Kenneth E. Foeste worked for other masonry contractors, but in 1973 he decided to start his own company. He started with two employees, an office in the basement of his home, and his wife, Judy, taking care of the books. (Kenny and Judy (Koch) Foeste were married in August 1963.) Kenny laid the brick himself, and continued to do so until about 10 years ago. In 1995, an office for the business was built next to his home in rural Cape Girardeau county.
Mark Foeste, their son, began working for the company in high school in the early 1980s. He is now the Project Superintendent overseeing the daily operation of their jobs. Their daughter, Jackie Payne, CPA came to work for the company in the early 1990s as the controller for a number of years. Their grandchildren Ashley, J.T., Jakob and Jack are all currently employed.
We are a medium-sized, regional contractor that has a loyal staff including several foremen that have been with the company for twenty years. We have three full-time office employees, one shop employee and employ 25 to 50 people in the field. We work with customers in a 150-mile radius of Cape Girardeau, and have become the largest masonry contractor between St. Louis and Memphis.
Our mason contracting business includes laying brick, block, stone and setting precast. We have worked on several major projects in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. In the early 1980s, Foeste Masonry worked with Kiefner Brothers, Inc. on the Rhodes Science Building at Southeast Missouri State University. We have since worked on many of the University’s projects including Dempster Hall and most recently the New Residence Hall.
In the 1990s, we completed the Tamms SuperMax Prison. We also worked on the Procter & Gamble expansion in the late 1990s. Throughout the years, we have worked on expansions at Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center. In 2000 we installed the mural in the prayer garden at St. Francis Medical Center. Foeste Masonry has worked on Orchard, South and North Elementary schools, Jackson Middle, Junior High, and Senior High schools and the Multi-Purpose Building in Jackson, MO.
For the past few years we have worked in Southern Illinois on Carbondale’s Middle and High Schools, Unity Point Elementary, additions at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Hospital and John A. Logan College in Carterville, IL.
Foeste Masonry is committed to absolute quality. Kenny and Judy Foeste are both “hands on” managers and are involved in all phases of the business.The company uses a quality control committee comprised of Kenny, Judy and Mark Foeste; Rob Hengst, Ashley Foeste Domnick, and JT Payne to take action on problems that may arise.
Kenneth E. Foeste Masonry is involved in the community through our membership and support of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, and the sponsorship of the March of Dimes. Kenny and Judy are both very active at Trinity Lutheran Church, Egypt Mills, MO.
Kenny Foeste, President
Judy Foeste, Vice President/Senior Estimator
Mark Foeste, Project Superintendent
Ashley Foeste Domnick, Project Mgr/Estimator/Safety Director
Tabitha Hahn, Admin. Assistant
Dawn Balsman, Accountant
Ann Thompson, Office Clerk
Rob Hengst, Project Foreman
JT Payne, Project Foreman
Daniel "Skip" Stroder, Project Foreman
Dustin Hengst, Project Foreman
Jake Payne, Project Foreman