The Beginning

In 1914 Philipp J. Hoerr took over personal management of Ideal Concrete Block Manufacturing Company from his father Chris Hoerr. The original plant/gravel pit was located in the East Bluff at the corner of Glen Oak Ave. and Nebraska Ave. in Peoria, IL.

In 1921 Mr. Hoerr moved operations to the East end of Wagon Bridge in East Peoria, IL. This is the current site of the East Peoria Steak 'n Shake Restaurant. (Photo is Philipp J. Hoerr and his first car)

Growth & Expansion

In 1920 we began producing concrete block for residential and some commercial clients. We continued to expand over the years into light commercial and municipal concrete construction.

Focusing on Concrete Work

In 1933 we closed the block manufacturing operation and focused entirely on concrete work. The name was changed to Philipp J. Hoerr Construction Co. The stamp can still be seen on concrete work in the Peoria Area.

move to Central Ave Office

The recent company name change to Philipp J. Hoerr Construction Co. brought a change of location to Central Avenue in Peoria.

Transition of Ownership

In the late 1950's the transition of ownership from Philipp J. Hoerr to Max Hoerr (son) and Wade Fehr (son-in-law) began.

P.J. Hoerr Inc.

In April 1957 we were incorporated and became known as P.J. Hoerr, Inc.

War Memorial Drive Location

Having outgrown the Central Avenue location, P.J. Hoerr moved to it's War Memorial Drive location.

Expanding into Larger Projects

In the 1970's and 1980's we continue to expand into larger building, highway and public utility projects.

Transition of Ownership

Beginning in the late 1980's transition of ownership to the 3rd generation began and completed in 1998. Both Mike Fehr (left) and Max P. Hoerr II (right) left P.J. Hoerr to form their own respective companies.

Opening of Bloomington/Normal Office

In 1994 the decision was made to open the Bloomington/Normal office.

New Chairman & CEO

In 1995 Bob Hoerr is named Chairman & CEO.

P.J. Hoerr Starts Summit Masonry & Stoneworks

In 1996 P.J. Hoerr started Summit Masonry & Stoneworks.

Current Location

Having outgrown the War Memorial Drive location, P.J. Hoerr located to 107 N Commerce Place in Peoria.

P.J. Hoerr Starts Benchmark Cabinets & Millwork, Inc.

In 2002 P.J. Hoerr started Benchmark Cabinets & Millwork, Inc.

New President & COO

In 2003 Joe Hart is named company President & COO.

New Vice Presidents Named

In 2006 Paul Bright, Kirk Anderson and John Moses are named Vice Presidents.

100 Year Celebration

In 2014 P.J. Hoerr celebrates 100 years in business.

New Vice President & Junior Partner

In 2017 Scott Rinkenberger is named Vice-President & Junior Partner.

Van Buskirk Steel, LLC.

In 2019 Van Buskirk Construction Co merges with P.J. Hoerr, Inc. to become Van Buskirk Steel, LLC.

Promotion

In 2020 Colin Logue is named a Vice President at P.J. Hoerr

New Vice President

P.J. Hoerr is pleased to announce that John Sutherland has joined the P.J. Hoerr team. John is our new Vice President of Strategic Development and will be based in our Peoria office.

Ownership Changes

In 2021 Paul Bright is named CEO of P.J. Hoerr and Kirk Anderson is named President.

NEW VICE PRESIDENT

P.J. Hoerr is very excited to announce that, effective immediately, Nick Hart will become P.J. Hoerr’s new Vice-President of Operations. Nick has done a great job as our Director of Operations for many years, but was mainly involved with just our shop and directing our labor. Nick will now have responsibility for all of P.J. Hoerr’s field operations. His job will entail working with our project managers and especially our superintendents to make P.J. Hoerr safer, more efficient, more profitable, maintain excellent quality and generally serve our clients better. In addition, Nick will still be in charge of all the company’s tools and equipment and will still direct labor. We can’t wait to see how Nick makes P.J. Hoerr better for both our clients and our employees.