RAMSEY EXCAVATING COMPANY, INC.

A As unusual as it may sound, Ramsey Excavating Company is approaching a decade on one jobsite, almost as long as the company itself has been in existence.

“We started the Heritage Park project in 1998, about a year after I went into business for myself,” said Al Ramsey, President of Ramsey Excavating. “Originally we were contracted to do about 180,000 yards of mass excavation with removal and replacement in a four-city-block area that’s part of an urban renewal effort. A large contractor out of Detroit was doing the bulk demolition work and needed some help with existing lots that had to be cleared. We still have a presence there — we’ve done tree clearing, demolition and even some mowing. It gives us a sense of pride because we’re still working for the original contractor we worked for in the beginning and have worked for others along the way.

“Working for repeat customers has been a hallmark of ours all along,” he added. “That’s where a large portion of our work comes from.

President Al Ramsey (right) founded Ramsey Excavating in 1997 and was joined in ownership a year later by Vice President Tom Loegering. The Minneapolis-based company does excavation and demolition in the Twin Cities metro area.

We’ve always strived to do topnotch work, to do a quality job right the first time. It’s what we instill in our employees, and our customers see that and continue to call us back.”

The Heritage Park project also highlights nearly every facet of Ramsey Excavating’s services. Located in Minneapolis, the company has grown from its origins of basement excavation into a full-service site-excavation and demolition company that continues to work, not only for its first customer at Heritage Park, but for numerous satisfied customers throughout the Twin Cities metro area. A year into the company’s existence, Ramsey was joined in ownership by Tom Loegering, who is the Vice President.

“Al and I knew each other from working together at another company,” explained Loegering. “I went my own way and he started the business. Eventually, he talked me into doing weekend work for him and finally convinced me to take on an ownership role. It’s a good setup for us. He runs the office side of the business and I take care of the field operations.”

Change in field operations

The field operations for Ramsey Excavating have changed greatly since Ramsey founded the company a decade ago. The original intent was to dig basements for residential housing. They did about a half dozen before setting their sites more toward industrial and commercial projects that often include demolition and site work as part of a full package of services.

“The two are often related because we’re involved with many urban renewal projects, but they aren’t necessarily tied to each other,” Ramsey said. “We do separate demolition and excavation projects, including offering site packages for dirt work that includes utilities.