Hankins Construction is topping off its 75th Anniversary year by launching a new brand and updated logo, designed to reflect its reputation as a top Missouri building contractor focused on pre-planning and personalized attention. The company’s new URL can be found at: HankinsMidwest.com
Founded in 1945 by the father-son team of George and Wade Hankins, Hankins Construction continues the family building tradition today under the new banner, “Hankins Construction. The Next Generation of Building.” The company is led by fourth generation owners and brothers Stephen and Erik Hankins, who together, have more than 25 years’ full-time experience with the company.
The brothers were introduced to construction by their father, Dave, who served at the helm from 1980 to 2016. “ We learned the business from the bottom up – working as teens under our father in the warehouse and on the job sites,” said Stephen Hankins, president, LEED® AP BD+C, who joined the company full-time in 2006. “The most important lessons we learned were ‘make sure you do it right the first time’ and ‘work safe’ so everyone can go home safely to their families.”
Stephen’s younger brother Erik, CM-LEAN, joined the company in 2011 and serves as vice president/project manager, leading the company’s lean principles.“Typical jobsites are filled with waste, and we are not talking trash, as defined by the LEAN principles this is any action that does not directly correlate the final completion. Once you develop an eye of these waste on a jobsite you can suggest time saving actions that will benefit the project greatly in the long run.”
Hankins Construction works in a number of markets, including municipal, educational, churches, healthcare, officer/retail, among others. “We go where our clients take us,” added Stephen. “And a lot of our clients are repeat customers who have built with us before.”
Recent projects include: Flint Hill Elementary Phase 2 and 3, Elsberry School District Campus Wide Additions and Renovations, Wentzville Middle School Kitchen and Cafeteria Renovation, and Workforce Development Center for the Lincoln County School District.
Other major projects include the Pattonville Early Childhood Center; the United Methodist Church of Green Trails; a 90,000-sq. ft. renovation/addition to the Clayton Community Center and Natatorium; and firehouses for Valley Park, Northeast Ambulance and Firehouse, and the Spanish Lake Fire District. The company also retrofitted a former Missouri Vehicle Emissions Inspection facility into a new YWCA Early Childhood Center at I-70 and Florissant Road. They also completed a new E-Sports classroom for Confluence Academy, paving the way for a whole new e-sports curriculum track at the school.
Another standout project was the new Hi-Pointe drive-thru restaurant on McCausland/Skinker Avenues, just north of I-64 and south of the Hi-Pointe Theatre on Clayton Road. “We are fairly open-minded about challenges,” observed Stephen. “When they told us they wanted to put pre-fab shipping containers on a very small site, we figured out how to do it, despite the tight site. We like it when a client throws down the gauntlet and we can meet it. That’s what makes our job interesting.”
The brothers believe that its relationships and personal touches provide the real value-add for clients. “Our pre-planning approach and the amount of time and effort we devote at the beginning of a project really sets us apart,” added Stephen. “New technologies also have had a tremendous impact on our industry, from design and building materials, to project scheduling and management. In the future, we fully expect to see more drones, robots, artificial intelligence, and 3-D printing. But in the end, we believe it is the relationships and people who make a project successful. “
Hankins Construction currently operates out of 6,000-sq.-ft. offices in Overland and they hope to significantly expand their nearby 15,000-sq. ft. warehouse in the near future. For information, visit HankinsMidwest.com or call 314-426-7030.