The staff at iHawl Land Specialist in Farmington includes Stephen “Steve” Martinez, vice president, from left, Trevor Messbarger, vice president of operations, Stephan van der Merwe, owner and president, Amanda Flores, director of business development and human resources, Kendall Grigg, senior project manager, and Jesse Gutierrez, estimator. (Photo by Hedges Photos)
Having opened in 2021, iHawl Land Specialist in Farmington has already garnered a reputation for excellence in northwest Arkansas and beyond, this year being voted Best Construction Company and Best Excavation Company in Arkansas Money & Politics’ “Best of 2025.”
“We’re absolutely blown away by it, did not expect it, so very grateful for it,” said Stephan van der Merwe, owner and president. “For our team, I think it’s well deserving. … As a team, these guys and girls have been working extremely hard to help grow this company.”
Originally from South Africa, where he grew up on his family’s farm, van der Merwe came to the United States on an H-2A visa to work in agriculture. He eventually purchased a farm in northwest Arkansas, which he sold in 2020. Unsure of his next move, he chose to remain in Arkansas and pursue land services.
“Everybody was getting into skid steers and doing little driveways and trash haul from dumpsters,” he said. “I just asked around a little bit if they had a need for someone to bring a dump trailer that I could just pull behind my pickup, and they said absolutely. It went from doing two jobs and hauling trash away to, ‘Hey, can you come and grade this yard out? We’ve pulled some trees out. Can you come move this gravel pile?’”
With a background in farming, earthmoving equipment has always been a part of his life, he added.
“It was second nature, basically, to go get involved in it, to understand it,” he said. “I love the art of dirtwork. I mean, you can take a raw piece of land and turn it into something that’s going to affect thousands of people, if not millions, that are going to be able to use that facility that we laid the foundation on.”
The company has grown steadily over the years and now provides civil excavation, utility and topsoil services to customers across Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Integrity, cutting-edge technology and a hardworking staff have helped the company become a trusted member of the northwest Arkansas business community, van der Merwe said.
“I think our drive in wanting to be and going to be the best and the caliber of people we have definitely sets us apart,” he said. “Our technology is a big part of it, and especially when you integrate the technology with the amazing and smart people we have, it really makes a big difference.”
Machine-integrated software takes the guesswork out of projects, allowing iHawl to faithfully replicate the plans created at the office out in the field with minimal waste, leading to client savings.
“We’re able to value engineer projects to give owners a better option that fits their pocket better,” van der Merwe said. “We’re also able to minimize costly mistakes, and we’re able to narrow down on cost for us as a company.”
With an emphasis on partnership, the company’s attention to detail, diligent work ethic and clean job sites have made clients of general contractors and even competitors, said Amanda Flores, director of business development and human resources.
“We’re respected. We’re very credible,” she said. “Our reputation is absolutely phenomenal, and so we just welcome the opportunity in this region and even beyond that to partner with people and help our communities grow because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.”
That ethos of partnership is summed up in the company slogan, “We set the pace,” which van der Merwe said exemplifies iHawl’s commitment to cutting through the red tape to perform work honestly and efficiently.
“We do what we say we’re going to do. We’re going to help you be ahead of schedule. We understand that developments cost money, and the faster we can do it and how well we do it is what sets us apart,” van der Merwe said. “We truly go into it with a mindset that this is our personal project every single project, no matter of size.”
With a staff nearly 30 strong, van der Merwe said the work is a team effort from the ditch hands all the way up to himself as owner.
“Everybody’s responsible for their job,” he said. “They have to own their job and be as successful as they can be with the support we provide them to further themselves but also further the company.”
He added that the company culture has been integral to iHawl’s success.
“I think what’s helped us a lot is happy staff when it comes down to being treated the right way,” he said. “Feeling like they have a place they can call home, a work environment that takes care of them, gives them an opportunity to pour into the company.”
The company works to be an exemplary member of the community by sponsoring local sports teams and other causes. Although he had the opportunity to move elsewhere after selling his farm, van der Merwe said he felt as though providence led him to stay in northwest Arkansas.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the hand of God in it,” he said. “My main goal is for God to use our pockets to sow back into our community.”
He said he hopes to grow iHawl into a billion-dollar company and expand nationwide while maintaining the company culture iHawl has today. He added that he is grateful to the AMP readers who voted the company among Arkansas’ best.
“I’m very thankful and grateful for the award and that they put us in this situation to be able to showcase who we are,” he said. “We’re really thankful, and I feel like the hard work we’ve put in that those people entrust us with and have seen our company grow, it touches all of us to know that we’re doing something where people are noticing.”
READ ALSO: Baz to UA Brass: I’m Coming for Hardware Held in Storage
