Our History
The History of the Graycor Companies.
We were founded in 1921 as Chicago Concrete Breaking Company. Soon after, we made our name with an extremely challenging high-profile project removing a large section of retaining wall along a functioning stretch of railroad, on the east side of Michigan Ave. Despite a driving snowstorm and those who said it could not be done, our passion, ingenuity and expertise proved we were here to stay. It was the origin of our famed company motto: Wanted: A hard job.
Over the next nine decades we have continued to prove ourselves as a partner devoted to our clients above all else. We have remained driven by relationships where we can help our clients grow and succeed, rather than looking just at the projects or profit.
Our clients are the most respected names in their fields. And we’ve earned a solid reputation in the industry for providing thoughtful, innovative, collaborative solutions to our clients’ ever-changing needs. Browse our timeline below to take a look at the challenges, relationships and successes that have gotten us where we are today.
Celebrating 100 Years in Business
Graycor is celebrating its 100th year in business in 2021, crediting its longevity to the values instilled in the company and its employees since 1921 by founder Edward Gray and his family. Today, Graycor is a third generation, family-owned and operated company, with a national footprint serving leading companies in a range of industries.
Over the Years
1921
Edward Gray establishes the Chicago Concrete Breaking Company (CCBC), a firm specializing in sand blasting and pavement breaking.
1926
CCBC receives a milestone contract for the removal of a retaining wall—utilizing dynamite—along the Illinois Central Railroad tracks in Chicago's Grant Park. Without interruption to train traffic, on-time completion of the difficult project earns the company national recognition and its motto: "Wanted: A hard job."
1933
CCBC pioneers the use of dynamite to remove salamanders (iron ore deposits) from blast furnaces. CCBC receives a contract to dynamite and remove salamanders from Wisconsin Steel's No. 3 blast furnace. Successful completion of the project launches the company into the precision blasting business. The company expands and applies its expertise to the breaking of slag and waste materials in hazardous steel-producing facilities.
1934
CCBC is hired to demolish the 628-foot-tall Sky Ride Towers at the World's Fair in Chicago, utilizing controlled explosives. (Photo is courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society.)
1940-50
The company works in Jamshedpur, India, removing salamanders from Tata Iron and Steel Company's blast furnaces. CCBC develops several unique machines including the "Overhead Loader," which mechanizes the removal of waste materials from steel-making facilities and the "jet trapper," which blasts out tap hole plugs, speeding the molten steel extracting process.
1951
Offices and shop facilities are established on Avenue O in South Chicago, which enables the company to expand its services to include repair and rebuilding of steel-making facilities.
1953
Chicago Tribune names Edward Gray as "Outstanding Chicagoan."
1957
Chicago Concrete Breaking Company is renamed The Edward Gray Corporation, reflecting its expansion into construction services.
1962
Upon Edward Gray's death, Donald Neville assumes the presidency and develops the company into a full-scale industrial construction company. Major projects include a railroad tank car manufacturing plant, the substructure for a new 14-inch bar mill and major additions to Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant.
1971
Following Donald Neville's death, Melvin Gray, son of Edward Gray, assumes leadership of the company as its new Chief Executive Officer. Throughout the decade, the Graycor Companies increase project capabilities to include machinery and process equipment installation as well as steel erection.
1971-81
Throughout the decade, the company increases its project capabilities to include machinery and process equipment installation as well as steel erection. In addition, the company expands its services to include additions to nuclear fuel recovery facilities for several major power generating plants.
1982-83
The Edward Gray Corporation acquires Inland Construction Company, a leading retail/commercial contractor whose resume includes projects such as Water Tower Place and 333 Wacker Drive. The blasting group develops a remote-controlled furnace cleaning machine that dramatically decreases the time needed to deline stoves and furnaces. Robert Rolwing is appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer.
1984
Inland receives a milestone project: construction management of the 65-story, mixed-use 900 North Michigan building.
1992-96
The company relocates its headquarters to Homewood, Illinois. Kenneth Isaacs is named as President and Chief Operating Officer. The company's operating units are renamed to identify them under one unified name: Graycor Inc. The name change coincides with the celebration of Graycor's 75th year in business, a year in which the company achieves record growth.
1996
The Edward Gray Corporation is renamed Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc.
1997
Graycor receives a multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract to modernize DaimlerChrysler's Indianapolis foundry.
1999
Graycor achieves 2 million work hours without a lost-time accident at U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana. Graycor achieves a major milestone in the critical facilities market with completion of BP's research center relocation and renovation project. Graycor receives ISO 9002 registration, which is a major milestone as Graycor is one of only five contractors in the U.S. at the time to achieve this distinction.
