This is Our Story

After graduating first in the Kansas State University Civil Engineering Class of 1929, Martin K. Eby, Sr. began his career working for a building contractor who worked throughout the Central Plains. He met his wife, Pauline, in Wichita Falls, Texas. They married in 1932 and had their first son, Martin Eby, Jr. in 1934. In 1937, with $4,000 in savings and a $2,000 loan from his father, Eby Construction was founded as a partnership between Martin and Pauline.

Eby Construction’s first projects included installing driveways and erecting “Flying Horse” signs for Mobil Oil service stations in and around Wichita. Martin and Pauline ran the business from their home, where he prepared the estimates, and she served as secretary and bookkeeper. Within the first two years of being in business, Eby Construction received the first of what would be many numerous federal contracts and began working on the new Post Office building located in Council Grove, Kansas.

During World War II, Eby continued to work throughout the state of Kansas and performed projects for the War Department at airfields and Army bases. Almost 80 percent of the company’s work put in place during these two years was done at military installations. Other projects included school construction in Wichita, a hospital addition in Junction City, and a power plant expansion in Herrington.

After World War II, Eby continued to grow along with the rest of the U.S. Eby took work outside the state of Kansas for the first time by constructing town site facilities for the War Department in Harlan County, Nebraska. In addition to War Department projects, clients included ATSF Railway, Southwestern Bell Telephone, and the City of Wichita. Martin K. Eby Construction Company was incorporated in the state of Kansas on January 14, 1948.

By 1950, Eby had established itself as a leading general contractor in the region surrounding Wichita based on its employees’ willingness “to go where the work is.” This reputation led to more work throughout Central U.S. In addition to projects in the four states surrounding Kansas, Eby was hired by the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and completed the construction of a five-story addition to the historic La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

With a growing reputation for top quality work and methods that produced lower costs, Eby was awarded one of the first large contracts at the newly created McConnell AFB located in Wichita, Kansas. Under a contract with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the work required the construction of 28 dormitories, four bachelor officers’ dormitories, four mess hall/administration buildings, and related site improvements.

• When the Sears, Roebuck & Company wanted to build what was then the largest and most well-appointed department store in Wichita, they hired Eby as the General Contractor for the project. The structure, which was a cast-in-place concrete frame with brick exterior, contains three stories above ground and a full basement for a total of over 155,000 square feet. Eby has subsequently renovated this building twice, first for Nations Bank, and then most recently in 2012 for Cox Communications.
• In 1954, Eby completed the construction of the new Wichita Municipal Airport. Working as General Contractor for the Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Wichita, this new terminal was a state of the art facility almost unrivaled across the United States.
• While aviation work was progressing on the west side of Wichita at the new Municipal Airport, Eby crews were also busy with the construction of the new four place B52 hangar on the east side of Wichita at the Boeing/McConnell AFB. The building is still in use as the location of the Spirit AeroSystems South Hangar Clean Room and is used for completion of the forward 42-feet of the fuselage for the new Boeing 787.

One of the services that Eby developed early on was the construction of municipal utility work, including water and wastewater treatment facilities, and interceptor sewer and water transmission pipelines. In 1955-56, the City of Wichita bid out the construction of a 66-inch water transmission main to deliver raw water from the Harvey County Equus beds. Eby completed the 19+ mile project in 1956.

Eby Construction initially began working on the Wesley Hospital facility as early as 1941 when renovations and improvements were needed. In 1957, Eby was selected as the contractor partner with Wesley for construction on the new West Building expansion. The West Building project marked the beginning of a 27-year period of constant improvements and expansion to the facility prior to the sale to HCA in 1985.

• When the Board of County Commissioners of Sedgwick County Kansas saw that they had outgrown their existing facilities, bids were taken and Eby was selected as the contractor for the new 11-story Sedgwick County Courthouse. Eby self-performed the installation of driven steel pile foundations, concrete foundations, structural steel erection, masonry, and finish carpentry.
• Eby continued to experience growth and opened an office in Englewood, Colorado. The company operated out of this office for more than 20 years to support work in the Rocky Mountain area.

