History

Founder Philipp J. Hoerr

P.J. Hoerr stands as a premier general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder.  Founded in 1914 by Philipp J. Hoerr as a concrete construction company, our stamp can still be seen on many driveways and sidewalks.  In 1957 P.J. Hoerr was incorporated and transitioned into general commercial construction.  Now into our 110th year of operation, P.J. Hoerr has become a diverse, multi-office commercial builder performing approximately $200 million of work annually.

 

P.J. Hoerr is privately owned by the executive team of Paul Bright serving as CEO, Kirk Anderson as President, and Scott Rinkenberger as Vice President.  The leadership team is rounded out with Colin Logue as Vice President of Bloomington/Normal Operations, John Sutherland as Vice President of Strategic Development and Nick Hart as Vice President of Operations. This team continues to lead the company based on the strong Christian values of its founder and past leadership.

 

What makes P.J. Hoerr different than other contractors is the large amount of pre-construction planning and design-build work that we perform.  The vast majority of our work is contracted in this manner.  We pride ourselves on being team players and we are very willing and able to take responsibility for both the design and construction on our projects.  Our staff currently includes a licensed architect and a licensed structural engineer.  We also know that cost is always an issue in construction, so P.J. Hoerr will always pursue contracts on a hard-bid basis.  We believe this “keeps our pencils sharp” and maintains our knowledge of current market costs.

 

P.J. Hoerr self-performs approximately $35 million of carpentry, laborer, steel erection, and concrete work each year.  As opposed to some purely “briefcase” contractors and construction managers.  P.J. Hoerr knows the “nuts and bolts” of building construction.

 

In our relentless efforts to maintain a high-quality standard while reducing completion time to a minimum, we have created three other affiliated companies that work with us to achieve these ends.  These firms, Summit Masonry and Stone Works, Benchmark Cabinets and Millwork, and VanBuskirk Steel provide materials and craftsmanship during critical portions of the construction process.  Depending on the type of project, these companies will work directly for P.J. Hoerr or will supply independent bids and compete as an independent subcontractor.

 

Our P.J. Hoerr team of over 150 full-time employees stands ready to develop creative ways to help you design, manage, and build your next construction project.  Our philosophy of teamwork and our unwavering commitment to Philipp J. Hoerr’s early ideals of hard work and quality guide us to our ultimate goal… an enthusiastic, long-term, and delighted client.

 

Check out our Remembering the Past photo album

 

 

 

Timeline

1914

1920

1933

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)

1914

1920

1933

1940

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.

1914

1920

1933

1940

1950

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.

1920

1933

1940

1950

1957

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.

1933

1940

1950

1957

1965

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.

1940

1950

1957

1965

1970

P.J. Hoerr Inc.

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

1950

1957

1965

1970

1980

War Memorial Drive Location

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

1957

1965

1970

1980

1994

Expanding into Larger Projects

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

1965

1970

1980

1994

1995

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.

1970

1980

1994

1995

1996

Opening of Bloomington/Normal Office

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

1980

1994

1995

1996

2000

New Chairman & CEO

In 1995 Bob Hoerr is named Chairman & CEO.

1994

1995

1996

2000

2002

P.J. Hoerr Starts Summit Masonry & Stoneworks

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

1995

1996

2000

2002

2003

Current Location

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

1996

2000

2002

2003

2006

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

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

2000

2002

2003

2006

2014

New President & COO

In 2003 Joe Hart is named company President & COO.

2002

2003

2006

2014

2017

New Vice Presidents Named

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

2003

2006

2014

2017

2019

100 Year Celebration

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

2006

2014

2017

2019

2020

New Vice President & Junior Partner

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

2014

2017

2019

2020

2020

Van Buskirk Steel, LLC.

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

2017

2019

2020

2020

2021

Promotion

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

2019

2020

2020

2021

2021

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.

2020

2020

2021

2021

2021

Ownership Changes

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

2020

2021

2021

2021

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.

2021

2021

2021

P.J. Hoerr, Inc. Acquires Reinhardt Construction

In February 2021, P.J. Hoerr, Inc. acquired Reinhardt Construction and took over operational control. It is the desire of P.J. Hoerr to continue Reinhardt’s sterling reputation while strengthening and modernizing the company’s safety program, finances and technical abilities. Both companies complement each other very well with their shared views on quality work, customer service and integrity. With P.J. Hoerr's affiliation with Reinhardt Construction, our companies have a combined company experience of over 170 years. There are not too many companies in the Midwest that can say this.