We had the pleasure of talking with Joe Kessel to learn more about his time here at Baranko Companies, and specifically Baranko Brothers Inc. Here’s the full transcript. Take a read!
Tell me how you got started at Baranko and what did you do?
I started 34 years ago, which makes it… I think it was 1990. The reason I first went to work for Baranko was because I was born and raised in the Fairfield area where the original shop was. I grew up on a farm and ranch and had cattle with milk cows. But, the 80s was really tough, and that’s when I graduated high school. It was very dry, crops were poor, and it was hard to make a living… My career path originally was to be a farmer and rancher and work with my brother and dad — we had a partnership too. But, there was just not enough there to support three families. So, I branched out and started working for Baranko. The shop and our farm were only 5 or 6 miles apart, so it was just convenient. And my family and the Baranko family pretty much grew up together. So, I started working there, and it was only supposed to be a part time gig… but it worked out to be a full time gig, and so, I just stuck with it.
I started as a water truck driver, working out in the Badlands on Blacktail Road. From that point, we didn’t need to water haul all the time, so I also started surveying, doing grade checking, holding stakes and wood, and putting pipe and culverts in. I essentially had three jobs—haul water, grade check, or install culverts and put pipe in the ground.
And how long did you do that for?
I did that for… oh, I don’t know. About 3 to 5 Years, and then, the people I was working under — the supervisors — one was Terry Long and one was Mark Hargens. One came from Arizona and one came from Minnesota, and their dads both own construction companies, and they both went back home. So then, there was an opportunity for a promotion. I moved up to a Foreman, and then I started getting other positions.
So, it looks like you essentially created the career path for a Baranko Brothers employee then?
Yup. I started from the ground up.
Oh wow, that’s awesome! 34 years is a long time. I’m curious, did you have a favorite project?
It was probably the Cottonwood Park softball diamond complex. It was a challenging project. It used to be an old gravel pit, and then when they redid the Civic Center in Bismarck, they dumped all the concrete and garbage out there and donated it to the Parks and Rec. The Parks and Rec then turned it around and made a softball complex out of it. So, it was a challenge to clean it up and turn it into… it’s a beautiful facility — just south of Bismarck, down in the cottonwoods. That’s why it’s called Cottonwood Park.
There’s a lot of circles and ovals, and then 3 or 4 softball complexes. You got little walkways in between and the hill to sit and watch people play different things. There’s a little BMX track there too and a concession stand in the middle. And then, the parking lots, and the roads… it was just kind of a fun, neat little project.
Cottonwood Park. Photo Courtesy of Bismarck Parks & Rec.
And what made it your favorite project?
It was just something that’s kind of different from what we usually, you know, different out of the ordinary. Not so rubber stamp — like a typical, earthmoving project. And then, also, the finished product turned out really nice. People get to enjoy it daily, and I love the long term effect of a project. It’s a park, you know, where people go and walk and exercise and play softball or just hang out.
I love it! So, let’s talk about working here at Baranko then, what’s do you enjoy most about the job?
Well… the paychecks are always good. *laughs* Never never had any problems there, so I kept coming back. But also, the work environment and this place is more what I consider a family corporation. People are easy to get along with — I always like to think that we have less B.S. than most people, and you can sit down and talk, figure things out, work through them, and move on. It’s also satisfying and gratifying to take something, build it, and complete it and have a finished product, just like Cottonwood Park or we’ve done golf courses too. And it doesn’t matter if it’s highways, roads, power plants — I just enjoy building things.
Speaking of a family business, you have a family of your own working here too?
Yes, Jordan’s here and then, Aayden, my grandson is also here. And actually Josh, my other boy, worked here for a little bit too. He was a welder. Glenn actually sponsored him and put him through college. But yes, he interned and worked here for so many years as well.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jordan is Joe’s oldest son and is currently our Business Systems Manager, overseeing all our IT needs. Aayden, Jordan’s oldest son and Joe’s grandson, is working as our IT Support Specialist.
The Kessels: Aayden, Joe, Jordan
So, what has changed the most during your time here and the construction industry, in general?
Well, you know, we started out with four scrapers, and we’re up to 25, almost 30 now. But as you grow and expand, you need more people. And things that you used to do yourself, you have to hire somebody or get help or rely on somebody else to do what you used to do — like Cody, who was my first intern and is now a Project Manager. And you’re still doing your project, but you’re looking at a bigger picture — from a 10,000 feet elevation versus the ground level — and you have to find people you like and trust and can work with it.
And one of the biggest changes over the years is probably the old school way of doing grade checking. It was with an eye level and stakes versus now we have G.P.S. and file building and electronics in the machines where they know instantly where grain is. Back in the day, you had to have an eye for it. So, technology has changed a lot. Even time cards. I mean, we used to have to do everything manually by paper. And now, we got laptops, iPads, computers.
I think we’re very good at technology. We embrace it. That’s kind of where Jordan comes in and where I.T. and G.P.S. and all that stuff goes hand-in-hand. Files and stuff, we don’t actually build them ourselves; we send them off to WSB. And there’s a reason for that, too. It’s better to have a third party do it, in case there’s like a break or bust in it, you know, so you get it from the engineer.
Yes. Technology is definitely useful! I’m glad we’re embracing it. So my last question, and it’s a simple one: Is there anything you would like to say in regards to your tenure here?
It’s been… a great company to work for. I enjoy building things and completing things and and every project is a little bit different. So, it’s always fun and exciting, and I get to know my state, especially the Western third. There’s not too many places I haven’t traveled or seen or covered in this part of the state. I know it really, really well.
Oh, that’s cool. I love that! And actually, now that you mention it, I have one more question. What is something unique or interesting about earthmoving or heavy highway construction that most people don’t know?
A lot of people don’t realize that, you do earthwork for everything. I don’t care if it’s you, yourself. You have a place you live in, somebody did earthwork there. If you drove to work down a road, somebody did earthwork there… Or from there, if you stopped at the gas station, somebody’s done earthwork there. We’re usually the groundbreakers. The start of anything and everything for whatever it is. I don’t care if it’s a road, school, highway, gas station. We’re the foundation. We built the foundation.