In 1960, the Cold War was in full swing. With the need of the U.S. to maintain a balance of power with the U.S.S.R., an increased demand for military installations gave Eby additional work in the federal defense construction area. Eby won its largest contract to date—the construction of nine Atlas missile sites located throughout the states of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Continuing to build for the national defense, Eby was awarded additional contracts for the construction on multiple phases of the 18 Titan II Missile Sites, located throughout the state of Kansas. Eby also performed completed contracts for the Martin Marietta Company at additional sites in Wyoming and Idaho.

Eby continued to grow and perform projects throughout the Midwest during the early 1960s.   As part of the initial effort for riverfront beautification, Eby was hired by the City of Wichita for the construction of the new Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center (built to commemorate Wichita’s 1970 centennial). Century II opened its doors for business on January 11, 1969.

• Eby was selected by Bank IV of Kansas for the construction of the iconic Fourth Financial Center. This 387,000 square foot building contains office space, a public cafeteria, a private club/restaurant, a 200-seat meeting area, and an adjacent six-level parking garage. Eby crews self-performed all site excavation, structural excavation, concrete formwork, reinforcing installation, concrete placement, structural steel erection, millwork installation and site development.
• As a part of the on-call services performed for the Boeing Military Aircraft Company, Eby assisted in providing an economical way for conducting a one-time test on the B52D airframe. BMAC mechanics removed the nose and tail of the plane prior to the lift, and then Eby cranes were used to turn the airframe to an inverted position. This photo shows the airframe in an almost vertical position, prior to being lowered, so that the underside of the wings ends up facing upward. It was then placed on a support structure.

Eby began a multi-decade relationship with the Monarch Cement Company of Humboldt, Kansas, in the late 1940s. As a result of exceptional safety, quality and schedule performance, Eby was awarded the Kiln 5 Expansion project. It was completed in 1974.

In early January 1978, the employees of Pizza Hut moved into their new corporate office building. Eby negotiated the contract with the owner, and due to the compressed schedule required, the Construction Management form of contract was used. Construction of the 208,000 square foot building was commenced in May 1976, and after 18 months of construction, the new headquarters was able to be occupied.

IMA Plaza partners awarded Eby the contract to build the IMA Plaza located at Second and Water in Wichita, Kansas. The six-story building is constructed of a cast-in-place concrete frame and structural steel penthouse with brick veneer and continuous glass strip windows at the exterior. Eby also completed the core improvements, elevators and build-outs for several additional tenants in this 76,000 square foot office building.

Eby Construction was selected to construct the Wesley Medical Center North Parking Garage. It is a four-level parking garage consisting of 300,000 square feet of parking area and accommodates 1,008 vehicles. Eby self-performed the general trades, including excavation, concrete, precast erection, and masonry.

Eby Construction celebrated 50 years in business.

Country Club Park Associates Ltd. chose Eby to build its new office building. This two-story upscale office building has a structural concrete frame with a brick and precast stone exterior enclosing more than 40,000 square feet of interior office space. High-quality walnut and cherry casework finishes were installed by Eby crews in each of three primary office suites. The building also includes space for tenants and a wood-floored racquetball court in the lower level.

To meet growing production demands, the Boeing Commercial Airplane group selected Eby as the Design-Build Contractor for a major expansion to Plant II at the Wichita facility. The project consisted of adding more than 265,000 square feet of manufacturing space with three high bays. The project contained more than 3,600 tons of structural steel. Eby crews placed more than 9000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the floor slabs and paving. All of this was completed while Boeing continued aircraft production.

• Kellogg Avenue was originally built in 1958 by Eby and is Wichita’s major east-west traffic artery. The project required the construction of two 4000 lineal feet cast-in-place concrete post-tensioned bridges to span the Arkansas River and four major downtown arterial streets. Eby completed the project 104 days early and well under the original budget.
• Eby was selected by the City of Wichita as General Contractor for the anchor project in the “Old Town” district. The project required extensive rehabilitation of a three-story warehouse originally constructed in 1913. Features include a new atrium, an elaborate center stair with access to all three levels, and a 38,000 square foot plaza complete with paver accents and landscaping to front this structure.

