History

The company was founded in 1946 as Freeport Blacktop Construction Company and originally paved city and county roads with seal coat.  Between 1950 and the late 1960s, the company began performing asphalt paving, underground utilities, and structural concrete work.  This period of expansion led the company to change their name to Civil Constructors and they grew into a major builder of highway structures and municipal treatment plants while still pursuing their core paving and utility scopes of work.

Mechanical, Inc was formed in 1968 to handle the growing mechanical specialties trade work that was developing around nuclear power plants, and water and wastewater treatment plants being built at the time.

The name of the corporate parent was changed to the Helm Group with Civil and Mechanical as companies under the Helm Group.  In the 1980s, Conmat was created to manage Civil’s aggregate production operations.  Industrial Solutions sprang to life in response to the design-build market, adding construction management, industrial design, mechanical design, and environmental remediation to the Helm Group’s impressive list of services.

Finally, Heavy Equipment Services was established to oversee the maintenance and purchasing needs of the large construction equipment inventory necessary to keep the Helm business units growing and thriving.

Today, the Helm Group companies continue to expand their reach into select construction markets.  Civil Constructors is continually recognized as a leader in heavy highway work in northwestern and central Illinois.  Mechanical performs work throughout the upper Midwest and for special customers throughout the U.S.  Conmat, Industrial, and Heavy provide support services for the other operating units and also have outside customers that value their services.

From day one, the Helm Group has always operated with a philosophy of openness and integrity.  Their goal is to develop mutually beneficial partnerships that enable them to extend their capacity and deliver value to customers and employees.

Their growth has been made possible by a dedication to their values and a commitment to providing extraordinary opportunities for aggressive, enthusiastic employees.  Those employees enjoy a safe, respectful and enjoyable work environment, and they are provided with the training it takes to make them the best in the industry.