Business Spotlight: Heideman|Associates Inc.

by Laura Scott

SBJ Contributing Writer

sbj@sbj.net

From hospital expansion projects in Springfield to chicken houses overseas, engineering firm Heideman|Associates brings its talent and knowledge to bear on a diverse range of projects.

Based in St. Louis, Heideman|Associates is a branch of Zak Companies Inc., (formerly Zak-Heideman). The company's other branches are in Phoenix, Belleville, Ill., and Houston, Texas.

While the Springfield office focuses on civil and structural engineering, other Zak branches provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection. Springfield's branch is independent, yet it has the advantage of drawing on the skills at other Zak company sites.

"The benefit of the parent company is that if we need expertise in areas we don't have, we have the resources to choose from," said Associate Kevin Skibiski, PE, PLS, engineer for Heideman|Associates. "In addition, they can consult us here when they need our expertise. We create our own work. We don't rely on the parent company to send us work, but we're tied together financially and connected electronically by computer."

The firm has a 40-year history of providing expertise, technical depth and client service in construction management and environmental engineering services.

The Zak Companies, under president and CEO Bob Zak, also include Construction Strategies Inc., Franklin Mechanical Inc., Zak Map Inc., and K&F Electric Inc.

In Springfield since 1996, Heideman|Associates' earliest local projects were with St. John's and Cox hospitals. "The focus was mechanical, electrical and fire protection," said Skibiski. "When I came on board, we focused more on civil, structural engineering and land surveying."

Skibiski, who holds a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla, was hired by Heideman|Associates in 2001, bringing with him 19 years of experience in the Springfield-Ozark area.

Skibiski brought additional clients to the firm, including David Hostetler, a Mennonite businessman from Buffalo, who has a truss manufacturing company.

"Kevin does all our engineering," said Hostetler. "We've worked together for 20 years and have built church houses and chicken houses all over the world. When we found Kevin, we were looking for an engineer who understood what we were doing. He seemed to catch on. When he moved to Heideman, we moved with him."

Skibiski has worked with Hostetler on projects in Egypt, Korea, Japan, Africa, Bangladesh, China, Jamaica and Egypt. "We build and ship worldwide," he said. "We started out doing chicken houses for poultry businesses in other countries."

Locally, Heideman has completed work at the Cox South parking garage, doing civil and site work. In addition, the company has worked on various subdivisions.

"Most of what we do is land development," said Skibiski. "We've done a lot of subdivisions in the last three years, including Scenic View, Creekside and finishing the design on the Frisco trails."

Regionally, the firm has worked on Sparta Industrial Park and is bidding on projects like the Copeland Branch Sewer Project in Branson. Skibiski serves as the city engineer in Fair Grove, reviewing all subdivisions and helping on municipal projects. The company also works with Danny Schwartz, an Amish builder in Seymour who does timber frame construction.

Dwayne Johnson of Ozark Structures builds trusses and panel walls and uses Heideman's services regularly. "We've worked on numerous projects together and have worked with Kevin for three years. When we work with him, things work good and he is familiar with what we do. He's knowledgeable," Johnson said.

Another project on which Heideman is consulting is Town and Country Village, a 135-acre mixed development commercial subdivision going up on Highway 14 in Ozark.

"We've kept a low profile," said Skibiski. "We've been marketing some, but we're not ones to pat ourselves on the back. We're proud of our work and we strive for professionalism and quality and repeat business."

Heideman employs 14 people, including two engineers. In addition to Skibiski, Jim Danley, formerly an engineer with City Utilities, helps on design and marketing part-time. Richard Cox, also retired from City Utilities, helps on the surveying side, offering guidance and reviewing projects and doing marketing for the company. "We have dedicated, experienced people who average 15 to 20 years of experience. Some have over 30 years," said Skibiski.

Jerry Hartfield, a structural engineer for the company, was recently called to active duty in the military. "The other employees in the office and I are doing his work while he's away," said Skibiski. Hartfield, in the Air Force Reserves, was sent to Little Rock, then to Germany for four months. He's now in North Carolina awaiting deployment to Iraq in September. "His desk will be waiting for him when he comes back," Skibiski said.

Heideman's service area covers a 100-mile radius of Springfield, but they also do work all over the world. "We try to serve developers and municipalities and we also do some commercial design like Cox Hospital," Skibiski said.

Charges for services vary by project, he said. "We're competitive on cost. In the local market, everybody is pretty much the same. The competition is our biggest challenge. We try to do quality work and treat our clients professionally. It's a chore to employ 14 people and keep everybody busy while providing good services to people that need it. Our job is to be problemsolvers and offer solutions that are economical and that work."

Revenues at Heideman|Associates topped $800,000 last year and the firm is looking to top that this year with projects like CoxHealth's expansion and work with developers around Springfield and outlying areas.

"We can't announce all our new projects, but there are always new things happening," Skibiski said.