The Meaning of Michels
Michels is a proud, family owned and operated company, both factually and philosophically. We are guided by core values and committed to principles developed by the Michels family since 1959. We believe in providing solutions and continuously improving the quality and scope of our work. We care about our people, customers, and communities where we live and work.
We move ahead with passion and drive to separate ourselves from our competitors. With each passing year, we pursue new and more ways to build and maintain the world’s infrastructure. We tackle the largest projects and have the experience, structure, stability, and grit to deliver safe, reliable results. Building the way to a better future? We Do That … & More.
Mission & Vision
Vision
To exceed our customers’ expectations by continually setting the global standard for quality, safety, and environmental stewardship in utility and infrastructure construction.
Mission
To be the foremost provider of innovative construction solutions and value for our clients in their mission to serve the growing utility and infrastructure requirements of their customers around the world.
Core Values
Core Values in Action
History
And so it began …
In the late 1950s, pipeline welder Dale Michels had the vision to start his own business. He reached out to his brother-in-law, Ted Koenigs, and Ted’s business partner, Jim Michel. Michels Pipeline Construction Inc. was established in 1959.
Guided by Dale’s entrepreneurial spirit, Michels overcame considerable obstacles in its infancy by focusing on future opportunities. Inspired by founders Dale and Ruth, their sons lead a company where innovation is an expectation, not an exception.
A story of dedication
Soon after Michels was established, a sideboom fell onto Dale Michels, crushing his hip. With Dale in the hospital and the company’s future in peril, most crew members planned to leave. But Jerry (known as “Employee Number 1”), stepped up, convinced them to stay, and ran day-to-day operations in the field. By night, Jerry visited Dale in the hospital, discussing strategy for the next day. The pattern continued for a year as Dale recovered.
A base for innovation
In 1963, Dale Michels purchased the Brownsville, WI canning factory where he worked while in high school. It became Michels’ home base; the expansive yard was Dale Michels’ workplace and playground.
Few people will ever know exactly what happens inside the Brownsville yard, but all agree it is extraordinary. Mechanics and technicians design, build, modify, and maintain our equipment and vehicular fleet. Innovation emanates from each of the dozens of shops. Over the years, the yard behind Michels’ headquarters has grown into the home base of one of the largest fleets of construction equipment and trucks in North America.
Branching out
Diversification has been our goal since the beginning. Some of Michels Pipeline Construction’s first projects included installing telephone conduit in Waterloo, WI, and 16 miles of 6-inch steel gas mains from Wausau to Marathon, WI.
1970
In the 1970s, Michels expanded underground utility construction services by adding sewer, water, and tunneling operations.
1989
Continuing to diversify, Michels purchased crushing companies R.M. Hinze in the 1970s, 4X Corporation in 1989, and more than 100 pits and quarries throughout Wisconsin.
1997
In 1997, Michels acquired Superior Electric Company in Wisconsin and continued on to become a nationwide leader in electrical transmission and distribution line and substation construction.
1999
In 1999, Michels expanded our footprint on the West Coast by acquiring Pilchuck Contractors, an underground utility contractor. Michels continued West Coast growth by acquiring the Salem, OR-based pipeline rehabilitation business, Gelco Services, Inc.
2001
In 2001, Michels Pipeline Construction, Inc. was renamed Michels Corporation to better represent the breadth and depth of services provided.
2003
After purchasing the first vertical drill rig to support power transmission line construction, Michels entered the foundations market in early 2003.
2013
Michels continued to grow market share by acquiring Gillen Co. in 2013. Other strategic growth included the additions of dewatering, pipe fabrication, concrete paving, and Direct Pipe to our portfolio.
2015
Michels completed a world-record 12,459-foot Horizontal Directional Drill installation, a 4,038-foot Direct Pipe installation that set a North American record, and a robust fiber optic network on five islands in American Samoa.
2016
President Pat Michels received the Pipeline Leadership Award at the second annual Pipeline Leadership Conference, and our company received the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Best of the Best Award in Crash Prevention and the Department of Defense's Patriot Award for support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
2019
Michels continued to expand the limits of trenchless construction. Michels used horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to complete a world record-setting installation of a 13,247-foot-long 20-inch pipe under the Missouri River in North Dakota.
2021
Adding to its marine operations, Michels acquired two companies, PCi Dredging and Great Lakes Diving and Salvage. Michels extend the limits of trenchless construction by completing a 15,426-foot horizontal directional drill (HDD) of a 24-inch pipe crossing of Lake Sakakawea on the Missouri River in North Dakota. Michels acquires J.D. Hair & Associates, a top trenchless engineering firm.
2022
In addition to completing our first wind landfall project, installing 2,589 feet of 24-inch-diameter conduit for a 132 MW offshore wind farm in New York, Michels continued to expand its capabilities and client base with the establishment of two new international companies: Michels Trenchless GmbH in Germany and Michels Trenchless Pty. Ltd. in Australia.
2024
The trenchless processes of Michels International Holdings, Inc. at Michels Trenchless GmbH sites in Germany and Michels Trenchless Pty. Ltd. sites in Australia were certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for quality, environment, and health and safety.
International Leaders
Even as Michels’ capabilities have strategically expanded to meet the evolving needs of the many industries we serve, we have expanded geographically to bring our world-class solutions beyond U.S. borders.
In 1995, Michels left the Western Hemisphere for the first time to complete a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) project in Guam. Operations in Jamaica, Israel, and Trinidad and Tobago quickly followed.
Michels Canada was established in 1997 to meet that country’s demands for a full-service energy and infrastructure contractor. With two additional international companies added to support Michels in 2022, we now have more than 50 offices worldwide and operations in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
While much has changed at Michels over the years, our core values and willingness to seek out new opportunities have not—wherever we are in the world.
Focused on the future
Since 1998, brothers Pat, Tim, and Kevin Michels have guided Michels from a $158 million company into an international powerhouse with revenues in the billions. Our inspirational story doesn’t end here. Committed to remaining family owned and operated, our legacy will continue to the third generation and for decades to come.