The Knechts feel like they’ve always been connected to the earth. In the early to mid-20th century, they tilled the soil to grow food on the family farm. When it was his generation’s turn to take it over, Eldon bought his dad’s first bulldozer to work the land. But when agricultural times got tough, Eldon decided to see if he could use that heavy equipment to support his family in a different way. So, in 1962, he began taking small excavation jobs around northeast Indiana. And thus, Star Excavation was born.
Just five years later, Eldon’s son, Lon, bought the business from his dad. From the beginning, Lon expanded the capabilities of Star to include all sorts of areas of the construction industry. Now, with decades of experience on our hands, we can tout our accomplishments across a wide spectrum—from agricultural to industrial, commercial business to environmental preservation, residential subdivisions to landfill caps and closures, and even public works projects—such as highways, schools and air bases.
Even though we now have an extensive roster of clients and hundreds of projects to our name, we’re still a family-owned business and proud to call northeast Indiana home. And we can’t wait to see where we’ll get our boots dirty next.