Built to Last:
The Enduring Legacy of Al Hagemann at Valley Corp
Alan Joseph “Al” Hagemann joined Valley Corp in 2007 and quickly became one of the company’s most trusted leaders, known for his steady vision and a fearless approach to tackling hard work the right way. Al had a rare ability to push projects forward while never losing sight of the people behind them. Their well-being mattered to him, and he treated every team member with respect, honesty, and care. While his loss leaves our hearts broken, Al’s influence is permanent, and Valley Corp is stronger because of the culture, confidence, and leadership he helped build.
At Valley Corp, the most meaningful work is built to last. Roads and utilities, yes, but also careers. Confidence. Trust. Culture. Few people had a lasting impact like Al Hagemann, whose steady leadership helped build not only major projects, but also the people and values behind them.
This is not a story about an ending. It’s a story about what Al built while he was here, and how the mark he left on Valley Corp is permanent.
A Partner in the Growth of the Company
Matt Bevington, CEO of Valley Corp, worked alongside Al for years and credits him as a true partner in building the company’s momentum and culture. Al joined Valley Corp in 2007, initially as a project manager, soon after Matt and Lisa Bevington purchased the business. But Matt is quick to note that Al’s contribution was never limited to a job title. His role evolved rapidly to vice president, and later to Chief Operating Officer.
Matt remembers the early, high-risk work that helped build Valley Corp’s confidence and capability, starting with a Platte River obstruction removal project around 2008, shortly after Al joined the company. But that was only the beginning. Matt points to three intense, hands-on projects that he and Al tackled closely together in the early days, work that demanded tight timelines, risk management, and constant coordination.
One of the most unusual was a Missouri River sheet piling job tied to the Ameristar Casino. At the time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was keeping river levels very low, creating a real risk that the casino boat could bottom out in its slip, potentially causing structural issues and shutting down operations. Valley Corp’s solution required working off barges and operating heavy equipment from the water, sheet piling and “walling off” the harbor area, then pumping water in to create a “bathtub” effect so the boat could stay afloat while the river dropped. It was high-stakes, high-risk work with no room for error.
The third early test came on Hazel Street in Council Bluffs, a sheet piling project set in a dense residential neighborhood in the Loess Hills, where precision mattered as much as production. The work had to be done carefully, close to existing homes.
“We spent two or three months that summer building that project,” Matt said, “while we were also managing our separate stuff.” It was, in Matt’s words, “a unique thing to have… the vice president and president just actually physically working together on a job at the same time.”
Those projects, Matt said, framed the shoulder-to-shoulder reality of the early days. They also built trust fast, not only in their partnership, but across a growing company that was learning, in real time, what it could accomplish. And it reflected a defining quality in Al: he never asked others to carry weight he wouldn’t carry himself.
Fearless, relentless, always moving forward
Matt described their partnership in simple terms: “We were both kindred spirits… fearless and relentless.” That mindset shaped how Al met pressure, setbacks, and the everyday reality of construction. If something failed or a plan didn’t hold, it did not linger as an excuse.
“The next day, we got up, and just looked at each other and said, ‘We’re gonna figure this out.’”
And even when success came, Al didn’t sit still for long.
“We also didn’t spend a lot of time patting ourselves on the back,” Matt said. “There was always work to do. Just… ‘We have more work to do.’”
That phrase has echoed across Valley Corp in recent weeks, not as a slogan, but as a reminder of how Al lived: steady, forward, focused on what mattered.
Refusing to Accept “The Way it’s Always Been Done.”
Al’s drive wasn’t just about effort. It was about improvement. Matt said Al was “always not satisfied with doing things the way that they’d always been done. He was always looking at different ways, better ways, out-of-the-box ways.”
On the Highway 30 project outside Fremont and other major efforts, Al’s curiosity and willingness to innovate helped Valley Corp move earth more efficiently and rethink conventional approaches. Matt credits Al with bringing the concept of using Fendt tractors with side-dump trailers into their operations, a practical improvement born from research, observation, and the willingness to try something better.
And perhaps the best description of Al’s mindset came from a family moment Matt shared after the funeral. Matt recalled telling the family that Al “colored outside of the lines,” and someone corrected him: “No, no, no. He didn’t do that. Al erased the line and moved it.”
That line captures how Al approached problems, progress, and possibility.
Relationships were His Craft
Over and over, the people closest to Al described one central truth: he built relationships with intention, and those relationships strengthened Valley Corp.
Matt said Al “loved the relationships,” and that he leaned on them daily. “He was always about… ‘it’s who you know, not what you know.’” Matt added, “you hear about those people that have a guy for everything, and that was him.”
That same theme surfaced again in the interview with Kevin Hartman, Superintendent at Valley Corp. Kevin joined Valley Corp in the early 2000s, several years before Al came on in 2007, and he has watched the company grow from the inside across decades of work. When he talks about Al, the admiration is clear. “I’ve never met a man in my life who knew so many people,” Kevin said.
And it wasn’t just knowing names. Kevin described Al as someone who could connect the dots fast, bring in the right help, and keep work moving.
“There was nothing that would stop the man,” Kevin said. “If he couldn’t figure it out, he… backed up, and looked at everything, and figured it out how to make it work.”
Christy Schreck, Controller at Valley Corp, is also Al’s niece, and she saw a side of his leadership that showed up in small, everyday gestures. “Al had an uncanny way of bringing people together and drawing you ‘in’ over food/drink,” she said. Without warning, he would drop off homemade canned goods, “salsa, horseradish, pickles and other homemade canned goods,” or fire up burgers on a Friday “…just because.”
