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Rudell
Brothers |
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Willie, Jack and Pete Rudell |
Rudell Brothers was started as an
excavating business in the spring of 1946, when the youngest brother, Bill
"Willie", was discharged from the Army of WWII.
The building was located on
Main Street (Red Arrow Highway) just west of the Tastee Freeze (now known as
Mollie's Turn Around).
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Started
with a crane and dump truck, they added another dump truck and a bulldozer.
Their business consisted of digging basements, pushing orchards out, and
installing city sewer system. In 1951, they erected a Ready Mix Cement
plant. |
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Pete, Jack,
and Willie continued with this arrangement until 1967, when Jack left the
business to pursue other interest. Pete and Bill continued to run the
plant until Pete death in 1970. Bill sold the plant to Heckman
Brothers of Allegan, MI. Soon thereafter, Bill went to work for
Indiana Michigan Electric Co. at the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman MI
running their cement plant to construct the Nuclear facility.
The building was later owned by Todd and
Margaret Swift Efting and housed Efting Construction. After several
years in business, the building was vacated, however, Efting Construction
remained in business. The front building was destroyed by fire in 2002 after
being unoccupied for several years. The Ready Concrete Cement building
was expanded and remodeled. As of this date, the remodeled building is
occupied by D & J Auction at 415
W. Main St. |
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12/2004 - Photos and history provided by Bernice
Matrau Rudell, wife of Bill "Willie" Rudell. |
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