Equipment World

June 2015

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EquipmentWorld.com | June 2015 89 "I knew from high school I wanted to be a con- tractor," says Jeff Pet- tiecord. So he started doing small remodel- ing jobs shortly after graduating, and eventually started his company in 1984. But it was the early 1980s and times were tough. "I literally chased fire trucks," Jeff recalls. He'd call on the owners of the fire-damaged buildings, offering his restoration services. He then took on snow removal, any job he could find, and found he needed more equipment. "I ended up buying a backhoe," Jeff says, "and started digging with it, and just kept on going." Nick Wylie, J. Pettiecord's ex- ecutive vice president, calls the company "crazy diverse. We do the things that other people don't want to do." That includes environ- mental construction, 24-hour spill response, underground storage tank removal, heavy hauling and land clearing. And now the company has branched into Iowa Department of Transportation highway work. "Highway funding is huge for us," Nick says, a fact that's prompted him to lobby for highway funding in the Iowa legislature, located just down the road from the firm's of- fices in northern Des Moines. Wylie joined J. Pettiecord when he was 19 years old and going to college. The first year, he worked in the shop and drove a truck, then took on estimating. He continued both: working full time and going contractor of the year | by Marcia Gruver Doyle | MGruver@randallreilly.com Jeff Pettiecord and Nick Wylie Jeff Pettiecord Nick Wylie Des Moines, Iowa J. Petticord Incorporated Year started: 1984 Annual volume: $7 to $10 million Number of employees: 40 Markets: Environmental remediation, hazmat response, heavy land clearing and grinding, demolition, heavy haul trucking This "crazy diverse" Iowa company thrives on doing work that other companies shun

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