This “crazy diverse” Iowa contractor thrives on doing work that other companies shun

“I knew from high school I wanted to be a contractor,” says Jeff Pettiecord. So he started doing small remodeling jobs shortly after graduating, and eventually started his company in 1984.

But it was the early 1980s and times were tough. “I literally chased fire trucks,” Jeff recalls. He’d call on the owners of the fire-damaged buildings, offering his restoration services. He then took on snow -removal, any job he could find, and found he needed more equipment. “I ended up buying a backhoe,” Jeff says, “and started digging with it, and just kept on going.”

Nick Wylie, J. Pettiecord’s executive vice president, calls the company “crazy diverse. We do the things that other people don’t want to do.” That includes environmental construction, 24-hour spill response, underground storage tank removal, heavy hauling and land clearing. And now the company has branched into Iowa Department of Transportation highway work. “Highway funding is huge for us,” Nick says, a fact that’s prompted him to lobby for highway funding in the Iowa legislature, located just down the road from the firm’s offices in northern Des Moines.

Wylie joined J. Pettiecord when he was 19 years old and going to college. The first year, he worked in the shop and drove a truck, then took on estimating. He continued both: working full time and -going to college, earning a business degree. After working for another company for more than a year, Wylie came back to J. Pettiecord. “It was the best decision,” he says. “Jeff and I compliment each other, and we see things from different perspectives, which is good.” Adds Pettiecord: “He’s been a fantastic asset to the company.”

Clients are raving fans of this leadership team. “Pettiecord is one of the most professional, easy to deal with, and outstanding firms we’ve ever worked with,” says Darren Fife with engineering firm Barker Lemar. “They stand out for their level of detail, expertise and quality of work.”

“Jeff is the most ethical contractor I know,” says client Tom Norcross with Jim Hawk Trailers. “We spent $1.8 million tearing down our office and rebuilding it. Jeff did the demo and dirt work and I had him do it without a bid. I knew he’d treat me right. When the bill came in, it was just what I expected.”

J. Pettiecord’s slate of heavy work requires massive amounts of equipment. The company has a seven-bay shop and seven technicians. “We keep our mechanics busy year around,” Pettiecord says, adding that “you can throw anything at” mechanics Todd Johnson and Dave Phillips. “They are just phenomenal.”