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Contractor of the Year Finalist

C ONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR FINALIST by Amy Matterson Don E. Kelly Contractor Don Kelly Norwood, Missouri U nlike many contractors, Don Kelly didn’t have roots in the construction industry. His father was in politics and Don made a living building barb wire fences, mostly for farms. That changed in the early 1970s, when, every morning before work, Don would go to the same local gas station to ﬁll up. There he would often run into John Long, a friend who performed installation and repair work for a local phone company. Telling Don he should be in telephone work, Long gave Don the name of a general contractor in nearby Tipton, Missouri. Don thought about it, and then called Jerry Hartman of LP&H Construction. “He asked me how much experience I had, and about my equipment. I told him I didn’t have any experience and I didn’t have any equipment, and he said, ‘Well, then why did you call me?’ Don convinced Hartman to meet him the following Saturday morning and came away with a $12,800 contract for aerial work in Lewisburg, Kansas. Don liked the idea of traveling, and a few days later, he and his fence building crew Year started: 1973 Number of employees: 34 Annual volume: $5 million Markets served: Buried telecommunications were climbing poles. Today, Don’s company handles strictly buried telecommunications, discontinuing aerial work in the late 1980s. Working primarily for telephone companies in Missouri and the surrounding states, Don’s crews handle everything from small routine placement to large scale exchange rebuilds. A true family business Although Don’s business didn’t begin as a family affair, it’s deﬁnitely one now. His ofﬁce and shop are next to his home and farm. His EquipmentWorld.com 45

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