PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2015
19
PCCA President Steve Sellenriek:
Good Times, Hard Work, Civic Pride
Continued on page 20
I
f you meet PCCA President Steve Sellenriek, even
briefly, you quickly learn a few things: he likes to
have a good time, he’s a real people person, and the
Cubs suck (well actually, the Cubs SUCK!). Then
if you spend some time with Steve, on a job or on
some association business, you learn a little bit more. He’s a
very sharp guy who’s full of great ideas, but he’s also a good
listener and open-minded to other people’s ideas. He’s a hard
worker, a straight shooter, and a consensus builder. And fi-
nally, if you really get to know Steve, you learn that he cares
deeply about his family, his community, and the industry in
which he has spent most of his life.
From the Beginning:
Sellenriek Construction
Steve was one-year old in 1979 when his parents, Bob and
Dixie, founded Sellenriek Construction in their hometown of
Jonesburg, Mo. Dixie was also pregnant with Steve’s brother,
Heath, at the time. Bob and Dixie started the telephone
construction company with a vision, a used backhoe, a truck,
a trencher, and two men. Today, Sellenriek Construction,
Inc. operates from five locations and employs more than 100
people.
“We didn’t have any health insurance either,” Bob remem-
bered. “We had just one little job lined up.”
Those tough early days provided some life lessons. “We’ve
seen the other side of life,” Bob said. “We’ve tried to instill in
our family that we have friends from all walks of life, not just
high-rollers. We’ll never be that way.”
During the first decade in operation, there were many
changes within the company. In 1981, the company placed
its first fiber optic cable. In 1986, Sellenriek Construction
was incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri.