Percherons Are Ambassadors For Construction Company

Percherons Are Ambassadors For Construction Company The mascots for Ames Construction are award-winning 6 and 8-horse hitches of 2,000-lb Percheron draft horses, averaging 18 hands (6 ft) tall. Ames Construction was founded by Dick Ames in 1962 in Minnesota as a local earth-moving business. The company expanded over time to become a full-service, nationwide civil and industrial contractor, with employees working out of several offices. The company’s black Percherons serve as ambassadors for Ames Construction. Dick Ames inherited his love of Percherons from his father and grandfather. The Ames Percheron farm in Jordan, Minn., is home to 16 Percherons that compete in more than a dozen fairs and draft-horse hitch competitions each year at shows from coast to coast, from Arizona to Canada. The Ames horses are trained for the hitch by full-time caretakers and trainers Travis and Jacqui Shaw. A horse usually begins training at age four, and most “retire” by age 14 or 15, Jacqui says. “The most challenging part of training for the hitch,” she says, “is getting the horse to ‘like the job.’ You can’t develop a show horse from a horse that isn’t willing to perform.” Each Ames Percheron receives daily exercise and training and is fed 6 lbs of a custom-made pelleted feed and 40 lbs of hay. Ames Construction, an employee-owned, team-driven organization with 4,000 employees, emphasizes teamwork in its employee training. Its five core values are: People, Team, Our Bond, Persistence and Vision. The goal of training world-class 6 and 8-horse hitches is to instill in the horses the grace and ability to work together in perfect harmony. The parallels between training a Percheron hitch and training employees to excel at working together are why Dick Ames chose Percheron hitch horses to be the proud ambassadors of Ames Construction. An Ames Percherons history video on the website shows 6 and 8-horse hitches pulling wagons in perfect harmony. The video ends with this message: “The Ames Percherons are more than just a hitch. They’re proud ambassadors of a legacy built on teamwork, integrity and the relentless pursuit of success. They remind us all — co-workers, clients and partners — that true strength comes not from individual effort but from a team working together toward a common goal. With their grace and power, these magnificent horses represent the foundation upon which Ames Construction proudly stands.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ames Percheron Farm, 4406 Sand Creek Blvd., Jordan, Minn. 55352 (ph 952-492-6191; amespercherons@gmail.com; www.amespercherons.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.