Company Background

Messer lives up to our motto: "We Are Building"
We've come a long way since 1932, but our commitment to building excellence has never changed. We now employ nearly 900 builders who plan and perform more than $650,000,000 of diverse complex, commercial construction in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Our experienced leaders and builders live near, and work, in our region offices located in Indianapolis, Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Knoxville and Nashville.

History

In the 1990's: Messer becomes 100% Employee-Owned

In 1990 the employees purchased the company from the Messer family. By 1998, the company was performing more than $200,000,000 worth of construction annually.

The combination of employee ownership, long-term planning, investment in process improvement and our people has resulted in consistent, metered and sustainable growth… and ensures future generations of Messer builders.

1932: Frank Messer starts a family construction company

Frank Messer & Sons, Inc. was founded in 1932 by Mr. Frank Messer. In its early history Messer focused on public works, constructing the central post office in Nashville, TN, the public library in Toledo, OH and many schools in Cincinnati, OH.

In 1940, Messer was awarded the largest single contract ever, at that time, by the United States Government for the Wright Aeronautical Plant (now General Electric) in Evendale, OH.

In the 1960's and 1970's, under the leadership of Frank's son, Charles Messer, the company continued to grow. Messer's expertise in high-rise construction was widely recognized throughout the Midwest.

In the 1980's, Messer focused on attracting and retaining high-performing construction professionals and building the company’s capacity for performance.

During the company's first 60 years, the average amount of construction put in place, per year, was about $100,000,000.