multiple roles and now is a ready-mix batch plant operator.

“I really enjoy the people I work with every day,” he said. “They’ve been really supportive of my service and when I have to go places for training or have been deployed.”

This time of year, both Weisenbachs can be at work up to 12 hours a day.

His dad “still drives, so usually I’ll see him in the morning or at the end of the day, or if I’m out and about in the plant, I’ll see him, and we’ll talk,” Tim said. “They’re really flexible with his schedule.”

Joe, now 71, laughs at the question of how long he’ll keep working.

“They’re good to me,” he said. “My truck foreman and dispatchers say if I’m getting tired or don’t feel well to just call and I’m out of here. That makes me feel good they look out for me and don’t want me to quit.”

He admittedly was a bit surprised when his son joined the team.

“But I’m glad he did,” he said. “I’m happy to see him there.”

The family atmosphere that drew his father appeals to Tim too.

“The people you work with are your second family,” he said. “I’m awake 18 hours a day and can spend 12 of them here, so it’s hard not to see them as family.”

In an industry where it can be challenging to retain employees, a family with decades of service speaks volumes.

“Joe is a solid cornerstone of our operation. All our customers know him, and he’s been to every job,” Meyer said. “And Tim has been great. It’s been fun to watch him take on various roles and continue the family legacy.”

Thanks to dedication like the Weisenbachs’ and a company culture like Knife River, staffing levels are solid this season.

But the company is always open to hearing from those looking to grow a career here.

Click here to learn more about current opportunities.