Whitaker Construction buys Idaho contractor

Whitaker Construction Co., a Brigham City-based contractor that is owned by its employees, has acquired Das-co of Idaho Inc. Both companies specialize in underground utility construction. As part of the transaction, Das-co will also become an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) company.

“For us, Das-co is a new market, specializing in similar underground utility services of natural gas and telecommunication construction, allowing for additional growth opportunities in the sewer, water and heavy civil segments,” said Mike Whitaker, president of Whitaker Construction. “It’s also a chance to grow our ESOP and help a company that was looking to transition to employee ownership.” {mprestriction ids="1,3"}

The shift to employee ownership was what made the deal attractive to Das-co, said Jeff Dancer, president of Nampa, Idaho-based firm. He had been researching ESOPs when he met Whitaker, he said.

“There’s not only pride and motivation in employee ownership,” Whitaker said, “but work can be completed at a higher level of quality and efficiency because we can share specialized equipment, experienced project planning teams and professional work crews.”

Whitaker started its family-owned business in 1953 and today has 400 employee-owners serving clients in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon and Colorado. Founded in 1970 Das-co brings 135 employees to the Whitaker staff.{/mprestriction}