Clarke Power Services finds new home

PONTOON BEACH When the lease was up, Clarke Power Services Inc. turned to the Chamber of Commerce of Southwestern Madison County in its search for a new home.

Now, settling in at 17 Liberty Place in Pontoon Beach as of last month, director Greg Guthrie says this is just the latest exciting chapter for the company.

We built and sold our first diesel generator set in 1964 as Clarke GM Diesel, Guthrie said. At that time, Clarke was the main distributor of Detroit Diesel engines, operating out of four branches.

In the 47 years since, the family-owned business has become a leader in the generator market, expanding operations to include Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee. The company developed a full line of standby emergency diesel fire pump drivers and is the worldwide leader in pump sales.

The company provides customized maintenance solutions from complete outsourcing, total fleet maintenance management, individual truck repairs and PMs on commercial trucks and trailers of all shapes and sizes.

It is an authorized service centre for Detroit Diesel, Mercedes-Benz Truck engines, select locations of Allison Transmissions, and is a member of the Wheel Time network.

CEO Mark Andreae, along with their son, president Kirk Andreae, named the company after Marks father, as it streamlined from his original wool import business. Wool was scarce during the world wars and was used to make car seats. General Motors asked the elder Andreae if he could make the car seats from another fabric. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, he did his best to create the new seats from the material GM wanted to use. That desire to adjust to the needs of the customer and make production changes to ensure the continued growth of the company has resulted in the development of a full line of emergency standby diesel pump drivers.

In 2005, the business expanded beyond Wentzville, Mo., to include the Metro East with a location in Pontoon Beach. Before long, it outgrew that location and when the lease ran out, the search was on to find a new home. With the trucking industry using the roads surrounding the Granite City community and depending on those routes for their cross country runs, there was a definite need for Clarke to remain local

The Cissell Mueller Construction Company renovated the building and built on the big truck bays in just 60 days,

Guthrie said. Having our new site ready in such a short time helped the company to continue serving clients through the move from the little shop on Route 111 to the large-scale operation we use today.