Messer Construction continues to grow after more than 80 years in business. 

By The Editors of Construction Today

Although it still refers to itself as a local builder, Dayton, Ohio-based Messer Construction has national resources, and its arms reach out to nine regions throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Messer is a construction manager and general contractor that specializes in commercial construction projects in the healthcare, higher education, life sciences and industrial market segments. The company was founded in 1932, became employee-owned in 1990 and achieved almost $1.25 billion in annual revenue in 2016, according to its website.  

The company is working on a $42 million expansion project for a senior care facility in Dayton, Ohio. It consists of a new building addition to Bethany Village, one of the largest assisted-living communities in the region. The new building, called Crescent Crossing, is being billed as a modern take on assisted living.

It will feature 74 new assisting-living units, a theater, chapel, gathering spaces, a coffee and snack bar, and a fitness center. The 90,000-square-foot expansion is targeted for completion near the end of 2018. Hodgson Architectural Group is the project’s architect and Messer is the builder. 

Aviation Experts

Aside from healthcare, Messer is also known for its work in the aviation industry. Its construction staff has experience with the Federal Aviation Administration’s requirements and airport operations area protocols. The company promises construction activities that do not interfere with airport business operations or hinder travelers.

Its aviation builders have experience with all levels of airport construction, including terminal renovations, parking structures, air shipment facilities, rental car facilities, baggage-handling systems, explosive detection systems, rescue and fire facilities, aircraft maintenance facilities and aprons, ramps and taxi lanes.

Messer has worked on projects for a variety of airports including Charlotte Douglas International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, John Glenn Columbus International, Louisville International and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Messer prides itself on offering innovative building solutions and expertise that exceed customer expectations. It says its mission focuses on leading the building construction process for sustained growth and profitability through performance that creates value for its customers, a company-wide commitment to a safe work environment, ethical business practices and an environment where individual professional growth is the foundation for company growth.

Starting Out

Founded by Frank Messer, Frank Messer & Sons Inc. started by focusing on public works. Some of its first projects included the construction of a central post office in Nashville, Tenn., a public library in Toledo, Ohio, and a number of schools in Cincinnati.

Messer started picking up speed in the 1940s. It was awarded a contract to build a $37 million Wright Aeronautical Plant in Evendale, Ohio. At that time, it was considered to be the largest building award ever let under one contract in the United States. More than 12,000 people worked on its construction.

Also during that decade, the company constructed the Life Science Building at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and the Terrace Plaza Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. During the 1950s, Messer came under the leadership of Frank Messer’s son, Charles Messer, and its focus began to shift to high-rise construction.

Some of the company’s notable projects during that time include the Cincinnati Public Library, which was completed in 1952, and the University of Cincinnati’s Armory Field House in 1954. The building was home to university basketball from 1954 to 1989, including two men’s NCAA championship teams. Today, it serves as a multi-use facility for university athletics.

Reaching Milestones

During the 1980s, Messer started focusing on attracting and retaining high-performing construction professionals and building the company’s capacity for performance. In 1987, the company reached a milestone when it completed more than $100 million worth of construction for the first time in its history.

Another milestone was reached in 1990, when Messer’s 99 employees purchased the company from the Messer family. At that point, the company began to expand its footprint in Ohio by opening regional offices in Lexington, Columbus and Dayton. By 1997, Messer reached a $300 million annual revenue plateau for the first time. Some of its noteworthy projects included the Aronoff Center in downtown Cincinnati, completed in 1995, and the renovation of Cincinnati's iconic Museum Center at Union Terminal in 1990.

In the 2000s, Frank Messer & Sons officially changed its name to Messer Construction Co. It opened four additional regional offices: Louisville, Knoxville, Indianapolis and Nashville. Messer put in place more than $500 million of revenue for the first time in its history and formed its economic inclusion department in 2005.

Since 2010, the company has opened its Charlotte regional office and continues to grow. Twenty-five years after becoming employee-owned, the company’s workforce has increased tenfold, its annual revenue has multiplied by more than eight, and it operates in nine cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast.