Joined Ames: February 2003
Position: Structures Superintendent
For Roger Demeyer, working at Ames was worth the commute. Before retiring in May, he logged more than a million miles and wore out multiple cars driving the 60 miles from his home in Hutchinson, Minnesota, to Burnsville, and in recent years, further east to the maintenance facility in Empire Township.
“If you show up ready to work, Ames will take care of you!” he says. “When life throws a curveball at you, Ames will have your back.”
Roger brought 25 years of experience to Ames, but he philosophizes that knowledge is of no value without opportunity.
“Ames provided me the opportunity to put my knowledge to good use.”
His favorite projects were the Sauk Rapids Bridge in 2005-2007 (Ames’ first major river bridge project) and the rehabilitation of the Faribault Viaduct in 2009. A small structures team put an intense amount of energy into those bridges, and they did it without today’s digital tools, he says.
For the Faribault project, Roger built time-consuming, intricate pieces in an Art Deco/Classical Revival style. These pieces were required for the bridge to retain its historic status. But before the pieces were installed, they were accidently sent to the dump during site cleanup! Fortunately, Justin Gabrielson found and rescued most of them.
Roger may be retiring, but he’s not planning to slow down. He’s looking forward to completing projects around his home that he hasn’t had time for while working and commuting. He also owns rental properties he is planning to upgrade, and he might buy more properties.
