The G.W. Van Keppel Company celebrated a century in the heavy equipment industry Sept. 24, 2026, with a 100th anniversary celebration at its Kansas City, Mo., location.
The event, held at the company's facility on Bannister Road, brought together employees, customers, industry partners and others to mark the milestone. Activities included food and drink trucks, a Gold Rush appearance and fireworks at dusk.
Van Keppel traces its roots to 1926, when company founder G.W. Van Keppel established the business to meet the equipment needs of Kansas City-area road builders. An immigrant from Holland, Van Keppel built the company around the idea of serving as a connection between equipment manufacturers and the contractors and other users who depended on their machines.
That philosophy has remained an important part of the company's identity as it has grown and expanded over the past 100 years.
The company's original location was at 2461 Pennway in Kansas City, Mo., where its first office was located in the basement of the building. Van Keppel later expanded its operations and product offerings, moving its headquarters to Kansas City, Kan., and opening additional locations throughout the Midwest.
Tom Walker joined the company in the 1950s after marrying G.W. Van Keppel's daughter, Elizabeth. Their son, Bill Walker, joined the business in 1976, continuing the family's involvement in the company.
Van Keppel represents a broad range of equipment manufacturers, including Antraquip, Astec KPI_JCI, Astec Mobile Screens, Bergmann, BOMAG, Epiroc, Etnyre, Hyundai Construction Equipment, Hyundai Forklift, Kone Forklift, K-Tec scraper, LeeBoy, Midland, Peerless Conveyor, Pro-All Mixers, Rammer, Roadtec, SAKAI, SENNEBOGEN, Stepp Manufacturing, and Volvo Construction Equipment.
The equipment lines cover applications including aggregate processing, quarry supplies, road building, asphalt, construction, material handling and other heavy-duty applications. Van Keppel also provides parts and service support for the equipment it sells, with factory-trained technicians and field and shop service available throughout its network.
A century after its founding, Van Keppel continues to operate on the principle established by its founder — connecting manufacturers with the equipment users who put those machines to work building roads, developing sites, processing aggregates and completing other construction projects.
The 100th anniversary celebration provided an opportunity for the company and those who have been part of its history to look back on that century of growth while recognizing the people and relationships that helped shape Van Keppel along the way.
“Our business is a personal business built around great people — the people at Van Keppel Company, the manufacturers we represent and the customers we serve,” Bill Walker, CEO, told Construction Equipment Guide. “We are grateful to all of them for being a part of our journey and for helping us celebrate 100 years in business.”
For more information, visit vankeppel.com
