By: McKenzie Taylor
For the month of January, the Wabasso EDA, Commercial Club, and Redwood Area Development Corporation are highlighting CEEC Inc., a business just on the edge of Wabasso that constructs and repairs grain elevator facilities and offers crane services. Chuck and his wife Myra have worked to build CEEC from the ground up since it first opened in May of 1998. Chuck and Myra’s two sons Ryan and Michael spent their summer months during high school working at CEEC and in the last 15 years both of them have come back to the business.
Chuck Ricketts, owner and CEO of CEEC Inc., has been in this line of work for over 37 years. Having grown up on a farm in southern Minnesota, Chuck became fascinated with the agricultural world. After high school he attended SMSU in Marshall, MN where he completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. After completing his degree, Chuck and his family decided that they preferred to stay in rural Minnesota rather than the metropolitan area.
While Chuck worked as a branch service manager for AO Smith Harvestore CO, he met a subcontractor that lived in Wabasso. After moving back to the Wabasso area Chuck and this subcontractor reconnected and worked together to create Jonver Elevator Contractors, a grain elevator repair and maintenance company. Chuck held the title of co-owner until he decided to start his own company in 1998 that we all know as CEEC.
CEEC Inc is a millwright contracting business and crane service. They offer new construction, repair, and maintenance of grain storage facilities. “We have built many grain facilities from the ground up and hundreds of grain expansions to existing facilities which include storage bins, steel or temporary, and install equipment from our many suppliers. We also have multiple millwright crews,” said Chuck. Since CEEC employs engineers, they also have the ability to help design the grain systems. They do installations of grain legs, dryers, conveyors, catwalks, towers and much more!
On top of all of these services, CEEC also offers crane services. Chuck explained, “We offer 45, 90, 155, 200, and 265-ton cranes for service on projects completely independent of our other services. Our crane operators and riggers are fully certified and safety oriented. Our cranes are very visible in the area and can be seen working at many local businesses lifting rafters, LP tanks, air units, etc. and craning at our own projects.” Chuck continued, “One year we even got called to lift a locomotive engine onto a transport where it is displayed in the Houston Astrodome.” The aforementioned services that CEEC provides stretch into South Dakota and Iowa, but the majority of the work that they perform is throughout Minnesota.
“One of our biggest strengths is the ability to plan and coordinate not only our crews, but other contractors so as to aid in the orderly completion of a project. CEEC Inc. has always been willing to service what we sell and make sure that every project is completed to our customers’ satisfaction,” said Chuck.
When asked what Chuck’s favorite part of the job was, he said that he loves drawing with AutoCAD, where he is easily able to layout and design new grain systems. He especially loves being able to see the finished products come to life after many months and sometimes years of the project being constructed. There are many other enjoyable aspects about running your own business but overall, Chuck enjoys being able to connect and grow the relationships with their subcontractors and vendors during their bidding process and while doing the projects. Chuck also enjoys working and talking with their employees and says that they have many stories of their own to tell.
CEEC currently has 17 full time employees as well as a few part-time employees that help out in the crane service department. CEEC is always hiring and looking for dependable, hardworking people that are willing to learn! Something Chuck would like to say to others looking to get into this line of work is, “You will have to like working outside and not be afraid of heights.” Chuck would like to extend a big thank you to the companies they work with for their business. To learn more about CEEC or if you are looking for a job, head over to their website, ceecusout.com or give them a call at 507-342-2383.