After 125 years of doing business in the Midlands, Lueder Construction Co. still struggles with minor identity issues.
“It's pronounced leader, not looder,” said Carmie Egger, who has been executive secretary for 51 years. “People continually pronounce it looder.”
Egger, 69, regularly has to correct clients, callers and other people who mispronounce the name of the company she has worked for since she was 18.
“I used to pick up the phone and say, ‘Leader Construction,' and people would say, ‘Is Bob Looder there?'”
Despite the pronunciation difficulties, Lue-der Construction has thrived, its longevity a testament to the dedication and hard work of its employees, say current and former company presidents.
Egger is the perfect example. She has worked alongside four of the company's five owners and is the second-largest shareholder of the employee-owned company. A.C. Busk, who founded the company in 1884, is the only owner Egger hasn't worked for.
“It's been a wonderful place for me to work,” she said. “I wish everyone would have an opportunity to be in a position like I am and to work with the people that I do.”
The company carried Busk's name for 56 years, until Roy Lueder changed it when his son, Bob, joined the firm in 1940.
Bob Lueder, 88, said his father didn't pressure him to join the construction business, but he did promise to change the firm's name if Bob joined the company.
Busk retired in 1939. Bob helped his father run the company from 1940 to 1982, when Ronald W. Ewasiuk became the president.
Egger isn't the only Lueder veteran with an impressive tenure. Superintendents Bill Hahn and Elmer Herman are both mainstays, with more than 40 years each at the company.
R. Brad von Gillern, Lueder's current president, said a number of people have been with the company more than 30 years.
Lueder is a full-service general contracting firm that has left a lasting mark in the Midlands with projects that include the Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Fremont, Creighton University Medical Center and Nebraska Furniture Mart.
The company's reputation and ability to do its own concrete work, carpentry, masonry, steel and pre-engineered building erection set it apart from competitors, von Gillern said.
Since 2000, von Gillern has been president and majority shareholder of Lueder Construction.
The company has thrived despite stiff competition, he said.
“From the business aspect, it's a favorable economic place to do business, but that work ethic makes it difficult in our industry because there are so many people with a strong work ethic,” he said. “We compete against a lot of people with a strong work ethic that aren't operating as full-service construction companies.”
Revenue in the past few years has ranged from $22 million and $35 million, von Gillern said.
Lueder Construction has remained a mainstay in the Omaha community because of the openness the company has with employees, said Bob Lueder.
Von Gillern writes weekly, companywide newsletters that keep employees informed on the inner workings of the company, a strategy that helps bridge the gap between the work being done in the office and that being done on construction sites, he said.
Lueder Construction has taken full advantage of industry changes, such as using computers and communication technology to coordinate jobs.
Contact the writer:
444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com
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