On July 27, 1992, Dick Arnoldy and Jeff Cook founded ARCO on the basic principle that the construction process should be enjoyable for our customers and associates. Since, ARCO has seen tremendous success, growing from a single office in St. Louis, Missouri to a multi-billion dollar enterprise. ARCO is set to have its most successful year to date with 2022 revenue projections over $5 billion. ARCO also continues to grow its talented team with more than 1,200 associates in offices and on jobsites coast to coast and counting. From successfully completing our first year of business to beginning construction on the largest project in ARCO history and everything in-between, we are proud of every milestone we have achieved along the way.
1992: ARCO is Founded
Founded in 1992 by Dick Arnoldy and Jeff Cook, ARCO began as a single office in St. Louis, Missouri. From the beginning, Dick and Jeff were dedicated to making the construction process enjoyable for ARCO’s customers and associates. ARCO’s design-build approach and entrepreneurial business model made it truly unique among the competition and would attract repeat clients and the best and brightest talent, laying the foundation for the company’s incredible growth and success over the next three decades.
1993: ARCO Successfully Completes First Year of Business
ARCO completed its first year of business earning $9.5 million in revenue from both local and national projects. This marked the beginning of ARCO establishing itself as a leading national design-build general contractor and the company’s continual revenue growth and affiliate model expansion.
1995: ARCO Design/Build Marks First Affiliate Expansion
In 1995, ARCO expanded its presence to Atlanta, Georgia, with the establishment of ARCO Design/Build, led by Rick Schultze, Founder and Co-Chairman. Mark Mummert became the first Project Manager, retired as CEO, and serves as Co-Chairman. This was ARCO’s first affiliate expansion and the first time Dick and Jeff sold stock in the company. Specializing in industrial design and construction solutions, ADB has expanded to include offices in Indianapolis, Houston, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Memphis, Salt Lake City and Charleston.
1997: ARCO Begins Partnership with Beer & Beverage Industry
Now the nation’s largest builder of beverage distributorships, ARCO completed its first project for the beer industry in 1997 – a 35,544 SF warehouse and office for A&B Distributors in Muskogee, Oklahoma. That same year, ARCO Beverage Group, led by Cameron Pinzke, was established as ARCO’s first specialty division.
1998: ARCO Awarded First Cold Storage Project
ARCO partnered with Performance Food Group in 1998 to complete a 137,100 SF foodservice distribution facility and office. This marked the beginning of ARCO’s expansion into the cold storage market, as well as a long-standing partnership with PFG who is now one of the company’s largest clients. To date, ARCO has completed more than 300 cold storage projects totaling over 40 million square feet.
1999: ARCO’s First In-House Architectural Firm is Formed
As the first in-house architectural firm within the ARCO enterprise, GMA Architects was formed in 1999 under the name GMA Design Group. Since, GMA has partnered with ARCO affiliates across the enterprise on hundreds of successful projects spanning all industry types. In 2022, GMA expanded to include structural design services.
2000: ARCO National Construction is Established
ARCO National Construction (ANC) was established in St. Louis in 2000 to better service the company’s growing national client base. Under the leadership of Craig Bridell, ANC quickly became one of the enterprise’s most successful affiliates. With six regional offices and two specialty divisions, ANC now operates as part of ARCO Holdings Company and is responsible for providing some of ARCO’s largest repeat clients with design-build solutions on projects nationwide.
2001: ARCO Design/Build Industrial Establishes Presence in the Northeast
In 2001, led by Rob Steigerwald, ARCO Design/Build Industrial was established in Philadelphia to provide a local presence for the enterprise’s growing client base in the Northeast. Specializing in industrial design and construction solutions, ADBI has expanded to include offices in Baltimore, New York, Raleigh-Durham and Richmond.
2001: ARCO Business Services is Established
In 2001, ARCO Business Services (ABS), led by Steve Holste, was established under the name ARCO/Murray Corporate Services to centralize support for the growing enterprise. ABS has expanded its services through the years, providing support in areas such as Safety, HR, Accounting, Finance, Legal and more.
2002: ARCO Builds First One Million Square Foot Distribution Facility
ARCO National Construction partnered with DHL in 2002 to complete a 1,000,000 SF distribution facility for Johnson & Johnson in Olive Branch, Mississippi. This was the largest project any ARCO affiliate had completed to date. DHL now represents one of ARCO’s largest clients, partnering together on more than 35 projects nationwide.
2005: ARCO Awarded First Industrial Laundry Project
ARCO partnered with HCA in 2005 to complete a 38,000 SF industrial laundry facility buildout in Coppell, Texas. This marked the beginning of ARCO’s expansion into the laundry industry, now having completed over 150 projects across the U.S. and Canada totaling more than 4.5 million square feet.
