Hansen’s Partners with Leo Journagan Construction

O’Fallon-based Hansen’s Tree Service and Springfield, Mo.-based Leo Journagan Construction announced a joint venture today giving Hansen’s rights to manage all green-waste recycling for three of Journagan’s quarries in southern Missouri. Journagan Construction owns and operates 13 quarries total.

In addition to green-waste recycling, Hansen’s Tree Service will take on a new line of business -– recycling roof shingles. “We will be grinding down old roof shingles into material that will be used in asphalt and oil byproducts,” said Jeff Hansen, president. “We haven’t recycled anything but wood and green waste in the past, so this will be a new line of work for us.”

Hansen’s currently recycles green waste for six metropolitan cities in eastern Missouri, including O’Fallon, Lake Saint Louis, Wentzville, Wright City, Warrenton and Branson. Each year, Hansens recycles approximately 108,000 cubic yards of wood waste, leaves and grass.

In 2006, Hansen’s agreed to take charge of Fred Weber Inc.’s green waste and recycling operations at its North Quarry operation, located at interstates 70 and 270. That quarry recycles about 65,000 yards of brush and yard waste per year.

“This joint venture with Journagan will be a huge advantage for the Springfield/Branson area in many ways,” said Hansen. “It will save many local trash haulers money in fuel because the wood-waste drop-off sites will be closer, and this will reduce the practice of burning the wood waste, which causes air pollution.”

Hansen said he plans to hire new employees and purchase additional equipment to manage the three quarries. Already this year, Hansen’s Tree Service has spent more than $1 million in equipment to help grow its recycling and organic mulch business. Hansen’s sells organic mulch in 11 stores in St. Louis metropolitan region, including five locations in St. Charles County.

“The city of Branson is expected to grow tremendously after it builds the new airport,” Hansen said. “We will be able to help with mitigating green waste from that new construction and recycle roof shingles as people replace their roofs.”

Hansen’s Tree Service, founded by Jeff Hansen in 1988, performs residential and commercial tree services, including diagnosis, treatment, pruning, tree removal, stump removal and lawn care. As the first tree-care company in Missouri to become certified by the Tree Care Industry Association, Hansen’s maintains rigorous standards of quality and education to keep in line with the latest science in the industry.