Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Brookings
Civil Engineering ,
Arlo DeKraai and his family moved to Amarillo, Texas where he worked as a project manager for Texaco, following his graduation from South Dakota State University. In 1973, he accepted a job in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Refractory Construction, Inc. a private company performing time sensitive revamp construction projects for the oil refining industry. In 1979, DeKraai became founder and sole owner of Construction and Turnaround Services, Inc. The company specialized in concrete foundation construction and external insulation for the oil refining industry. In 1981, he sold the company to EconoTherm Energy Systems, a public company located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He then worked for a division of EconoTherm Energy; Aztec Industries, Inc., as a manager of construction services and general manager until 1983. In 1983, DeKraai founded, along with four other partners, Midwest Industrial Contractors, Inc. specializing in the manufacture and construction of time sensitive projects for the oil refining and petrochemical industry. DeKraai served as president and CEO until the company was sold to Matrix Service Company in Tulsa in 1991. After the sale, he served as vice president and board member of Matrix Service Company. In this capacity, he actively participated in the acquisition of four companies, which became wholly owned subsidiaries of Matrix Service Company. In addition, he developed a Joint Venture Company in Saudi Arabia. In 1994, DeKraai established The Cust-O-Fab Companies with three other partners. The company had seven separate operating divisions performing work in over 30 states and 10 foreign countries. Aside from his role as CEO of Cust-O-Fab and as an individual investor and entrepreneur, he organized the financing for three start-up companies. In addition to his success as a businessman, DeKraai was an active member in his community supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund and he serves as the board president of the Oaks Indian Mission. He also served on the SDSU Foundation Board from 1992 to 2001 and served on the Governing Board of the SDSU Enterprise Institute. His Wife, Barbara (Conn) DeKraai, graduated from SDSU in 1970.