H&K Group Inc. (H&K) Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board John R. “Jack” Kibblehouse. died on Nov. 2, at his home in Skippack Township, Pa.
Known for his firm business focus and calm demeanor,. Kibblehouse joined forces with childhood friend John B. Haines IV, and partners the late Terry Koch, Harry R. “Butch” Budenz and Lee S. Detwiler to form Haines & Kibblehouse Inc. in 1968.
Over the next 50-plus years, Kibblehouse would play an integral role in setting the underpinnings of the corporation, directing its business operations and steadily guiding growth and expansion of the corporation. In 2007, he was appointed co-chairman of the board, sharing the role with friend and co-founder, John B. Haines IV, as the current (or “second generation”) ownership structure was established within Haines & Kibblehouse, Inc. From this juncture, Kibblehouse guided, directed and mentored the corporation until illness pulled him away from his tireless duties in early 2022.
In its present configuration, H&K Group, Inc., commonly referred to as “H&K,” is positioned as one of the largest and most successful privately owned and operated heavy civil contracting and construction materials companies in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Kibblehouse and the Kibblehouse “K” will forever be emboldened in the brand and remembered as the firm, nurturing spirit behind the region’s heavy civil contracting and construction materials giant that H&K has become.
Kibblehouse is also remembered as one of the founding partners of HYK Construction Co. Inc. (HYK), formed with friends and business associates, John B. Haines IV and the late Paul Yerk, Jr. This trio established Rahns Construction Materials Co. (RAHNS) in 1974 in Rahns, Pa., and also formed Rahns Trucking Inc. in 1999. Since this time, RAHNS has grown into one of the premier ready-mix concrete, precast concrete and trucking powerhouses in the eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey region.