Hildreth Co. receives small business honor

“With its three generations of family leadership, this company exemplifies what it means to be a family owned and operated business,” said Ernst, a Republican who is the ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee. “For 70 years, the Hildreth family has provided essential excavation services in Calhoun County and has worked hard to give back to their community and our nation’s veterans.”

Throughout this Congress, Ernst is recognizing a small business in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Earlier this year, Ernst announced that Hildreth Company was her Small Business of the Week for Calhoun County. She presented the award Thursday when the Hildreth Company crew was working with linemen from the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association to bury some power lines at Kurt Vermazen’s property east of Rinard.

Ernst appreciates the opportunity to travel around Iowa and meet with a wide range of small business owners.

“Small business of all types, from farms to dental clinics to companies like the Hildreth Company, are essential to Iowa and America’s economy,” she said “The owners and employees of these small businesses also give back to their communities in so many ways. I’ve met many wonderful people by visiting with small-business owners all over the state and listening to their concerns.”

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

David Hildreth with Hildreth Co. consulted with Kurt Vermazen, left, and linemen from the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association on the job site on Thursday at Vermazen’s acreage east of Rinard.

Company started in 1954

The Hildreth Company is celebrating 70 years in business in 2024. The late Martin Hildreth, of Rockwell City, founded the Martin Hildreth Company in 1954 to provide excavation contracting services in Rockwell City and surrounding areas. He founded this small business after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He started his civilian career by working with his father, Ben, in the petroleum industry at Hildreth Mobile Oil and Hildreth Super Service in Rockwell City before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey. In 1990, Martin Hildreth’s son, Tom, joined the company full time. Tom’s wife, Theresa, joined the company in 2009 as the chief financial officer.

The business has remained in the same location on High Street in Rockwell City since the company was founded. For decades, the company has offered excavation services to the telecommunications and utility industries, as well as gravedigging services for cemeteries throughout Calhoun County and surrounding counties.

In 2023, Martin Hildreth passed away. Today, the company remains a family owned and operated small business. Tom and Theresa Hildreth’s son, David, serves as vice president, making him the third generation to carry on this family tradition.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, traveled to Rinard on Thursday to present a small-business award to the owners and employees of Hildreth Co., Inc. of Rockwell City. Pictured from left are Deli Erkenbrack, Hildreth Co. employee; Eli Wheelock, Hildreth Co. employee; Doug LeMonds, Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association lead lineman; Colten Riley, Hildreth Co. employee; Brad Assman with First Community Bank in Rockwell City, the lender for Hildreth Co.; Ernst; Chad Krukow, CCECA lineman; David Hildreth; Keaton Graffunder, Hildreth Co. employee; Tom Hildreth and Theresa Hildreth.

David Hildreth began working at the company part time at age 14 and plans to lead the business when his father retires. David’s son, Collin, will be the fourth generation to join the family company.

Giving back to the community

Along with providing excavation services to customers in the area, the Hildreth family has been actively involved in the Rockwell City community and Calhoun County for many years.

Before joining Hildreth Company, Tom Hildreth coached wrestling at the high school and middle school levels. He was induced into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Service to the country is also integral to the Hildreth family. Three of Tom and Theresa Hildreth’s children (including David, who is retired from the Iowa Air National Guard) have served in the armed forces. Hildreth Company has received the ESGR Patriot Award for its dedication to supporting employees who are serving in the military.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, visited with employees of Hildreth Co. of Rockwell City, as well as linemen with the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association, who were working on a job site east of Rinard on Thursday.

Supporting rural economic development is also important to the Hildreth family. In addition to her work at Hildreth Company, Theresa Hildreth serves as the executive director of the Calhoun County Economic Development Corporation. In January 2024, she testified before members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Washington, D.C. about succession planning and other timely issues that are crucial for many family-owned businesses.

During her testimony, Hildreth cited a 2024 bipartisan report by the National Governors Association, emphasizing the need for private-public partnerships to foster rural economic development.

“Addressing succession planning challenges requires understanding of the complexities that individual businesses face, as well as the interconnectedness of the rural economy with national issues,” she said. “Through ongoing conversations, collaborative efforts and supportive policies, we can build a more resilient, sustainable future for rural communities and enhance business succession planning for generations to come.”

Ernst supports these efforts and appreciates the opportunity to hear directly from small-business owners in Iowa. It’s important to share these perspectives in Congress and make sure Iowans’ voices are heard at the national level, she said.

“I commend the Hildreth family for achieving their American dream and operating a fantastic small business,” she said. “Congratulations to the entire team on their incredible commitment to our communities. I look forward to seeing your continued growth and success in Iowa.”

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby

Keaton Graffunder, an employee of Hildreth Co., operated this Vermeer horizontal directional drill on Thursday to bury about 1,500 feet of a power line about 4 feet deep at Kurt Vermazen’s property east of Rinard. Earlier this year, the Hildreth Company worked with engineers from the Vermeer Corp. in Pella to test prototypes of new Vermeer equipment at Lakeside Landing at Twin Lakes.