Craig & Heidt Inc. is a civil construction company specializing in the industrial and petrochemical market. The company was originally founded as Craig & Kingsbery in 1959 when Charles Craig joined his father-in-law, J.C. Kingsbery, in business. The company was incorporated as Craig & Heidt in 1973 and is celebrating 40 years of serving Houston and the surrounding areas.
Craig & Heidt is a family-owned and operated business. Sam Craig joined the company in 1980 and has held the position of president since 1999. He is a 1978 graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. Charles Craig, who is currently vice president of the company, graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering. Kay Craig holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Houston and is the acting vice president of finance, as well as the corporate secretary.
As a civil contractor, Craig & Heidt can provide its clients with a multitude of services, such as site preparation, paved surfaces, crushed aggregates, soil stabilization and drainage. Other services include pavement markings, striping, guardrails, bollards, curbs, ramps, signage, concrete foundations for railroad tracks and tank ring foundations. Craig & Heidt maintains its own fleet of equipment and employs only the most experienced personnel.
Inbesa America Inc. CEO Carmen Geiger has utilized Craig & Heidt’s services since 1996 after being referred to the constructor by another company.
“We’ve had a long relationship, based on their good performance,” Geiger said. “They’re very professional. We are very pleased with the response we always get from them and the quality of their work.”
Inbesa is a private maritime terminal with a dock facility and two other storage yards in Houston. Craig & Heidt has done work on the pavement at each of those storage yards so the company can store steel imports.
“Through the years, they’ve done repairs and new jobs,” Geiger said. “Besides doing the pavement and improving raw land for storage purposes, a year ago, they put in a rail track of 2,135 lineal feet for us encased in concrete.”
Geiger said she has been impressed with the response she receives from Craig & Heidt, as Sam Craig serves as her direct contact.
“Every time I have a problem, I call him and if something did not turn out the way it should be, he’s willing to redo it or make the necessary revisions,” Geiger said. “If he says he’s going to be there one day, he will be there that day. He even goes out of his way to help us with the engineering; though for the bigger projects, we’ve used engineering services and he will go by the blueprints provided by the engineer. He keeps good records and gives us good advice on how to go about expanding our facility.”
Geiger knows when you cut corners you don’t get as good a job, but feels Inbesa gets great quality for the price from Craig & Heidt.
“They do very good work,” Geiger said. “They’re honest and never try to do something to get you to pay more. They work on the estimates and many times we’ve revised some of them. They also listen, not only to our needs but to our financial requirements. They offer various options and work with us.”
Geiger said she would give Craig & Heidt the best possible recommendation to anyone looking for civil construction services.
“I have no complaints; I would be willing to recommend Craig & Heidt to just anybody,” she said. “They are trustworthy. The quality of their work is very good and they’re very professional. Trust is very important because if you put a project in somebody’s hands you know this person’s going to do it the way you would like. In the beginning, we used to keep very closely after what they were doing. I’m hands-on and I believe in going to the site and taking pictures and I don’t have to do that with Sam. I can trust him.”
Craig & Heidt’s company slogan is “Safety Paves Our Way” and it is reflected in the company’s current safety record. For the years of 2011 and 2012, Craig & Heidt had zero OSHA recordables and is on track to continue that record for 2013.
For more information, visit www.craig-heidt.com or call (713) 467-7932.
