Meet Kevin Aker, Hebron Brick Supply

Kevin Aker is regional manager for the Rapid City office of Hebron Brick Supply, a more than 120-year-old company. He’s an avid photographer and longtime sponsor and attendee of AIA South Dakota’s Design in the Hills. Outside of work, Kevin and his wife keep busy with two teenagers and unwind in their 1995 pop-up at campsites in the Black Hills.

How did you choose your career?

Well, my career sort of chose me. I started working at Hebron Brick Supply in high school—technically, I still was in middle school when I started a couple days a week, although I was pretty worthless at that age!

After high school, I attended Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, and earned a business degree in photographic communications. I quickly realized I enjoyed photographing things I wanted to photograph, not necessarily what an employer wanted me to.

After college, I came back to Hebron full-time and soon moved into architectural sales. That’s where I spent most of my early years with the company, and I found that I really enjoyed building relationships and helping architects find the best options for their designs.

More than a decade ago, we started sponsoring the Design in the Hills event, and it’s become one of my favorite events every year. Even though my role at Hebron has evolved over time and I don’t get to network with architects as much as I used to, I still make sure I attend that event every year.

I started working for Hebron Brick in 1997, and aside from a short period when ownership changed and we operated as Dakota Masonry, my entire career has been at the same location.

My dad and uncle both started at Hebron in 1981 when they opened the Rapid City branch after running their own construction business. So, I guess you could say it was inevitable. I didn’t know what God’s plan was at the time, but apparently it was a career at Hebron Brick Supply.

What are your key areas of expertise in your field? Or a unique skill you can share with other members?

After working in the industry for almost 30 years, you naturally pick up a lot of information about a lot of different things. I would love to say I’m an expert in something, but honestly, I still learn new things about the industry every day.

Art always has been a part of my life. So, I guess you could say one unique skill I bring is the ability to visualize color combinations and how different materials work together. Over the years at Hebron, that has helped me work with both retail customers and architects as they sort through hundreds of different design options. I’m not saying my style works for everyone, but I really enjoy helping people narrow down choices and create something that fits their vision.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?   

Honestly, it’s the relationships. Not only with customers and designers but also with the staff.

When you think about it, we spend more time each day with the people we work with than we sometimes do with our own families. Because of that, I really enjoy getting to know the people I work with and learning about their lives outside of work. I always tell them my door is open, whether they have a work question or just want to talk about their weekend.

That being said, family is extremely important to me. Luckily, at Hebron we often refer to ourselves as the “Hebron family.” With that mindset, the company has always focused on making sure people can spend time away from work when they need to and enjoy time with their families.

What’s something you want architects and design professionals to know about your products and services?

Hebron Brick strives to stay ahead of industry trends, and that has helped us continue developing new brick colors, textures, and styles. Thin brick has become a huge part of our business, and we are constantly working to create new options that align with the design trends architects are looking for.

Over the last 120+ years in business, our product offering has expanded far beyond traditional brick. Natural and manufactured stone have been a mainstay for us for many years, but we now also offer a wide range of metal cladding and siding options for both commercial and residential projects. We also go beyond exterior wall systems. Hebron offers a full lineup of hardscape materials for landscape architects, along with a full-service fireplace division that helps designers select the right products and provides installation support for their clients.

If there’s one thing I’d especially want architects and design professionals to know, it’s how much our metal cladding options have grown in recent years. Just as importantly, we want to be as involved in the process as possible. From the moment a client walks through the door, we want to help provide ideas, options, samples, and support to make the project successful.

How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends and developments? What do you think is the greatest emerging area of opportunity?

It’s definitely a group effort at Hebron. We don’t just sit back and wait for trends to happen; we actively work to stay ahead of them. We stay involved with the Brick Industry Association, which helps us keep up not only with regional trends but also trends across the country.

Across all our locations in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota— including our newest location in Rochester, Minnesota—we collaborate frequently on what is and isn’t trending throughout our different markets. That constant communication gives us a broader perspective on design trends, materials, and customer preferences.

In the Rapid City market specifically, I think one of the greatest emerging opportunities is the flexibility Hebron can provide in design options. With the expansion of Ellsworth Air Force Base, we are seeing many new people move into the area. That continues to broaden the variety of styles and product preferences we see from customers.

At the same time, many longtime residents are reinvesting in their current homes instead of moving. That creates huge opportunities for designers and suppliers like Hebron to reinvent outdoor living spaces, add thin brick accents to interiors, upgrade fireplaces, or introduce new exterior cladding options.

There are more ways than ever for people to update their homes and businesses with products that add comfort, character, and long-term value, and that is an exciting area of growth for our industry.

What’s one goal you’d like to achieve in your Allied membership with AIA SD this year?

Hebron’s goal every year with AIA South Dakota is to stay relevant, whether that’s through new ideas and product options or through strengthening our relationships within the architectural community.

We strive to be the best partner we can be for architects and designers by staying involve, being accessible, and providing strong customer service. We want to support them not only through the products we offer but also through the relationships we build.

Architects and designers play a larger role in our industry, and we truly value the trust they place in us. Without those relationships, it would be much more difficult for Hebron to continue growing and evolving as a business.

How can architects and other design professionals get in touch with you?

I’m always available by phone or email. As my role at Hebron has evolved over the years, Brad Paz has taken on the majority of our architectural sales, but both of us are always happy to help however we can.

At Hebron, we’re always willing to drop what we’re doing and stop by an architect’s office to provide samples, discuss ideas, or help work through product options. To be completely honest, we’d rather not sit in the office anyway, so if we have an excuse to come visit, we’ll gladly take the opportunity!

What’s one thing—industry-related or not—you learned in the last three months?

You actually can add thin brick to an airplane hangar door! It isn’t easy, and there’s definitely some trial and error involved, but it can be done.

At Hebron, we’re always open to new opportunities and challenges, and that was one I had never even considered before. But sometimes the customer has a vision, and our job is to help figure out how to make it happen.

I also learned that having one kid playing on three different baseball teams at the same time is probably not advisable for the parents! He was loving life getting to play that much baseball, but keeping track of where we were supposed to be—and when—became a full-time job of its own.

How do you spend your free time?

Free time? What is that? Right now, with two teenage boys, there isn’t a lot of it! But even though my wife and I sometimes can’t see straight, we wouldn’t give up this stage of life for anything.

When life does slow down a little, nothing beats quality time with my family. One of my passions is photography, and I especially enjoy chasing and photographing thunderstorms. Over the past several years, I haven’t been able to get out as much as I’d like, but spending time with family is where I truly want to be. Time is too short to spend all of it away from the people who matter most.

Once baseball season is over, we head to a spot in the Black Hills where we pull in our 1995 pop-up camper. It’s far away from the busyness of life, and we enjoy a few quiet days together where we often don’t see other people. God has definitely blessed us with a beautiful place to unwind.

What’s the biggest lesson your career has taught you?

Our work life doesn’t have to be completely separate from our personal life. Family is immensely important to me, and I was fortunate enough to work alongside my father for 23 years of my career. That deepened my relationship with him and gave me a tremendous amount of knowledge about the industry that I may never have gained otherwise.

Now, in my 29th year at Hebron, the values of our company have sparked my son’s interest enough that he has started his second summer working with me—what a blessing! He’s currently leaning toward an engineering career, but I’ll keep him around as long as I can!

Relationships with coworkers, customers, and architects are really the key to our success. Products, trends, and projects all change over time, but the people you work with and the trust you build with them are what truly last.