Courtesy photo John Kimball and his wife, Sheila, participate in the Ebensburg Dickens of a Christmas Parade.

When he was just 10 years old, Ebensburg native John Kimball had a firsthand look at business practices and procedures while working delivering mail for his father’s company, L.R. Kimball & Associates.

While he is now nearly a decade removed from the company and more than 60 years from his first introduction to the business world, Kimball’s values of family and community pride have yet to escape him.

“I just want to help the town or anyone who needs my help,” Kimball said. “Whether they need help on projects or have questions on other projects I’ve done throughout the years, I just want to be there and lend what expertise I can.”

Kimball, 74, is the former senior vice president of L.R. Kimball & Associates, which serves as the engineer for Ebensburg Borough and has overseen numerous infrastructure projects throughout the nation.

The lifelong Ebensburg resident heralds 64 years of business experience, and even though his family business was sold more than a decade ago, he has ventured into new career paths that are focused on building a better and healthier community.

“Over the last 20 to 25 years, whenever the borough needed help with various projects, especially recreational projects, John has always answered the call,” Ebensburg mayor Randy Datsko said.

The Kimball family has been rooted in Pennsylvania and the Ebensburg area for generations.

The family arrived in the Western Hemisphere in 1634 and migrated to Pennsylvania in the 1700s.

Members of the Kimball family fought in the Revolutionary War, Civil War and every conflict since, and the family eventually landed in Ebensburg.

The Kimballs were devastated by the stock market crash in the early 1930s and lost everything. After moving to the Erie area for two years, they returned to Ebensburg where they eventually built the business foundation that has lasted nearly 90 years.

The Kimball family owned several small businesses, including two hotels, a butcher shop and an ice delivery company.

Eventually, Kimball’s father, L. Robert, founded the family business of L.R. Kimball and Associates in 1953.

“The Kimball family were really benefactors to our community,” Datsko said. “They were committed to keeping their headquarters here in Ebensburg, and even with how large the company became, they always stayed true to their roots.”

John Kimball and his eight siblings worked for the company at one point, with several of his siblings having lifelong careers at the firm.

It’s where Kimball learned the values of family and teamwork in the workplace, which he said was his father’s most important value.

“He had a very big influence on all of us,” Kimball said. “It truly was a family business. He treated every employee like they were family and respected them as such.”

When he got his start with the company in 1957, Kimball said there were only about 50 employees.

In the ensuing years, the company expanded to more than 700 employees before being sold in 2010 to Philadelphia-based CDI Corp.

The Kimball company oversaw projects in every state and completed about 1,000 projects annually. Kimball said some of its most noteworthy projects were the Cambria and Blair prisons, the now-closed state penitentiary in Loretto, Route 22 from Cresson to Altoona, the Johnstown airport, the Altoona Area High School and several athletic facilities at Penn State University.

“We had a lot of successes,” he said.

Kimball held several positions with the company, and through his 52-year career, he visited every state except Alaska and Hawaii and tracked 1.6 million miles between 12 different vehicles.

But despite the numerous projects the Kimball family oversaw, the company was credited for never turning a blind eye toward its own community.

L. Robert Kimball turned an empty gravel lot in the center of Ebensburg into what is now Kimball Park, and the company oversaw several projects in town, including the Ebensburg Airport.

“The business has always been here in town and at one point was probably our biggest employer,” Datsko said. “They’ve served as our borough engineer for almost as long as I can remember, and they had a vision for our town. They were just tremendous in aiding those various projects and getting it right the first time.”

Following the company’s sale in 2010, Kimball has founded two small businesses, Kimball Motion Analytics and American Family Health.

Both companies emphasize family centered health.

American Family Health provides families consultation with various health professionals to review genetically inherited diseases, contradictory medications, physical acceptance of medicines and the body’s ability to process them and physical and dietary wellness programs.

“We look at trying to make the entire family a healthier unit rather than treating individuals as they become ill,” Kimball said.

Kimball Motion Analytics analyzes a patient’s skeletal and physical processes wirelessly with artificial intelligence and assigns exercise regimens to improve the body’s health and wellness.

The program, Kimball said, is geared toward all sports, physical therapy and other individuals.

Kimball first drew inspiration for both businesses following the passing of L. Robert and his mother, Mary Louise.

“I wanted to create something that would focus on families as a whole, because when my parents were sick, they were being treated individually,” Kimball said.

The two companies are a passion project for him, he said.

“It’s all focused on helping the family toward better health and preventive education,” Kimball said.

Kimball has also served the Ebensburg community in several other capacities, whether it be on the Ebensburg Public Library Board, the Ebensburg Historical Association board, the Johns Hopkins School of Education Advisory Board or working with Saint Francis University School of Education.

Recently, Kimball had one of Ebensburg’s top honors bestowed upon him — serving as grand marshal for the 2021 Dickens of a Christmas Parade.

While surprised, Kimball said he was honored to be recognized by his friends and neighbors.

He said his father previously served as grand marshal, making the accomplishment even more special.

“I felt very honored, and it was a really special night,” he said. “It was a highlight for me in my Ebensburg life.”

While his time in the community and his other business ventures keep him busy, Kimball said his family has remained the priority, and he is eager to watch it continue to expand.

He proudly boasted about his first grandson, Calvin, and he said the Kimball family is expecting another addition very soon.

His two sons, J.R. and Bobby, are both scheduled to be married in 2023, and his daughter, Klein, was touted for her successful career in the Allegheny Health System.

He has also relied on his trusted partner, Sheila, whom he said is the “light of his life.”

With a happy and healthy family, he said the opportunity to live and prosper in the small town of Ebensburg is icing on the cake.

“I’ve been to many small towns in every state, but there is nothing like living in Ebensburg,” Kimball said. “I love the town, I love the people and there is no place I would rather be.”

Mirror Staff Writer Calem Illig is at 814-946-7535.