ICM’s founder and current Chairman of the Board – Burnie Zercher – began the company 40 years ago this month. Burnie worked for Eby Construction Company out of Wichita, Kansas after college, taking on several projects for CF&I Steel Mills. After the steel market crash of 1982, the head Engineer, John Winkley, asked Burnie to hang around and viola – ICM was born. The remaining 40 years is now history.
While ICM is rooted in the steel industry, we’ve diversified over the years, and now consistently employ around 300 people who represent seven different trades, most of whom are union members. CF&I was our first client, but now we typically work on over 500 projects each year. We also have two offices – one in Pueblo and another in Commerce City – and we generated $63 million in 2022, ranking us 11th regionally according to ENR Mountain States’ Regional Top Speciality Contractor listing.
Our work is challenging, demanding and vital for our communities – we work on everything from power plants, food manufacturers, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and mining, to aerospace, water/wastewater, manufacturing facilities and government projects run through the Department of Defense. The list is extensive and always growing.
We’ve embraced and lived our motto of – “We love a challenge” – for 40 years because it encourages us to do our best, to think creatively, and to make our work safer and of the highest quality. It also ensures that we lead with integrity in everything we do – doing as we say, and saying as we do. I can tell you Burnie is definitely proud of the legacy we’ve continued to carry on.
Our motto of ‘We love a challenge’ also extends to our community work where we’ve invested significant time, money and resources into causes that matter. Burnie is particularly fond of promoting childhood literacy and advocacy, and he helped initiate EPIC – Executives Partnering to Invest in Children – in Pueblo and Southeastern Colorado.
ICM continues to do what it can to strengthen this cause. Last month, our Commerce City office assembled 75 bikes for second graders at Alsup Elementary School as part of Wish for Wheels, which donates bikes and helmets to second graders at Title 1 schools. It was an honor and a joy to see 75 smiling faces, many of whom had never owned a bike before. The Pueblo office will be sponsoring a similar Wish for Wheels Event in May of 2024 for a lucky Title 1 school in Pueblo.
But most importantly – all of this success is because of the ICM family. From our employees, to our new and long standing clients, to the families that support us. You are the bread and butter of this operation, and the reason we’re not just surviving, but thriving. Thank you for giving us your best everyday, for trusting us to work on your projects and for supporting us when we come home every night. We couldn’t have made it this far without you, and for that we are grateful.
Cheers to another 40 years of continued growth and success!
Sincerely,
Ed Myers
