Dean Drainage LLC
Committed To Professional Development And Community
Bill Dean was raised on a good-sized grain and live- stock farm—at that time, most farms needed both to survive. He enjoyed grain farming and went to college to work on, and receive, an associate’s degree in civil engineering. Since then, Dean’s career has never taken him too far away from the farm, or his engineering background.
Dean’s career has never taken him too far away from the farm, or his engineering background.
Dean Drainage crew members (from left to right): Gary Reynolds, Bill Dean, Justin Cole, & Clay Yantis. (Not pictured Austin Powley)
Between his freshman and sophomore year, he acquired a job—requiring both farm knowledge and surveying skills—installing field tile for a local tile contractor. Dean’s interest in field tiling grew such that in 1976, at 20 years of age, he, along with a silent partner, founded Dean & Bareither Drainage.
In 1990, Dean bought out his partner and formed Dean Drainage LLC. While the company has specialized in farm drainage, it has also offered many additional services, includ- ing 28 years spent on railroad work—road crossings, chang- ing panels, switches, helping with derailments, and general cleanup—as well as ditch cleaning, tree removal and general excavation. That said, with the recent increase in land and commodity prices, and three, back-to-back wet years, tiling now comprises over 90% of the company’s projects.
Dean has four full-time employees, including his son Austin. They work mainly within a 60-mile radius of Mattoon.
The crew depends on a fleet of Case Construction equipment from Birkey’s including two 580S Super M-Plus backhoes (one Series 2 and one Series 3), a 465 steer, a 721B wheel loader and a CX210B excavator with narrow undercarriage configuration, in addition to various wheeled machins and a commercial tile plow for drainage pipe installation.
Dean has been a Case customer since he started his business. “The Case dealer in Mattoon at the time loaned me the money for my first machine and said I didn’t need to pay it back until I had enough money to pay it off. Case has treat- ed me excellently ever since.”
Dean is also a loyal Birkey’s customer. “They are excel- lent with warranty issues and have bent over backwards to loan me equipment if I have something in for service,” he said. “They have even delivered parts out to my shop so I didn’t even have to go get them. The Birkey’s service techs are great to work with. They are second to none as far as knowledge of the equipment.”
Case equipment is reliable and dependable, Dean said. “I’ve kept equipment for eight to 10 years at a time, but now we update a little more often—every three to four years— because we like to take advantage of the new features.”
“The Case dealer in Mattoon loaned me the money for my first machine and Case has treated me excellently ever since.” Bill Dean; Owner, Dean Drainage LLC
Keeping up with advances in his field has been important to Dean for his entire career. He regularly attends training sessions on new technology and GPS developments, for example. He has also been active in the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association for decades, serving as director of his area of the state for more than 20 years. He served the organization as president for 2007-’08 and is currently treasurer.
When he explains the importance of the organization to contractors, he compares it to the importance of the Farm Bureau to farmers. ILICA offers educational programs and meetings as well as insurance packages for contractors. “When we have meetings, we do a lot of talking back and forth in the hallways, and I learn as much there as from the actual workshops,” he observed. ILICA also sponsors field days where equipment dealers furnish new machinery and contractors use it to improve a piece of land. “We donate our time, but we get to try out new equipment.”
In addition to his work with ILICA, Dean is active in his community. He has served as a supervisor of Paradise Township for 20 years, and he also volunteers with the County Fair Association. He has donated time to tear down the old grandstand, hauled dirt for the tractor pull and done drainage work for the fairgrounds.
