History

Weidenbach Concrete Works, formerly Weidenbach Construction, is one of the few South Dakota Century Businesses in the state. In 1989, South Dakota’s centennial year, this honor was bestowed on businesses that were in the same business, family, and town for over 100 years. Our family’s relationship with Parkston has been developing since 1886 when Jacob Weidenbach relocated his furniture business from Scotland, SD. At that time, the building demands in the area called for freight hauling, which led Jacob into the dray line business or simply put, hauling large objects. This quickly developed into the house moving and general construction business. It was that same construction business which brought about the start of the concrete business named Weidenbach Construction. Jacob and his wife also brought something else new to Parkston. Their son, John J., had the unique distinction of being the first boy born in Parkston.

Upon his father’s retirement, John J. took over operations in 1931. John J. continued in the house moving and general construction business until his retirement. As was the tradition, John J.’s sons, Marvin and Howard, then took over the reins of Weidenbach Construction. It was during this era that Weidenbach Construction moved into the concrete ready-mix business. The boys purchased a 4 yard mixer truck and a “Fast-Way” batch plant in 1959. This was a dramatic improvement over the methods used in the past. First a hoe and a mud box, then a ¼ yard mixer, then a bay hopper style mixer, and finally the 4-yard ready-mix truck. In the 1970’s Howard eventually purchased Marvin’s portion of the business and with that change, so too changed the business. Weidenbach Construction moved towards concrete production and concrete construction, and house moving became more of a side line business.

Keeping in line with tradition, Howard’s sons, John and Paul joined the company in the 1980’s. In 1994, Paul purchased both Howard and John’s share of the business, thus making him the 4th generation owner of Weidenbach Construction. Paul’s son Jacob, who is named after the company’s founder, and his daughter Amy, have also worked at Weidenbach Construction, making them the 5th generation of the Weidenbach family involved in the business.

Weidenbach Construction has always strived to be a leader in the concrete industry. Being in a small market has not limited our desire to be innovative or creative. In an effort to build on our tradition and at the same time grow with the ever-changing concrete business, we have expanded our business to Freeman, South Dakota. We hauled our first load out of our new plant in May of 2007. We have also changed our name to Weidenbach Concrete Works to canvas the entire area of concrete production. We hope these changes illustrate our willingness to stay abreast of an ever-changing industry while always maintaining a high standard of quality and integrity. With continued hard work and a strong commitment to excellence, we look forward to many more years of providing quality concrete products.