Four Decades in a Big Way — Without Leaving Dexter
Founded in 1982 by Randy and Peggy Kinder, RKE Contractors has spent more than four decades serving civil and commercial markets in a big way while holding onto its small-town Dexter, Missouri roots.
What started as a local operation now competes for and completes federal contracts — and the values that built it haven't changed.
It Started With One Name on the Sign
In 1982, Randy and Peggy Kinder hung out a shingle in Dexter, Missouri: Randy Kinder Excavating, Inc. The work was earth and water — grading, channels, and drainage across the Bootheel.
One of those early jobs put the company's name on a federal sign board: the St. Francis Basin Project, Honey Cypress Creek Channel Improvement, under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District. Four decades of that work — done safely, done right — grew a single excavating outfit into RKE Contractors.
The Road From 1982
Four Decades on the Job
From film-era draglines to today's long-reach excavators — channels, culverts, revetment, and structures, self-performed by RKE crews.
Not Just Credentials — Eligibility
RKE's certifications determine which federal opportunities the company can compete for and signal credibility to contracting officers and prime contractors. We lead with them.
The Three Words on Every RKE Project
Earned, Many From USACE
Carrying the Company Forward
A legacy that honors Randy and Peggy Kinder and the team building on what they started. Historical photos — including images of Randy and Peggy on past projects — will anchor this story with warmth and authenticity.