2006: ARCO/Murray National Construction is Established
Led by Brad Dannegger, ARCO/Murray National Construction (AMNC) opened in Chicago, Illinois, in 2006. AMNC has grown to include two offices in the Chicago area, as well as multiple regional offices, and has established ARCO as a leader in several specialty markets such as industrial laundry, entertainment and controlled environment agriculture.
2006: ARCO Enters the Multifamily Market
ARCO Construction Company (ACC) entered the multifamily market in 2006 with the completion of a 55-unit luxury townhouse complex for Echelon Development in St. Petersburg, Florida. ACC went on to establish ARCO Construction Senior Living Multi-Family in 2018. The ARCO enterprise now represents one of the largest builders for the multifamily, senior living and student housing industries and operates four specialty divisions dedicated to the market.
2008: ARCO Begins Long-Standing Partnership with TopGolf
ARCO/Murray National Construction built its first project for TopGolf in Wooddale, Illinois, in 2008. Since then, ARCO and TopGolf have partnered to bring more than 50 state-of-the-art golf and entertainment complexes to 27 states coast to coast.
2010: ARCO is Awarded First Senior Living Project for Provision Living
ARCO Construction Company partnered with Provision Living in 2010 on a 95,000 SF, 80-unit senior housing and assisted living facility in the St. Louis suburb, Webster Groves. Becoming a Raving Fan after the completion of the first project, the partnership now spans 16 projects totaling over $120 million in revenue.
2011: ARCO/Murray Construction Company is Established in Tampa (2011)
In 2011, ARCO/Murray Construction Company (AMCC) was established in Tampa, Florida. AMCC has since expanded its Florida presence with an office in Orlando and with specialty divisions dedicated to multifamily and senior living and controlled environment agriculture. ARCO National Construction Kansas City and Midwest Concrete Constructors are also established.
2012: ARCO Completes First Project for Developer Partner Scannell Properties
ARCO National Construction began its partnership with repeat developer client Scannell Properties with the completion of a distribution facility for FedEx in Burbank, California, in 2012. Scannell and ARCO have partnered on more than 30 developments since, including multiple projects for Amazon, FedEx and Coca-Cola.
Also in 2012, ARCO Design/Build Industrial completed a 1,028,000 SF distribution facility for NFI and end-user Subaru of America. This marked the beginning of ARCO’s long-term partnership with NFI, which now spans 14 projects totaling more than 5.5 million square feet. ARCO Design/Build Indianapolis is Established.
2015: ARCO Awarded First Self-Storage Project
In 2015, ARCO/Murray National Construction partnered with Montfort Self Storage to complete the enterprise’s first self-storage project – a 123,600 SF, 3-story climate-controlled facility in Dallas, Texas. Since, ARCO, led by the Dallas office, has completed more than 75 projects totaling over 8 million square feet nationwide.
2015: ARCO/Murray National Construction Diversifies Product Offerings for Clients
To better service clients by diversifying its product offerings, ARCO/Murray National Construction divided into three specialized lines of business including a build-to-suit division, an interiors division and a process division in 2015.
ARCO Design/Build Houston and ARCO/Murray National Construction Dallas are established.
2016: Enterprise Annual Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion
For the first time in enterprise history, ARCO earned more than $1 billion in revenue in 2016. ARCO has since continued to see impressive year-over-year growth and, on average, attributes approximately 75% of revenue to repeat clientele annually.
ARCO Design/Build Atlanta Build-to-Suit and ARCO Design/Build Industrial Baltimore are established.
2017: Engineering News-Record Names ARCO a Top 20 Design-Build Firm (2017)
Providing clients with best-in-class design-build solutions for more than two decades, ARCO was named a Top 20 Design-Build Firm by Engineering News-Record in 2017. ARCO climbed the list to the top ten just three years later and was most recently ranked number 6 in 2022.
2017: ARCO/Murray National Construction Expands In-House Services (2017)
AMNC expanded its in-house services in 2017 with the formation of ARCO/Murray Engineering and ARCO/Murray Mechanical. Since, AME and AM Mechanical have played a crucial role in providing clients with complete turnkey solutions and have partnered with ARCO affiliates on projects nationwide.
ARCO/Murray National Construction Nashville, AM Mechanical, ARCO/Murray National Construction Denver and ARCO/Murray National Construction Nor-Cal are established.
2018: ARCO Enters the Controlled Environment Agriculture Industry
ARCO expanded its expertise in 2018 with the completion of its first controlled environment agriculture project. Over the past few years, this line of business has evolved to include various product types such as cannabis greenhouse, processing, cultivation and vertical farming facilities. To date, ARCO has worked on more than 30 controlled environment agriculture projects.
