Carmichael Construction LLC

Carmichael Construction LLC has been a family-owned business since it was founded in 1943. Located in Hastings, Nebraska, the company is a full-service general contractor serving the commercial and industrial sectors. “We’re a complete provider of whatever the customer needs,” says Dale Hamburger, general manager and president of Carmichael Construction. “That’s what we’ve been doing for more than 70 years.”

As a third-generation owner of Carmichael Construction, Hamburger has been with the family business for 42 years. “My grandfather started the company and then my dad and my uncle took it over when he passed away,” Hamburger explains. “The business was eventually handed down to me and my brothers, and now we have a few of our sons working with us.”

Multiservice with modern technology

Carmichael Construction has developed a wide range of in-house capabilities, including the use of computer-based design, estimating, scheduling and AutoCAD. This allows the company to check or create specification for every aspect of the construction project, including the size of anchor bolts, foundation designs and structural variables such as widths, clearances and load additions. The team can also plot and turn out plans or modifications as needed, avoiding multi location turnaround delays.

As a family business, Carmichael Construction is concerned with community footprint. While providing construction services all over the state of Nebraska, the company recently had the opportunity to showcase its talents in its hometown of Hastings. “We did a complete renovation of Duncan Field which was an old legion baseball field right here in town,” says Hamburger. “We basically tore everything down to the ground and then built it all back up completely new, except for the field.”

The field was originally built in 1940 as a public works project and has become one of Nebraska’s best-loved sports venues. The facility has been the site of the American Legion’s Little League World Series on three occasions and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra played youth baseball at the field. The $2.8 million project was the first update the facility had undergone in more than 40 years.

Now that the field has been renovated, the entire town of Hastings has access to the facility. “There will be a State Legion baseball tournament at the field this year and they are trying to attract more events like that like.” Hamburger explains. “They are going to try to utilize it as much as they can now with whatever is out there.”

Hamburger points out a recent new construction project as a personal highlight. The job involved building an addition onto a truck driving technology wing at Central Community College in Hastings. “It was a pretty good sized building where students could take diesel technology courses,” says Hamburger. “The building had to permit the assembly and disassembly of diesel motors so it included an engine dynamometer for the students to place the motors on and test them.”

As the truck driving wing of the building remained active while the addition was under construction, Carmichael Construction avoided disrupting classes and activities throughout the entire process. “There were a lot of scheduling challenges presented which happens anytime you are adding onto a functioning building,” Hamburger explains. “Coordinating all the equipment, manpower and materials was a challenge that actually ended up being kind of fun.”

Upcoming projects for Carmichael Construction consist of a medical clinic, a bank branch and a manufacturing plant in Hastings.

Enduring relationships

A commercial general contractor, Carmichael Construction self-performs its share of work while maintaining a network of trustworthy subcontractors. “We typically will perform our own concrete, steel erection and carpentry work,” says Hamburger. “We’ll sub out the finishes such as drywall, paint, floor covering, ceilings and electrical and mechanical.”

When hiring subcontractors, the type of job will often influence the decision of which sub Carmichael Construction chooses to go with. “When we built the diesel technology wing, the subcontractors varied due to the unique items and situations we were faced with,” Hamburger explains. “Generally we use local contractors that we have built up relationships with over the 70 plus years we’ve been in business. We know who to use when and why. The ones that we have consistently worked with have always treated us well so it’s very important to us to maintain those relationships.”

With a strong backlog of work for Carmichael Construction, Hamburger plans to continue in the direction the company has been headed for the past 70 years. “The economy is getting better locally,” says Hamburger. “There are a lot of things going on and everything seems to be moving in a positive direction. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing because it has always worked for us.”

As Carmichael Construction LLC progresses into the future, the company will continue to provide quality craftsmanship and customer service in a safe and efficient environment.