The H&K Group

0. Company Stats

Industry: Heavy Civil Construction & Construction Materials

Founded: 1968

Size: 1,900

Location: Skippack, PA

Stage: Established

Stock Symbol: N/A

Work Style: Onsite

1. Company Snapshot

H&K Group, Inc. (H&K) is one of the Mid-Atlantic region's largest privately held heavy civil contracting and construction materials companies, headquartered in Skippack, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Haines & Kibblehouse, Inc., the company started as a single-person operation and has grown into a vertically integrated family of more than 50 subsidiary companies operating across eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. H&K produces and supplies crushed stone, asphalt, sand, gravel, precast concrete, and landscape materials, while also performing full-service site contracting work including excavation, paving, utilities, demolition, environmental services, and emergency response. With roughly 1,900 employees and 80+ locations, H&K has been recognized on both the Forbes 2024 America's Best Midsize Employers list and Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces for Parents and Families 2024, making it a notable outlier in what is typically a tough industry for workplace awards.

2. Culture & Gen Z Alignment

Genuine Family Business Identity

H&K is still family-owned and operated, led by the second generation of the Haines family. Employees across roles and tenures consistently describe a family atmosphere that persists even at the company's current scale. Long-tenured staff, including employees with 15 to 30+ years at the company, cite this culture as the primary reason they stayed. For Gen Z workers who are skeptical of corporate culture as performance, H&K offers something more tangible: access to owners who are actually present, a history of promoting from within, and a culture built over five decades rather than drafted by an HR team.

Hands-On Learning and Trades Development

H&K invests in training at multiple levels. The company runs an H&K Academy for ongoing employee development, provides manufacturer-sponsored training, and operates a Mobile Caterpillar Heavy Equipment Simulator trailer that it takes to community and workforce events. There is also a High School Co-op program that brings in diesel mechanic and technical students part-time, giving early career candidates a real pathway in. For Gen Z workers interested in skilled trades, engineering, or environmental science, H&K provides structured exposure that is hard to find elsewhere in the region.

Sustainability and Environmental Work

H&K's scope extends well beyond roads and quarries. The company runs materials recycling operations, environmental services, reclamation fill programs, and a compost and biosoil division under American Biosoils & Compost. For Gen Z candidates who care about sustainability, these divisions offer a way to do hands-on environmental work within a construction company context, which is an uncommon combination.

3. What Employees Say

Company Ratings

Glassdoor: 3.3/5

Indeed: 3.0/5

Pros:

- 100% Company-Paid Health Insurance: H&K's job postings prominently advertise that the company covers medical insurance premiums in full for employees and their families, which is a meaningful benefit in the construction sector and a real differentiator versus competitors.

- Promotion From Within: Multiple long-tenured employees credit H&K's track record of internal promotion as a reason for staying. The company's culture rewards tenure and performance with upward movement across its many divisions.

- Variety of Work: The vertically integrated structure means employees are exposed to multiple disciplines across contracting, materials production, environmental work, and beyond. Reviews from project managers and laborers alike mention that no two days are alike.

- Paid Training and Development: H&K Academy, manufacturer training programs, and tuition reimbursement (for qualifying positions and programs) give employees structured pathways to build skills on the company's dime.

Cons:

- Variable Pay Rates Across Jobs: A notable and recurring concern in reviews is that pay rates can shift significantly between job assignments, and some employees report not finding out their hourly rate for a given job until payday. For field workers, this unpredictability around compensation is a real friction point.

- Management Inconsistency Across Divisions: With 50+ subsidiary companies, employee experiences vary widely by division and direct supervisor. Some locations receive strong reviews while others, particularly certain quarry and plant operations, attract criticism around management style and respect for skilled trades workers.

- Seasonal and Physical Demands: Like all heavy civil construction, much of H&K's field work is seasonal, physically demanding, and weather-dependent. Rainy day layoffs are part of the reality for hourly field workers, and the pace during active construction season is intense.

- Benefits Costs for Some Roles: While health insurance is described as 100% company-paid in many job postings, some hourly field workers in reviews describe insurance premiums as expensive, which may reflect variation between union and non-union positions or specific divisions.