When Eby was selected to build Koch’s new corporate headquarters, this would be the largest office building in Kansas. Construction started with an employee tunnel that connected four existing office facilities allowing 1800 office staff to pass directly through the center of construction.  Another tunnel allowed employees to park across the street and have access to the tower.

Eight levels and over 550,000 square feet of office space surround two interior atriums that extend from the second level to the top level. Deep red and black granite and glass is the building skin over a structural steel frame. The building was complete with its own cafeteria located on the lower level and has an exterior courtyard with waterfalls, landscaping and granite paving.

• The Kansas State University Foundation selected Eby as the General Contractor for the construction of the new KSU Beach Museum of Art. This museum is a 25,000 square foot two-story reinforced concrete structure that features exterior wall finishes of stone and architectural cast-in-place concrete. The building is used for exhibits of artwork and serves as a campus gate entrance. The museum features a gallery wing, a 120-seat assembly hall, and a commons area, including a bookstore and cafe.
• Sedgwick County selected Eby to expand their parking garage. The expansion consisted of a four-level, 142,000 square foot, post-tensioned concrete structure and added 440 parking stalls. The west and north sides have architectural precast panels, and the east side has cast-in-place concrete barriers. The project also included restoration work on the existing garage.

• Cessna Aircraft selected Eby as Construction Manager for its new single-engine piston aircraft manufacturing facility. The project was a negotiated contract that integrated scope/budget management starting with site selection through the development of the contract documents. The three-building facility includes approximately 400,000 square feet of floor space and is located on more than 200 acres. Cessna took over on Independence Day, opening in less than one year from the groundbreaking.
• Eby was selected as the concrete subcontractor responsible for the structural framework for Hyatt Regency Hotel and Convention Center. The scope of work included auger-cast piers, foundations, slab on grade, and 18 stories of post-tensioned concrete suspended floor slabs. Eby crews met an aggressive schedule by constructing one floor per week using a double shift work week. In addition, subsequent work packages for foundations and topping slabs of a new parking garage were added to Eby’s scope during the project.
• Eby was selected by the City of Wichita to construct a new four-level 641 car parking garage next to City Hall. The garage is a precast concrete structure with a two-tone brick veneer face. There are artwork panels inset at various locations, and elevated planters highlight the second and third floors. The street elevation includes landscaped planters with perimeter benches, a brick-paved sidewalk, and a brick-paved plaza area with six-raised planter beds. The scope also included the renovation of an existing 186 car parking lot plus 76 new parking spaces.

• To consolidate the numerous small groupings of offices and lab spaces throughout their refinery complex near Medford, Oklahoma, Koch Hydrocarbon Company contracted with Eby Construction to manage the construction of a new office and laboratory facility. The facility is a single-story, 21,400 square foot conventional steel with exterior metal siding and decorative aluminum. It is designed to house more than 160 offices.
• When Cessna Aircraft Company saw the urgent need for additional facilities due to increased demand for their aircraft, Eby and Cessna formed a partnering relationship to assist in building a new facility. The facility contains nearly 69,000 square feet of manufacturing and support areas, a 174 foot by 242 foot clear span high bay hanger, and other improvements, including parking areas, taxiway, fencing, and landscaping. After only 11 months of construction, the project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
• The Salvation Army in Wichita selected Eby to provide general contracting services to expand its existing facility. This building consists of approximately 25,000 square feet of living /support space, a sixty-stall parking lot, and a 10,000 square foot playground area, all located in the heart of downtown Wichita on a two-acre site. The lobby/reception area is convenient to both the existing building and the new facility, and a new ornamental fence with masonry fence posts encloses the parking and playground area.
• Each aircraft model that Cessna Aircraft Company develops must undergo a series of structural performance testing and FAA certifications. To help meet this challenge, Eby and Cessna formed a partnership to budget, aid in the design, and build a new testing facility. The biggest challenge on the 71,800 square foot project was the construction of the floor system that is 18 inches thick and the precision placement of more than 6,500 embedded anchors. Eby finished ahead of schedule allowing Cessna to meet their testing needs.