ARCO Construction Senior Living Multi-Family, ARCO Design/Build Charlotte, ARCO Design/Build Industrial New York, ARCO National Construction Living Group and ARCO National Construction New England are established.
2019: ARCO Construction Company Expands Presence to the Southwest
In 2019, ARCO Construction Company (ACC) opened its Mountain West office. Capitalizing on the fast-growing construction market of Phoenix and the surrounding region, ACC has quickly established itself as a leading design-build firm in the Southwest market.
ARCO Design/Build continued to expand its in-house services in 2022 with the addition of ARCON Concrete Solutions. ARCON delivers expert concrete services for light industrial and commercial construction projects with consistent quality, while making the construction experience enjoyable and beneficial for our customers.
2019: ARCO Affiliates Become 100% Employee-Owned
In 2019, ARCO National Construction and ARCO Design/Build became 100% employee -owned. Through the Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), each associate holds a stake in the company, placing the benefits of ARCO’s success directly in those who drive it, reflecting the entrepreneurial model the company was founded on. ARCO/Murray Construction Company became employee-owned in 2022.
2019: ADB and ADBI Expands In-House Services
ARCO Design/Build and ARCO Design/Build Industrial expanded their in-house services in 2019 and 2020, respectively, with the formation of their Design Services offering. In addition, ADB also launched a Structural Engineering Division in 2020 with locations in Atlanta and Indianapolis. These sectors have played a crucial role in further delivering a turnkey service and a seamless experience for our clients nationwide.
ARCO/Murray National Construction Mission Critical, ARCO/Murray Construction Company Orlando and ADB Design Services Atlanta are established.
2020: ARCO Named #1 Builder of Distribution & Warehouse Space in U.S.
Engineering News-Record ranked ARCO number one on its list of top distribution and warehouse builders in 2020. ARCO earned the top spot again in 2021. To date, ARCO has completed more than 900 projects totaling 175 million square feet for industrial clientele and has become a trusted partner to developers and end-users looking to expand their supply chain networks nationwide.
2020: ARCO Design/Build Raleigh-Durham Begins Construction on ARCO’s Largest Life Sciences Project to Date
ARCO Design/Build Raleigh-Durham partners with global pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company to build a 700,000 SF New Greenfield Drug Manufacturing Campus—their most advanced manufacturing campus in the world—in the Durham County portion of Research Triangle Park.
ARCO Design/Build Salt Lake City, ARCO Design/Build Memphis, ARCO Design/Build Jacksonville, ARCO Design/Build Atlanta Cold Logistics Solutions, ADBI Design Services New York, ARCO Design/Build Raleigh-Durham, ARCO National Construction Ohio Valley, ARCO National Construction Pacific Coast, ARCO/Murray National Construction Toronto, ADB Structural Engineering Atlanta are established.
2021: ARCO Continues Partnership with Repeat Client Taylor & Mathis
ARCO Design/Build began its partnership with Taylor & Mathis in 1999. Since, ARCO and Taylor & Mathis have partnered to complete more than 30 projects. In 2021, ARCO completed the Friendship Distribution Center project located in Buford, Georgia, which included four buildings totaling 649,189 SF. ARCO and Taylor & Mathis are currently working on nine additional projects.
2021: Construction Begins on Largest Distribution Project in ARCO History
ARCO Design/Build Industrial made history in 2021, beginning construction on the enterprise’s largest project to date. The $250+ million Bronx Logistics Center for Dune Real Estate Partners and Turnbridge Equities is one of New York City’s largest industrial projects. Once complete, the 2-story last mile logistics facility will include a 500,118 SF warehouse and a 500,000 SF parking garage.
ARCO Design/Build Charleston, ARCO Design/Build Industrial Build-to-Suit, ARCO Design/Build Industrial Richmond, ARCO National Construction Great Lakes, ARCO National Construction Northwest, ARCO/Murray National Construction Agricultural Controlled Environments, Smith/Roberts & Associates Operates as ADB Structural Engineering in Indianapolis and ARCO Design/Build Charleston SLMF are established.
2022: ARCO Design/Build Launches Self Performing Division ARCON Concrete in Atlanta
ARCO Design/Build continued to expand its in-house services in 2022 with the addition of ARCON Concrete Solutions. ARCON delivers expert concrete services for light industrial and commercial construction projects with consistent quality, while making the construction experience enjoyable and beneficial for our customers.
2022: ARCO Projects Its Most Successful Year to Date
After three decades of providing clients with best-in-class design-build solutions, ARCO is set to have its most successful year to date with 2022 revenue projections over $5 billion. ARCO also continues to grow its talented team with more than 1,200 associates in offices and on jobsites coast to coast and counting. We look forward to many more years of incredible growth and success in the years ahead!
