As St. Louis-based Byrne & Jones Construction celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding, it is expanding with the acquisition of Midwest Foundation, a Peoria, Ill. marine construction services company. Founded in 1969, Midwest Foundation has been a fixture along the Illinois River and other rivers in the Midwest. It installs piling foundations and serves the bridge construction industry including demolition, construction and repair. It also provides dock repairs, lock and dam rehabilitations and equipment leasing.
“Midwest Foundation was a good match for us,” said Brian Goggins, president of Byrne & Jones “We’ve both long focused on understanding our customer needs and being problem solvers. The acquisition gives Byrne & Jones a specialty niche in marine work that will help us grow our business.”
Rick Tockes, who has more than 30 years of experience in the marine construction industry, will manage the new marine division of Byrne & Jones. The operation will remain in the Peoria, Ill. area, where it employs seven people in its office and up to 50 people in the field depending on work volume.
The Byrne & Jones marine division will continue Midwest Foundation’s long service to public and private entities along rivers and lakes in the Midwest including the Illinois River, Mississippi River, Missouri River, Ohio River and other waterways. It inherits capabilities that have included:
- Construction of the river piers including the foundations on the Page Avenue Bridge in St. Louis and the construction of the four main river pier bases including the foundations for the Clark Bridge in Alton, Ill.
- Creating barge mooring cells for the Army Corps of Engineers along the Ohio River at the Smithland Lock and Dam in Smithland, Ky.
- Bridge demolition including the Lexington Bridge in Lexington, Mo, the old Cape Girardeau Bridge in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Franklin Street Bridge in Peoria, Ill., and the Hennepin Bridge in Hennepin, Ill.
- Dredging work to improve navigation and environmental improvements for the Army Corp of Engineers, including the creation of an island on the Illinois River to improve bird and marine habitats.
- Land-based pile driving for commercial and industrial businesses including Bass Pro Shops, Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) and Caterpillar, Inc.
- Improvements to Ameren Illinois power plants along the Illinois River.
The marine division has a fleet of 16 barges and two tugboats, which it also leases along with crawler cranes with lifting capacities from 65 tons to 230 tons. More about Midwest Foundation can be found at www.midwestfoundation.com.
Byrne & Jones Construction is the St. Louis area’s largest commercial paving contractor. Founded in 1976, it serves its clients through six divisions – concrete, sports, asphalt, soil stabilization, marine and micro surfacing.