A Steinbach business that has been around for 70 years has been recognized for its longtime service in the community.

Barkman concrete took home the long-term achievement award at the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce banquet last Friday.

"Actually we were very surprised," company President Alan Barkman says, "considering that we were up against Triple E from Winkler, with 800 employees, and the North West Company who's been around since 1668. We were very shocked and pleased that we had won the award."

Barkman, who is now the second generation of the company, notes the first generation has a lot of "hard slugging" to get things off the ground and get it going as opposed to the second generation where he can now take what was started and improve on it.

He adds they are well underway to passing the torch along further. "We're well into stepping into the third generation," says Barkman, "my children are already stepping into an ownership position and leadership positions inside of the company and that is certainly very fulfilling to see us being able to grow past the second generation and step into the third."

Barkman explains his father and his uncles started a plumbing and heating shop on Main Street in Steinbach in 1948 and moved to their current location on Brandt in 1960 where they moved into the precast concrete business and from there expanded it into what it is today.