• When the Wichita State University Endowment Association embarked on renovating Eck Stadium into one of the finest college baseball facilities in the nation, Eby Construction was selected as General Contractor. This project had a very tight nine-month winter schedule to ensure completion prior to the start of the upcoming baseball season. The facility now seats 6,155 spectators, includes 16 skyboxes, has a multi-room press box and a top floor VIP club for donors and alumni.
• Bethel College hired Eby as Construction Manager to construct a New Residence Hall. The dormitory provides housing for more than 100 students and has a commons area, study hall, lounge, and laundry facilities on each floor. This was the first of several projects Eby provided Construction Manager at Risk services for Bethel College. Working as an integrated team member, Eby provided a guaranteed maximum price very early in the design stages.

Bethel College selected Eby for the Construction Management services for the new Krehbiel Hall Science Center. The building is a 37,000 square foot, four-story educational building, housing laboratories, classrooms, lecture areas and office spaces. Reducing floor vibration was a major concern due to the sensitive equipment being used in the labs. Eby worked with the design team to evaluate the best solution, and self-performed the concrete, masonry, and finish carpentry on the project.

When Sterling College needed space for its expanding Social Entrepreneurship department, based on qualifications, Eby was selected for the renovation of historic Cooper Hall. Originally built in 1887, the “Old Main,” four-story historical limestone structure, is the centerpiece of the campus. The work included extensive masonry restoration, installing new windows, roofing, mechanical, and electrical equipment, and interior finishes. This project was partially supported by a Heritage Trust Fund grant from the Kansas State Historical Society.

To support them in the manufacturing of their latest jet model, Cessna again hired Eby as the construction partner for their project. The addition of a three-story office area along the north side of the building was a key feature in the project. The skeleton of the building is structural steel columns and trusses skinned in prefabricated and insulated metal siding with a single-ply roof. The project also featured a large canopy door at the west end where the assembled aircraft can be extracted.

Riverside and Timmerman Elementary Schools were constructed to expand the capacity of the Emporia USD 253 School District. These new elementary schools, substantially similar in design, are 58,000 square feet each, for a total of 116,000 square feet of new school space. The schools are masonry block construction with a brick veneer, steel roof trusses and joists, and with standing-seam metal roofing. The heating system makes use of an innovative geothermal well system to lower heating and cooling costs.

Boynton Dental Office is an 8,000 square foot single-story dental office with a 1,500 square foot unfinished basement.  The structure is wood-framed with a stone and stucco exterior.  The roof is combination clay tile, standing seam roof and single-ply rubber membrane.  Two thirds of the building interior is decorated in a Colorado cabin style with stone fireplaces, stone transaction counters, and distressed glue-laminated beams and columns.  The spacious and comfortable reception area opens into patient exam rooms with state of the art dental equipment.  The remaining one third of the building’s interior was left unfinished and available for future tenant space.

At WSU, the National Center for Aviation Research hired Eby to upgrade the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel. The tunnel was originally built in 1948. Major features of this project required removal of a 36-foot long section of the tunnel to allow room for the installation of a new 2500 hp electric fan, a 23-foot diameter honeycomb and flow screen, a new 23-foot diameter cooling coils and new turning vanes.

Bethel College again teamed with Eby Construction to construct their new football and soccer stadium. The stadium, located north of campus, includes a 2,000 seat home stadium, visitor bleachers with 500 seats, an artificial turf football and soccer field with an eight-lane track, and an entry plaza. To the south of the stadium, a 300 car parking lot was installed. A new football practice field was built to the east of the stadium, allowing for grass practice areas for both the football and soccer teams.

ICM Inc. hired Eby as the Design-Builder for a new 16,000 square foot office to support the rapidly expanding ethanol industry. Within weeks of the initial project design meeting, ICM had reassessed their space needs and increased the project size from a two-story building to a three-story 24,000 square foot building, with an option for two additional 16,000 square foot expansions. The first 24,000 square feet were completed in less than six months, and the north 16,000 square foot wing was completed two months later.

