Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/894232
EquipmentWorld.com | November 2017 55 M arka Sawyer tells a story about her son, Tom: "When we put him on a bus to go to his first day of kindergarten, he got upset. 'I don't want to go to school,' he said. 'I want to stay and work with dad!'" For Tom Sawyer, it's always been about construction. His grandfather and father were in the business. "It's all I ever knew," he says, "and there wasn't any doubt about what I was going to do." He went from working summers in high school to working full-time after he graduated, "doing what- ever needed to be done," he says, adding with a laugh: "I ended up being the boss, whether I liked it or not." That work ethic inevitably led to his taking over the reins of Saw- yer Construction from his parents Tom Sr. and Marka Sawyer in 2005. Throughout the generational changes, the family firm has stayed at the same location in Fremont since 1955, adding on to the build- ing on Cloverly Road three times. The $4 million-to-$5 million com- pany now does concrete paving, grading and utility installation for both governmental and commercial clients within a 100-mile radius. "We want to get everyone home every night," Tom says. contractor of the year | by Marcia Gruver Doyle | MGruver@randallreilly.com Family heritage runs deep in growing Nebraska firm Tom Sawyer, Sawyer Construction City, State: Fremont, Nebraska Year Started: 1955 Number of employees: 20 Annual revenue: $4 million to $5 million Markets served: Concrete paving, grading and utility installation