My Dad Made the News!

Leaving behind a 'can-do' legacy
BY DANIEL MCCOY
Eagle correspondent

Picture by staff photographer Travis Heying

Evans co-founder credits upbeat attitude for success

Harold "Harry" Heinrichs said a positive attitude has helped make his life successful. "Whatever you have to go through, you have to go through," said Heinrichs, 82, a co-founder of Evans Building Co. "Don't go around feeling sorry for yourself."

Heinrichs, who helped found the company in 1962 with John Evans and Archie Lynch, is preparing to retire in January.

For years now, he has worked three days a week, repairing equipment and tools.

Company president Bill Johnson, who is John Evans' nephew, said Heinrichs' reluctance to stop working is no surprise.

"He's got that can-do attitude," Johnson said.

To him, Heinrichs' work ethic and values have been instilled throughout the company and its more than 30 employees.

"He's been like a second father to me," Johnson said. "I want it (the company) to continue running like he's still here."

By the time he helped found the company, Heinrichs had already led a busy and interesting life.

At the age of 18, and with World War II raging in the Pacific, he joined the Marine Corps as an airman.He and his squadron, the VMSB 343, made their way to China where they began preparing for the Allied invasion of mainland Japan. But after America ended the war with the use of atomic weapons, Heinrichs returned home.

" (President) Truman saved my life," he said.

Upon his return, Heinrichs worked with his brother, Arthur, as a blacksmith, did some farming and even worked as a rancher in the mountains of Colorado, his home state.

Heinrichs then made his way east to Goodland. It was there he met and married his wife of 57 years, Lee, and became a foreman for Rhoads Construction. While at Rhoads, he met Evans and Lynch, his eventual business partners.

After the three worked as sub-contractors on the first Learjet building in Wichita in 1960, they decided Wichita might be a good location to go into business for themselves.

So, two years later, they founded Evans Building Co., which specialized in commercial and industrial construction.

Heinrichs said they initially did little work in Wichita itself.

"The Wichita market was pretty well covered at that time," he said. "We did a lot of work out of town."

Gradually, Heinrichs said they began to get more work in Wichita. At its busiest, he said, the company put up a building a week.

"We put up a lot of buildings in the last 45 years," he said, although he admitted he never kept track of exactly how many.

As he and his wife reminisced about the many jobs he had worked, one in particular stuck out in Lee Heinrichs' mind.

"I remember when you fell off the Brewster schoolhouse," she said.

"I didn't fall off, I walked off," he answered with a chuckle, recalling the 15-foot fall after a misstep while caulking the building's roof.

Heinrichs said the lessons he learned about business through the years will remain at Evans Building Co. after he's gone.

"Our goal was to have satisfied customers because that's your best sales tool," he said.

"I've learned you have to work with your customers but not let them take over your job, and treat your employees like they're working with you, not for you."

As for retirement, Heinrichs said he still plans to check in on the business every now and then.

"I intend to stay in contact, definitely," he said.

Contact Daniel McCoy at 316-268-6233 or dmccoy@wichitaeagle.com.