Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/476554
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ou're on a Pennsylvania highway,
wheel-to-wheel with muddy, salt-
crusted trucks. And then, a pristine,
gleaming red Mack
®
dump truck bursts into
view. If you're from the Keystone State, then
you know you've just spotted one of the
Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. trucks.
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in the gritty heavy construction business, and
it's an integral part of the company's brand-
ing. But more than that, the trucks are a shin-
ing representation of everything the
family-owned business stands for: pride,
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Dan Hawbaker expects the best from his
company, and that expectation has fueled six
decades of continued growth.
GOH was founded in 1952 by Hawbaker's
parents, Glenn O. and Thelma Hawbaker.
They started out with a half-dozen employ-
ees, a few dump trucks, a track loader and a
tag-along trailer. The small excavation com-
pany drew well below $1 million in revenue,
but the wheels had been set in motion, and
the gains grew rapidly.
Today, Dan Hawbaker continues the family
legacy by running the company with his sons,
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Hawbaker. They began working in the busi-
ness early and by the time they were 11 they
were sweeping the shop and washing the
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were laying pipe in the ditches. Michael and
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ing them about the family business but also
how to treat the men and women they lead.
"There are no amateurs within the ranks,"
Michael Hawbaker says. "My brother and I
believe that every employee serves a critical
function, and we respect them for the profes-
sionals they are."
The strong work ethic continues through
the generations as the company expands.
GOH has transitioned to heavy construction,
offering an assortment of services including
asphalt paving, road and bridge construction
and rehabilitation, site excavation, gas well
service and construction, and engineering
design. GOH employs 1,200 people and has
annual revenue of more than $250 million.
This is not just a testimony to hard work
and dedication: It's also a generational suc-
cess story, and the senior Hawbaker's pride is
evident, even as he downplays the
metamorphosis from mom-and-pop shop to
a big-time corporate power.
"The thing about it is, that's 60-something
years later," Hawbaker says, chuckling.
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people who want to follow our family philoso-
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make sure everybody stays on the same
page."
The company operates 24 quarries and 8
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York and eastern Ohio. Its customers include
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lengthy roster of municipalities, colleges and
corporate entities. GOH's larger projects run
up to $60 million and include everything from
working on interstates to renovating the run-
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But with success comes challenges.
Several years ago, budget cuts to
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resulted in a 30 percent decrease in the com-
pany revenue.
Dan Hawbaker took it in stride, nimbly navi-
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new customers, particularly in the energy
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be, and there was a mad rush for companies
to tap into the lucrative Marcellus Shale,
which stretches 104,000 square miles across
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West Virginia, southeast Ohio and upstate
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