4. Compensation & Benefits Snapshot

- 100% company-paid medical insurance advertised across most full-time job postings, with a Health Savings Account option

- 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan available

- Tuition reimbursement programs for qualifying employees and approved programs

- Laborer roles average approximately $43,500/year; heavy equipment operators average approximately $56,000/year; diesel mechanics average approximately $56,000/year based on Glassdoor salary data

- Project managers and site superintendents can range from $68,000 to $121,000+ based on Glassdoor estimates

- Paid holidays and paid time off included

- H&K Academy online and on-the-job training included at no cost to employees

- Additional manufacturer-offered training available for qualifying roles

5. Why Gen Z Might Thrive Here

- Trades Pathway Without a Degree: H&K hires laborers, equipment operators, plant operators, mechanics, and drivers at the entry level and has a documented track record of promoting them upward. You do not need a four-year degree to build a real career here.

- Genuine Ownership Access: The Haines family is still actively involved in day-to-day operations. Multiple employees across all levels mention interacting directly with ownership, which is unusual at a company of this size and gives ambitious employees a real ear at the top.

- Environmental Work in a Non-Traditional Setting: Roles in H&K's environmental, recycling, and biosoil divisions offer hands-on sustainability work that most people would expect to find only at an environmental consulting firm or nonprofit.

- 100% Paid Health Coverage: For a young worker starting out without substantial savings, having zero premium medical coverage for yourself and your family is a concrete financial benefit that compounds significantly over time.

- Regional Stability and Infrastructure Demand: Roads, bridges, water infrastructure, and site development are not going away. H&K's work is tied to foundational infrastructure spending in one of the country's most densely developed corridors, which means long-term job security in a recession-resilient sector.

6. What Gen Z Should Ask Or Consider

- What specific division and location would this role be based out of, and how is that division typically reviewed internally by employees?

- How does the pay rate structure work for this role specifically, and is the hourly rate fixed or does it change based on project assignment?

- What does a realistic career path look like from this position, and what are examples of people who have been promoted from similar starting points?

- For field roles: how does the company handle slow weather days, and what does that mean for weekly pay during the construction season?

- What training or certification support is available for this role, and how does the H&K Academy work in practice?

7. Locations & Where H&K Group Hires

- Headquartered in Skippack, PA (Montgomery County, northwest of Philadelphia)

- 80+ operating locations across eastern Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia suburbs up through the Lehigh Valley, Pocono region, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area

- New Jersey presence including Belvidere and Sayreville

- Maryland and Delaware operations through the Delmarva Division and river asphalt locations

- Corporate office, HR, and administrative roles based out of Skippack, PA headquarters

- Field, trades, and plant roles distributed across quarries, asphalt plants, contracting divisions, and materials yards throughout the four-state region

8. How H&K Group Works

Work Style

Available: Onsite

Work Environment

Available: In Field, Office, Warehouse

Benefits

H&K offers 100% company-paid medical insurance for employees and their families, a Health Savings Account, a 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan, paid holidays and time off, tuition reimbursement for qualifying programs, and access to the H&K Academy for ongoing training and professional development. Additional manufacturer-sponsored training is available for field and trades roles. A High School Co-op program is available for students interested in diesel mechanics and related technical fields.

9. Awards & Recognition

- <a href="https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-midsize-employers/">Forbes America's Best Midsize Employers 2024</a>

- <a href="https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-greatest-workplaces-parents-families-2024">Newsweek Greatest Workplaces for Parents & Families 2024</a>

11. Sources

Last Updated: April 21, 2026

- Company Website: https://www.hkgroup.com/company-profile/about-us/

- Careers Page: https://www.hkgroup.com/careers/

- Glassdoor Reviews: https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/H-and-K-Group-Reviews-E713402.htm

- Glassdoor Salaries: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/H-and-K-Group-Salaries-E713402.htm

- Forbes 2024 Best Midsize Employers: https://www.hkgroup.com/news/h-k-group-inc-ranks-83rd-on-forbes-2024-america-s-best-midsize-employers-list-nwmft_208.aspx

- Newsweek Parents & Families 2024: https://hkgroup.com/news/h-k-group-inc-makes-newsweek-americas-greatest-workplaces-for-parents-families-2024-nwmft_212.aspx

- PitchBook Employee Count: https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/157944-16