[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22324]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROOKS 1ST CONSTRUCTION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARK E. SOUDER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 22, 2009

  Mr. SOUDER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th Anniversary 
of Brooks 1st Construction. Brooks Construction is the consummate local 
family business. It started in 1909 as a partnership between two 
friends, James Brooks and Lester Ginn, with a $7,000 dollar investment 
from a Fort Wayne businessman, and today has grown into a leader in the 
construction development industry.
  The capable hands of Brooks 1st Construction were responsible for 
much of the Third District's early infrastructure development. What is 
known today as Old Maumee Road was originally constructed by Brooks in 
1911 to connect the cities of New Haven and Fort Wayne and was the 
first concrete road in the state of Indiana. With the growth of 
automobiles, Brooks Construction established itself as a leader in 
highway and road construction and in 1957 was charged with constructing 
the first section of the Indiana Toll Road.
  Today, it is the premier contractor in Northeast Indiana, 
constructing highways, paving residential and commercial areas, and 
installing underground utilities across the Midwest. It is the standard 
for quality--its expansion of
I-69 was selected as one of only eight finalists for the 1999 National 
Quality Initiative Award and five of its plants have received Diamond 
Awards from the National Association of Pavement and Development 
Association for excellence in appearance, safety, permitting and 
compliance, operations, environmental practices, and community 
relations.
  Over the years, innovation has also defined Brooks 1st Construction, 
and its developments have led to the advances throughout the 
construction industry. They were one of the first companies to use self 
propelled concrete mixers. When the limitations of early trucks and 
drivers led to difficulty transporting materials, James Brooks 
developed a `turntable' to automatically turn around trucks and allow 
for accurate unloading. Early construction projects were often hindered 
by mobility and the amount of time it would take to move from one job 
to the next. To address this issue, Brooks Construction helped design 
``portable'' plants, enabling them to move within 3 to 4 days. Their 
design soon became the industry standard greatly increasing efficiency.
  More recently, Brooks' innovative spirit has led to environmental 
advances. In collaboration with National Serv-All, it developed a 
Landfill Gas Energy Recovery Project that utilizes waste gases created 
at an area landfill to heat one of its asphalt production plants. It 
also attempts to incorporate recycled materials in its products working 
to constantly find new ways to reduce costs and create a green product.
  Throughout its long and successful history, Brooks 1st Construction 
has retained strong ties to the community where it got its start. The 
main facilities are still in Mishawaka, Goshen, Auburn and Fort Wayne 
Indiana. It is active with a number of local charities including 
Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Club, Family and Children 
Services to name a few. Brooks' contributions to educate young people 
and help them develop the leadership and entrepreneurial skills needed 
to succeed resulted in the company being inducted into the Junior 
Achievement Greater Business Hall of Fame.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 100th Anniversary 
of Brooks 1st Construction.

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