Herzog celebrates its 40th anniversary today.

Incorporated by Bill Herzog on May 7, 1969, the company is expanding its headquarters in St. Joseph.

Herzog conducted its construction and railroad business in 38 states, plus Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean last year. Al Landes, executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the company thought about building office space in other cities such as Dallas or Denver.

“At the end of the day, this is our home,” Mr. Landes said.

St. Joseph also offers an appealing environment to raise a family and a dedicated work force, he said.

Herzog workers began preparing the site for the new office building on Riverside Road a few weeks ago. A building contractor has not yet been selected, said Kenney Newville, the engineer for the office building.

“To the point that we can, we do local,” Mr. Landes said.

The new facility will be nearly identical to Herzog’s two-story, 28,000 square foot office building, which was completed in 1987 and houses about 80 workers. Mr. Newville said the project is expected to be completed next spring.

Herzog is working with east side neighbors Heartland Regional Medical Center and Missouri Western State University to coordinate development of the area, Mr. Newville said. Herzog’s plan has the possibility to add more office buildings if there is need.

“When we look at what we’re doing, it fits in the master plan,” Mr. Landes said. The new building will have more space than is needed initially, but Herzog expects to grow.

“We had far and away the best year the company has ever had,” Mr. Landes said.

Herzog’s sectors have not been affected by the recession and the company has not had any layoffs, he said. Its four divisions incorporate highway construction, asphalt paving, landfill management and rail services.

“We’re trying to set an example to the community, being one of the larger employers, in being responsible. We don’t forget where we came from,” Mr. Landes said.

Susan Mires can be reached at susanm@npgco.com.