Brandon Mahr assumes management role at Waukon Quarry location for Bruening Rock Products, Inc.

The Waukon Quarry location for Bruening Rock Products, Inc. and all the operations that stem from that location throughout Allamakee County are now under new management following a recent leadership transition. Brandon Mahr, a 2005 graduate of Waukon High School, brings his 19 years of experience with Bruening Rock to that management role.

Mahr said he began construction work right out of high school with Fred Carlson Co. out of Decorah, working with that company for about one year before he got a call from Bruening’s Decorah headquarters offering him a job. It was shortly after his employment began with Bruening Rock that he was then transfered to his home county of Allamakee, working out of the Waukon Quarry location.

His experience of nearly two decades with the aggregate and construction company has exposed Mahr to every aspect of the business, making him a very qualified choice to fill that management role. “I’m in sales, and more or less take care of the guys over here and keep everything running,” he summarized in regard to his duties. “I serve as manager for all the quarry locations in Allamakee County.”

It was his diversity of experience and the effort he put into everything he did while working with Bruening Rock these past 19 years that ultimately landed him in his new leadership role.

“Although I wasn’t directly involved in the decision, everyone that I’ve talked to in regard to it has said that Brandon is one of the hardest workers we have, and that he’s very deserving of the position,” shared Michael Bruening, manager-in-training for Bruening Rock’s Decorah headquarters. “And from what I’ve been hearing so far, I don’t think we could have been more pleased with him - and that’s coming from the big guys, my dad (Keith Bruening) and my Uncle Greg.”

The son of Luke and Jan Mahr shared that his willingness and drive to work hard was instilled in him at an early age, growing up on his family’s farm in rural Dorchester, where he still helps his dad with some of the farm operations. “My grandparents and my parents were a big influence on me and my faith and strong work ethic,” Mahr credited.

It’s the diversity of the work that Mahr says he finds most interesting about the new role he has assumed. “There are a lot of moving parts to this company, and we’re involved in a lot of different things, from small to large,” he explained. “The part that I enjoy the most is actually getting out there and visiting with people, and letting them know they are important to us.”

Mahr said he doesn’t have any plans for any great changes, noting that the company itself has evolved so much in his nearly 20 years working for it. “I want to keep building relationships with the community,” he offered. “I’ve been around with a lot of these contractors and customers for many years, and I just want to keep that relationship with them. There’s always room to grow things and keep moving forward when you need to.”

Mahr says the people that he’s encountered throughout his entire career with Bruening Rock, and especially most recently in his new management role, make it easy to come to work every day. “We work in a very great community, a bunch of hard-working, honest folks, and that makes my job that much easier,” he shared. “The guys I have working for me are just tremendous guys; I can’t say enough great things about the guys I have working here.”

Growing from its simple origins more than 90 years ago into a family-owned company experiencing its fourth generation of family involvement, Mahr feels the company’s reputation stands on its own. “I think Bruening’s has shown time and time again what we can accomplish and what we can do,” he praised. “Nothing is too little or nothing is too big, we’re going to get it done. We’re here to help people, and I enjoy helping people. I look for solutions and that’s what I enjoy about this place. There’s always a surprise every day, but you’re going to conquer it every time. Every day is not the same.”

Mahr hopes to maintain that continued approach in his new leadership role, and he hopes his foundational faith and work ethic will allow him to continue to do that. “I look forward to helping the community and being there for them,” he finalized. “We’ve been through a lot during my time here, and I look forward to doing my best to help everyone get through anything else yet to come. If I can give you my honesty, my loyalty and our service, I think that speaks more than any line I can ever give anybody.”