Dairyland Peach Sections Business Profile 2019 | Page 20

Dairyland Peach Business Profile 2019, Page 20
With MBC Drainage, the impossible
might take a little longer
What started as a cooperative venture between five
farmers in 1975, evolved over 42 years into a regional
company specializing in tiling systems, ditching, ex-
cavation and gravel operations.
MBC Drainage began in 1975 when Don Miller,
Jim Miller, Dave Bailey, Art Bailey and Lewis Calkins
incorporated.
They first drained their own lands. They bought
a wheel trencher when they started, and intended to
drain their own farms to see if they wanted to con-
tinue. Installing underground tile, that is the nuts and
bolts of MBC Drainage.
“Farmers tile for many reasons: investment, higher
yields, preventing erosion and making the ground dry
means the plants are healthier and use the nutrients
the farmer puts on the fields. Tiling gives the farmer
a head start in the spring for planting because the
ground is dry and warmer,” said Howard Marthaler,
current owner along with Jason Marthaler and Karl
Larson.
The company began with determination and a
back hoe. Their work was quickly recognized and
other farmers, as well as townships, began seeking
out their services. They expanded in the West Union
- Sauk Centre area.
In 1984, MBC Drainage ownership downsized.
Jim Miller and Dave Bailey bought out the other
three owners. They moved their office into the Bai-
ley home, where Dave’s wife, Jane, became the book-
keeper.
In 2004, employees Howard, Jason and Karl
bought out Jim Miller, becoming partners with Dave
and Jane Bailey. All three already had a lot of experi-
ence. Karl was one of the first employees, starting in
1976. Howard joined in 1992, and Jason in 1996.
The ownership evolved and, in 2012, Howard, Ja-
son and Karl bought the company from Dave and
Jane Bailey, who continued on as employees until re-
tiring Jan. 1, 2017.
The business evolved, as well. In the early years
there was little government involvement. Work in-
cluded replacing culverts for townships and putting
tile under roadways.
Government involvement changed. In 1976, the
government stopped sharing the cost of tiling.
About 1985, government approval was needed for
almost everything and the paperwork increased 10,
15, 20 times.
Howard said, “We now deal with four or five gov-
ernment agencies.”
MBC Drainage has always done a lot of work for
watershed districts, which meant working with engi-
neers. If they did a ditch for the watersheds, they had
to work with an engineer.
The drainage plow owned and operated by MBC Drainage is a huge, hard working piece of equipment.
They also did a lot of cost sharing work with
farmers, where funds were received for projects like
sediment basins and ag waste systems.
They gradually increased the equipment and the
employees. The coverage area also increased to a 50-
75 mile radius by 2012. MBC now employs 14 people,
including the owners.
All of the current owners have done the dirty
work, the hard, muddy, wet feet type thing. They
have been through it all.
The company now is equipped with excavators,
bulldozers, dump trucks, a couple skid loaders, the
number one piece of equipment, the tile plow, and
a couple semis to move the equipment around. GPS
systems have made the work much more efficient
than the laser or the original level and a string.
They got the job done with the equipment they
had back then, and got it done right but it was much
slower.
“Once a farmer calls us, Jason goes out and meets
with them, looks at the project,” Howard said. “He
tells them what the job will cost and if it will work.”
MBC
Drainage LLC
“It depends on the government, how long it takes,”
Howard said, especially if wetlands are involved.
Other factors include the weather, spring thaw and
road restrictions. Winter is the time to plan for the
coming jobs.
The men look back over the years, and are satis-
fied with their work.
Over the years one of the big reasons they feel they
were successful and still are is the fact that they had
such good employees right from the start. Another
big reason is that the owners have always operated
the major equipment and still do.
Between the three current owners, they have well
over 75 years of experiences which they all feel is a
big thing.
“There is no job too big or too small,” Howard
said. “We’re the guys that can get it done. If it’s im-
possible it might take some time, but we’ll get ‘er
done.”
MBC Drainage LLC has offices at 1800 2nd St. S.,
Sauk Centre.
1800 2nd Street S
PO Box 72
Sauk Centre, MN 56378
Office 320.351.3908
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]