• Originally completed by Eby for Boeing in 1954, Spirit Aerosystems selected Eby for modifications to the South Hanger for a new Clean Room. The project required a new built-up production floor for six new stations, a new 20-ton crane and 7.5-ton semi-gantry crane, new lighting and lighting zone controls, and new data cabling. New multi-zone fire sprinklers and mechanical were placed in an acoustical ceiling system to provide a complete 80,000 square foot cleanroom environment.
• ICM, Inc. selected Eby to build the concrete portion of a 40 million gallon Ethanol Plant in Bridgeport, Nebraska. The plant consisted of a 2 electrical and process building, foundation and slab on grade, an energy center, two site-building pads, a 100 foot by 100 foot material holding tank, 13 round tank foundations ranging in size from 15 foot diameter to 55 foot diameter.  A cooling tower foundation, above-ground pipe rack foundations and other various concrete foundations were completed on this project.

• WSU again utilized Eby’s services by selecting as General Contractor for the WSU Bombardier Learjet Indoor Practice Facility. The 171 foot by 171 foot clear span building serves as the practice facility for the WSU baseball and softball programs. The building houses an NCAA regulation-sized infield, four “adjustable” baselines (for division requirements), two 55 foot and one 80 foot batting cage, and an in-ground radiant heating system under an artificial turf playing surface.
• After over 30 years of fundraising and planning, the McPherson Opera House Company selected Eby Construction to complete renovations to their 118-year-old opera house. The project was completed in multiple phases, and construction spanned over five years. Every space within the existing building was renovated. Historical guidelines were followed throughout the project, including the restoration of the original Malm Mural, which was hand-painted above the stage.

The City of Newton, Kansas, awarded Eby the contract for construction of a new 12,800 square foot fire station and modifications to the existing site. The project was designed to achieve a LEED® Silver Certification and incorporates features such as a rain-water harvest system with a retention pond, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, mechanical efficiencies and the use of daylighting. Eby also contributed to LEED points from material waste management, enhanced commissioning, indoor air quality management and material selection.

WSU selected Eby as the Contractor to construct a facility to house the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program. The two-story includes 13,200 square feet on the main level, 9,200 square feet on the second floor, and a 9,200 square foot basement. The building is sized to provide training for up to 10 residents per year. The structure is designed utilizing structural steel with a stone and brick veneer. Eby crews self-performed masonry, steel erection and finish carpentry.

At 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2012, an F3 tornado struck the Spirit AeroSystems campus in Wichita, Kansas. With numerous projects active within the site, Eby crews responded immediately and assisted Spirit personnel and first responders to secure the site, shutdown and cap damaged utilities, and begin cleanup and repairs. Throughout the next 10 days, Eby organized an effort that peaked at over 1,200 employees and subcontractor personnel to complete initial repairs, allowing the 10,000+ employees at Spirit to return to work. The 2012 Storm affected almost all of the 40+ buildings located on the 10+ million-square-foot campus. Eby continued reconstruction of the campus throughout 2012 and 2013.

Eby has a long history of working with Via Christi Health Systems. Due to the critical location within the active OR area and the technical requirements, our Eby crews worked around the clock to schedule work to reduce noise, coordinate utility interruptions and support hospital operations. This state-of-the-art “Hybrid” Operating Room combines the most advanced imaging systems with a sterile operating room environment, therefore, enabling surgeons to do minimally invasive heart valve replacements with the option of performing open-heart surgeries in the case of an emergency.

The leadership at the newly named South Rock Christian Church selected Eby as their Construction Manager at Risk for the construction of a new 38,000 square foot church complex. This project included a sanctuary, offices and classrooms, a children’s worship area that also doubled as a multipurpose room and features stone accents and exposed timber framing to create a unique and inviting feel. A walk-out basement provides light to the youth spaces and access to recreation areas. A large covered patio located off the main social area includes a beautiful view and the warmth of an outdoor fireplace.

