J.D. Eckman, Inc.

Did you know that sometimes concrete pours happen way up high? These are pictures of a recent pier cap pour on a Eckman job on 84 in Lackawanna county. 63 meter pump truck 290+ yards of concrete 150 feet in the sky Photo credit to Mike Hall

Our founder, JD Eckman, was a part of on the job training programs from the beginning. Congratulations to him and Carl Dixon for being the first person in Pennsylvania and the third in the nation to complete a federal training program in heavy equipment operating. We are proud these training opportunities continue today on JD Eckman jobsites like these trainees pictured here from jobsites in Frackville, East Stroudsburg, and many others.

While the heavy metal and the big cranes sometimes get the bulk of the attention, J.D. Eckman Inc. also does masonry work which is also very cool, like this project in Norristown PA where they are replacing and restoring stone on a historic arch on Markley St. Photo credit to Alex Maugle

In December of 2024 this bridge on SR 225 over Mahanoy Creek was hit by a truck hauling an excavator. JD Eckman Inc. got the call on December 27th to perform the emergency repairs. This project was originally scheduled to take about 5 – 6 weeks by working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. But even though they were working through the cold, sleet, and icy/snowy conditions this crew will complete the repair work by the end of this week in four weeks’ time! Way to get it done! Congratulations to everyone who made it happen and big shout out to Rob Heath as the Superintendent on the project. (Photo credit Gary Small)

What do you get when all the JD Eckman project managers and management are in the same room? A plan for the 2025 construction season. Spring. Is. Coming.

More than likely mental illness has unfortunately touched your life in one way or another. The employees at JD Eckman are no exception. In fact, suicide in the construction industry has been proven to be more prevalent than in many professions. This year for our annual winter meetings we invited the Construction Industry Alliance For Suicide Prevention to speak with all our field employees about the crisis that is facing individuals just like them. We hope that through their presentation all those present may be better able to identify the signs of mental illness and seek help for those affected by it.

Last Friday we held our annual supervisor's meeting in the basement where there was planning done for next year and also a celebration of the past with the retirement of Tim Eshleman. Tim spent 35 years at JD Eckman Inc. and he will be missed a great deal. We wish Tim well in this next phase of his life. He has definitely earned it! (Photo credit to Danielle Salada and Chris Bunting)

J.D. Eckman Inc. is starting its 80th year of business in 2025 and it is only fitting that the first post of the New Year should be of Jacob Durwood Eckman, our founder. He is the original JD who started this company and ran it until his death in September of 1977 at the age of 73. Jacob is accompanied here by his wife Eva Ross Eckman who was by his side through it all. Jacob Eckman was a force to be reckoned with during his tenure at JD Eckman Inc. but I'm not sure even he could imagine what his little company would become by 2025.

J.D. Eckman has an on-call team dedicated to Emergency DOT Service. When critical infrastructure goes down, our people work day and night to restore it to service. Photo credit: Atlee Eshleman