The Company
In 1959, the Minnesota Highway Department awarded D.H. Blattner & Sons its first interstate highway project. It was a major milestone—the company’s first one million dollar contract—and it called for the excavation of 1.8 million cubic yards of material on a stretch of I-35 near Hinckley, Minnesota.
The undertaking was exceptionally massive at the time, and D.H. Blattner & Sons became a pioneer of techniques that are commonly used today to complete such large-scale projects.
In years to come, D.H. Blattner & Sons would bid and win six separate contracts along more than 250 miles of I-35. In 1963, the Construction Bulletin declared, "The name Blattner is becoming a byword on Interstate 35."
Work boomed as Minnesota completed I-90, I-94, I-494 and I-694, and others were quick to grow rapidly with the opportunities. D.H. Blattner & Sons won bids for work but remained calculated in its decision-making, choosing to balance risk against reward. This proved to be the right approach as the company continued to flourish long after interstate opportunities faded.