In 2015, Eby completed work on the Sedgwick County Zoo’s newest elephant exhibit. The Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley Exhibit, the third-largest elephant exhibit in the country, is home to seven African elephants. The exhibit features two yards for visitors to see the animals. The south yard includes elephant access to the boat ride canal and a water cannon for zookeepers to give elephant-sized baths. The north yard includes a waterfall feature and a wading pool for the elephants. There are also two off-exhibit yards, an 18,000 square foot indoor elephant facility, a 3,000 square foot covered pavilion, a concession building and a shaded amphitheater with seating for nearly 160 people. 

In 2016, Eby achieved its goal of having a shop, yard and corporate office in the same location. Two buildings located near 37th Street North and Poplar were purchased in 2015, and have since been remodeled. The new corporate office encompasses about 15,000 square feet of the north building, with the remaining 7,000 square feet being used for warehouse space. This building was remodeled to feature 10 private offices, two break-out rooms, a conference room, a board room, a kitchen, restrooms and a training room with seating for up to 80. The 24,000 square foot south building houses our maintenance shop, mill shop and additional warehouse storage. The building features two mezzanines with offices, a parts crib, compressor room and restrooms. The north side of the corporate office also features a courtyard.

To meet the medical demands of the growing Derby community, Via Christi planned a new 15,500 square-foot clinic. The facility features 26 exam rooms, an X-ray room, lab space, offices, a physical therapy space. It is double the size of the former facility, which has allowed more physicians to be added to the practice. The new facility also has a Physical Therapy Unit for outpatient treatments, which they were unable to have at the previous location.

Kyodo Yushi selected Eby to provide CM at Risk services for their first manufacturing site in the United States. The facility is comprised of a 55,000 SF of manufacturing area which includes warehouse space for raw materials and finished goods in addition to the processing space.  The 11,000 SF of administrative space includes offices, a break room, meeting rooms and laboratories.  The site work included a new rail spur, bulk oil tank farm, holding basins, utilities, parking and a perimeter road.

In 2019, Eby built the Andover Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC), a single story 14,800 SF surgery center, built as an addition to the existing Kansas Medical Center. The facility was designed to perform basic elective surgeries on both adult and pediatric patients.  The ASC consists of six Operating Rooms, six Pre-Op Rooms, and nine Post-Op Rooms. For safety and comfort of the patients, the adult and pediatric pre-op and post-op patients can be separated. The building features a large clerestory structure to add daylighting to the nurse station as well as the pre-op and post-op corridors.  Another unique feature is the separate discharge exit, which allows patients to leave following surgery without going through the waiting room.

To meet the contract deadlines established by the City of Wichita, this $75 Million stadium, with capacity for 10,000 people, had to be designed and built at a blinding pace of just 16 months! This Design-Build project was built by an Eby Construction – JE Dunn joint venture along with SJCF Architects, DRL Group and Professional Engineering Consultants. This stadium set a new standard for minor league baseball design as every aspect was given thoughtful consideration. Sight lines were improved, locker rooms were enlarged, suites were made more comfortable, options for guest experiences were expanded, and special attention was paid to the interface between the stadium and Wichita’s downtown. The new Riverfront Stadium Ballpark is a tribute to Wichita’s storied history in baseball and is home to the Wichita Wind Surge, an American Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Additionally, the stadium hosts outdoor concerts, festivals, community and family-friendly events.

In partnership with GLMV Architecture, Eby Construction started building Sedgwick County Zoo’s new entrance in the Fall of 2020 and was completed in May 2021, which was also the 50th anniversary of the zoo. The new complex includes a gift shop, ticket booth and administrative offices, and replaced the existing 40-year-old entrance. The new entry has two separate buildings, one for a gift shop and another for ticket sales, memberships and second-floor office space. The new building for tickets, membership and administration also houses security, first aid and a board room for meetings. This area replaced the current administrative building off Zoo Boulevard that was once used for storage before the zoo opened. The new gift shop, where guests now exit the zoo, has a kennel space where guests can leave their dogs during their visit.