Christy added that Al “never expected help or wanted anything in return,” and that he was perceptive about when people needed time together. In a demanding industry such as this, she said, Al made room for what matters most. “He made time for the ‘intangible’ part of the job.”
Council Bluffs Ameristar Casino sheet piling project
[above] Al (second from right) with the Valley Corp team following the Platte River project, 2008
[above] Al (center) at the Highway 30 project, 2016
[above] Al (left) milling lumber for the Valley Corp conference room table, 2013
[above] Al (left) with members of the Valley Corp team at Christmas, 2023
A Leader Who treated People like People
Al’s leadership came with care. He demanded a lot, but he gave more.
James Mahon, Shop Manager at Valley Corp, is responsible for keeping the company’s equipment, maintenance operations. Having worked directly with Al Hagemann for six years, James shared a message Al had given him just a week before he passed, which he reflected as a guiding principle for the entire organization: “No matter how big Valley Corp gets, just remember, everyone is a person and not just a number.”
James also described how Al lived that belief in real ways. During a medical emergency, James said Al repeatedly called and texted his family for updates, checking in until he knew James was okay. It wasn’t job-related interest. It was personal.
That same people-first mindset shows up in how Al hired. James said Al “wasn’t afraid to take a chance on someone,” and that he treated people with “integrity and respect.”
Keith Peyton, Vice President of Valley Corp, described that instinct as one of Al’s defining strengths: “He gave all our employees the chance to succeed and develop. He was willing to hire somebody and give him a chance that most other people wouldn’t.”
Keith also noted Al’s directness when something needed to be addressed: “If he knew of a problem he didn’t dance around it, he would be open and attack the problem before it became a bigger problem.”
Recruiting Talent
Keith shared a story that says a lot about how Al built Valley Corp, one relationship at a time. Before Keith ever worked here, Al stopped to talk with him at the end of a project when Keith was still with another company.
“We had a 15-minute conversation about where I was headed,” Keith said, “and his last words to me were ‘if you ever decide to change jobs, give me a call.’ Three months later, I was working at Valley Corp. Without him stopping and talking, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Al wanted to be part of everyone interviewing for a position at Valley Corp. He had a special gut instinct to see the quality and “heart” a candidate had and if they would fit in well with the company and its culture.
The Tractor, the Smile, and the “V” and “C” on the Hill
Not every legacy detail comes from a jobsite meeting or a major project. Sometimes it’s the everyday moments people remember most.
Brenda Schmitz, former receptionist at Valley Corp, saw Al’s personality up close in daily routines. She remembered his pace, his optimism, and how much he genuinely enjoyed what he did.
“Al never stopped, he enjoyed his job so much,” Brenda said. “He was always looking for opportunity to grow Valley Corp.”
She also shared an image that feels exactly like Al: “Al loved his tractors and would drive through the yard on one and wave at me as he went by my window with a huge smile on his face.” In the spring, Brenda said, Al “…always mowed the hill on his tractor and mowed a huge V and C for Valley Corp for everyone to see.”
And Brenda captured his simple approach to the day ahead: “Al always said, ‘Get up and go to work every day with a smile on your face and do your best’.”
A culture that will not disappear
It’s understandable that some people may worry about whether Valley Corp’s culture could change without Al serving as COO. The consistent message from leadership and the team is clear: that is not a concern.
Al did not keep the culture in his own hands. He taught it. He modeled it. He reinforced it until it became a shared standard across the organization. Matt spoke about Al’s “ability to deeply care for the people and the culture of the company and fight for it every day,” and how that mindset was impressed on everyone around him.
The culture Al helped build is not fragile. It’s carried forward by the leaders he mentored, the people he believed in, and the expectations he set.
Honoring Al’s Legacy
To honor Al’s dedication to growth and mentorship, Valley Corp encourages support of the Alan J. Hagemann Scholarship at Mount Michael Benedictine School (his alma mater), a meaningful way to invest in the next generation of leaders and builders.
Valley Corp recently introduced a permanent program in Al’s name: the Al Hagemann Perseverance Award. The annual award will recognize an individual on staff who honors Al’s legacy through grit and excellence, and additional details will be shared as the program is finalized and rolled out.
The idea for the award was suggested by Darren Elliott, Project Manager at Valley Corp, who worked closely with Al. Darren and the leadership team spent significant time shaping an award that would feel lasting, meaningful, and true to who Al was.
At the recent company holiday gathering, the leadership team decided it was fitting that the person who helped bring the award to life should be the first to receive it. Darren was completely surprised and deeply moved when Matt Bevington unveiled the award and presented it to him.
The award is features a farm tractor, a detail that feels especially appropriate given how fond Al was of tractors.
We have More Work to Do…
Al helped build a company that does serious work, the right way, with people who look out for each other. His impact is not something Valley Corp will outgrow. It’s something we carry forward, every day, on every project, with every person we bring into the team.
Because what Al built here will last.
Al Hagemann
Perseverance Award
2026 RECIPIENT: Darren Elliott
Valley Corp recently introduced a permanent program in Al’s name. The annual award will recognize an individual who honors Al’s legacy through grit and excellence, and additional details will be shared as the program is finalized and rolled out.
The idea for the award was suggested by Darren Elliott, Project Manager at Valley Corp, who worked closely with Al. Darren and the leadership team spent significant time shaping an award that would feel lasting, meaningful, and true to who Al was.
At the recent company holiday gathering, the leadership team decided it was fitting that the person who helped bring the award to life should be the first to receive it. Darren was deeply moved when Matt Bevington, CEO of Valley Corp, unveiled the award and presented it to him. The award also features a farm tractor, a detail that feels especially appropriate given how fond Al was of tractors.
