Midwest Products To Take Over Basic Block

By Staff report

Posted: November 14, 2009 at 2:24 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — The battle between two local business partners appears to be over.

Attorneys for Gary Combs, owner of Springdale-based Basic Block Group, and John Horne each filed satisfactions of judgment Friday in Washington County Circuit Court. That means all judgments were paid and releases liens and other liabilities.

A jury in early October awarded Horne $997,243 following a trial about government contracts for hurricane relief efforts in 2008. Combs was the defendant.

Horne said during trial Combs agreed to a 50-50 partnership of the profit after direct and associated cost had been deducted. Horne alleged Combs did not pay.

The jury also awarded Horne half of the uncollected amount owed from government contracts, which can now be paid to a court fund, according to court documents filed Friday.

Combs countersued Horne and the jury awarded Combs $63,000 for an unpaid promissory note from Horne.

While Combs cleared up that lawsuit, the future of Basic Block Group is in question.

Trevor Monnig, chief financial officer of Midwest Products Group of Jefferson City, Mo., said Basic Block is being transferred to his company.

Combs did not confirm a change of Basic Block Group ownership or transfer to Midwest Products.

“I own the company. I have not sold it and I would know it if I had,” Combs said.

Monnig said only “We are under contract with Basic Block.”

Monnig said his firm looks forward to expanding into the Northwest Arkansas market and will keep Basic Block in operation. In addition, Monnig said Midwest will offer additional services and products, though he did not offer detail.

Midwest Products Group does residential and commercial landscaping and residential and commercial masonry work, according to its Web site, www.kirchnerblock.com.

Midwest Products is the parent company for several firms that make and distribute concrete blocks, retaining walls, brick, stone and other products. The firm has 24 locations in five states, according to the Web site. The closest to Northwest Arkansas are in Branson, Mo., and Springfield, Mo.

Several dozen bargain hunters gathered Friday at Combs’ business in Springdale where Alex Lyon & Son auctioned generators, power washers, chain saws, trimmers, large construction equipment, trucks and trailers to the highest bidders.

Alex Lyon & Son will publish Monday the amount sold at auction, according to a company spokeswoman.

This is not the first time Combs sold business equipment. He sold more than 100 dump trucks and other equipment to a Texas-based company in 2006.

That move got Combs out of the hauling business and he laid off about 100 employees.

“That’s just part of business. We’re at the peak of used equipment right now in the United States, the highest it’s ever been, so I made a decision to (sell some equipment),” he told the Northwest Arkansas Times in 2006.

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