A SALUTE TO AN CUSTOMER

KGM CONTRACTORS, INC.

  Quality work and integrity are the calling cards of this versatile, family-owned Minnesota firm
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When it comes to moving dirt, there's not much that Angora, Minnesota-based KGM Contractors, Inc. can't or won't do. Roads, airports, landfills, treatment plants, commercial building sites - if earthmoving is involved, KGM can do the job.

"We lay pipe, we crush rock, we can do almost anything a customer wants us to do - but it's almost always associated with dirt work," said KGM president Karla Abramson. "Moving dirt and grading - that's our specialty. It's what we like, and what we do best. Sometimes we do other things because they're necessary, for example, crushing. If we can find a reliable rock supplier, we'll use him. But when we can't, we've got the option of crushing our own. It's just a way to ensure we do the best job for our customer."

"We're very open-minded about the type of work we bid, and we're not afraid to take on difficult and challenging jobs," said corporate secretary and head estimator Mark Abramson. "With our own experience and the people we

Abramson Family
(L-R) Family members Forrest Abramson, Karla Abramson and Mark Abramson work together at KGM Contractors, Inc. The diversified, Angora, Minn., construction company specializes in all types of earthmoving work.

have, we're going to figure out a way to get the job done, and you can be assured, it's going to be done right."

Being able to handle a wide range of projects is a necessity for KGM. "We don't have a large population base in northern Minnesota (Angora is only about 75 miles south of International Falls)," Karla pointed out. "Therefore, we have to be versatile and be willing to travel. In addition to working throughout Minnesota, we also bid jobs in North Dakota and Wisconsin."

Family affair

Karla and Mark are brother and sister. Two other brothers, Gary (who serves as vice president and grading foreman) and Kerry (superintendent), are also active in the company. Their father, Forrest Abramson, has no official position, but is a VIP at KGM.

"Our dad had his own business, Abramson Construction, and in many ways, this is an offshoot of that," said Karla. "He doesn't have a title or any specific duties with KGM, but he is really the guiding force around here."

Forrest Abramson worked with his father, Emil, in the logging business before going off on his own, starting Abramson Construction in the early 1960s. "We got a contract to build the Orr Airport in about 1962 and just kept growing from there," Forrest recalled.

Just as he had done earlier, Forrest's children started their own company.

"We all learned from Dad," Karla recalled. "I was the oldest and a girl, but I started on a bulldozer, just like my brothers did. We started KGM in the early 1980s, mostly as a trucking firm. As we acquired more equipment, we started doing some clearing and grubbing, so we incorporated in 1984."

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