Stewart Concrete Products
Manager: Tony Hitchcock (pictured)
Location: Halfway, Mo.
History: Estel Stewart began Stewart Concrete Products in 1962 in Halfway, Mo., inside Polk County.
“He felt a need existed for long life, precast concrete items farmers use daily and soon expanded to provide additional agricultural items such as waterers and feed bunks,” current manager Tony Hitchcock said. “He began with a one-man operation that has grown to 35 employees and five locations: Halfway, Neveda, Lincoln and Spokane, as well as another precast facility in Webb City, Mo. I took over management of the company in 2001.”
Products and Services: Agriculture represents about 40 percent of the Stewart Concrete Products business, with the other 60 percent being construction.
For agriculture, the company offers freeze proof waters, spring tanks, storm shelters and cattle guards as well as silage, grain and fence line bunks.
“We focus on excavation contractors which install water systems, ponds, septic systems and drainage,” Tony said. “In order to make our business a one-stop service, we also offer culverts and a variety of plumbing supplies. All of our precast concrete products are made in our batch plants out of sand, rock and cement. Our products have a 5,000 PSI, which is a higher grade of concrete than most concrete agricultural products on the market.
“One of the most important aspects of our business is customer service,” Tony said. “We offer system design options for a variety of projects in addition to detailed and individual attention.”
Philosophy and future: One of the keys to success of Stewart Concrete is maintaining a staff with the right people in order to provide superior quality and customer service.
“Another key is for me to be hands-on. I never ask anyone to do something I won’t or haven’t done myself,” Tony said. “Finally, diversity, that is providing both agricultural and construction products, allows the business to weather market changes much more easily.”