2000
Graycor enters the cement manufacturing market by modernizing Southdown Inc.'s Chicago Terminal. The company expands its industrial maintenance service offerings. Graycor continues to position itself as one of the nation's premier power contractors.
2002
Graycor acquires Capitol Construction Services, a Palatine, Illinois-based contractor specializing in interior build-out, retail and commercial construction. Capitol Construction Services is fully integrated into Graycor Construction Company Inc.
2007
Graycor Industrial takes on the challenge of rebuilding Blast Furnace C and three stoves at Severstal North America's Dearborn, Michigan, plant. The project required months of precise planning and coordination, to complete the actual construction process, start to finish, in under 98 days—several days ahead of schedule.
2008
Graycor's Board of Directors announces new company leadership arrangement: Matthew Gray is named President of Graycor Inc. Steven Gray is appointed as Graycor's Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. Brad Teckenbrock will continue as President of Graycor Industrial Constructors Inc. and Graycor Blasting Company Inc. Dave McAllen will continue as President of Graycor Construction Company Inc. and Graycor International. Melvin Gray will continue as Chairman of the Board of Graycor Inc.
2010
Tempe, Arizona-based Nitti Brothers Construction joins Graycor and forms a new division, Nitti Graycor, specializing in commercial and institutional projects across Arizona.
2011
Graycor relocates its home office to Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, and completes construction of a new operations center in Portage, Indiana. As Graycor celebrates its 90th anniversary, our pioneering spirit is stronger than ever. With relationships and projects throughout North America, we continue to look for new and better ways to help our clients go further than ever.
2012
Graycor Industrial Constructors opens a state-of-the-art fabrication shop, offering clients pipe welding, modularization and assembly efficiencies in Portage, Indiana.
2013
Leadership Reorganization: Matthew and Steven Gray are promoted to Co-Chairmen, Brad Teckenbrock is promoted to President of Graycor Inc., Sam Potter and Dave Wing are promoted to President of Graycor Industrial Constructors and Graycor Construction Company Inc., respectively.
2013
In December 2013, the industrial construction team from Southeast Boiler & Rigging (SB&R) joined Early Construction Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Graycor Inc. The Southeast Boiler & Rigging team became a part of a new division of Early Construction Inc., as Early looks to provide and expand industrial construction services throughout the Southeastern U.S. The Southeast Boiler & Rigging team provides mechanical contractor services to the power generation and heavy industrial sectors focused on boiler maintenance and repair throughout the Southeastern U.S. Early Construction Inc. is one of the Graycor Companies and is located in Cartersville, Georgia.
2014
Graycor Construction Company executes its first project using an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method at the BP Campus in Whiting, Indiana. The BP Emergency Services Building provides protected storage for ambulances and security vehicles as well as office space, meeting rooms and training areas.
2015
Graycor Industrial Constructors uses an innovative welding technique on a project for first-time client MarkWest Energy Partners. The project—an installation of a 200-MMscf/d cryogenic facility—included welding an ASME, Section VIII stainless steel pressure vessel. Choosing a nontraditional welding technique, Graycor Industrial's team combined two continuous wire processes—a modified gas metal arc welding-short circuit (GMAW-s) and the flux cored arc welding (FCAW)—to weld the cylindrical vessel without the need for a traditional interior backing gas.
2018
In its ongoing pursuit of safety excellence, Graycor Industrial Constructors—a leading provider of construction services in the oil, gas and chemicals (OG&C), power, metals and natural gas infrastructure industries—reached an important milestone by performing 1 million self-perform man-hours with ZERO recordable injuries.
2018
In December 2013, the industrial construction team from Southeast Boiler & Rigging (SB&R) joined Early Construction Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Graycor Inc. In December 2018, Early Construction rebranded as Graycor Southern Inc. and relocated to a new facility in Kennesaw, Georgia. Today, Graycor Southern Inc. is a general mechanical contractor focused on the power, industrial and process markets in the Southeastern U.S. Graycor Southern self-performs all mechanical trades and specializes in complex, challenging projects.
2020
In January 2020, Dave Wing was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Graycor Inc. Dave provides executive and strategic leadership for operations, strategic planning, resource management, continuous improvement and business development efforts for the company’s businesses: Graycor Construction Company Inc.; Graycor Industrial Constructors; and Graycor Southern Inc. which serve the commercial and industrial markets throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Dave originally joined the company in 1991 as an engineer and has served many roles throughout his career with Graycor.
2021
2021 marks Graycor's 100th year in business. Since its founding in 1921 by Edward Gray, the company, then a sand blasting and concrete breaking operation, has been on an interesting and inspiring journey, adapting to stand the test of time.
What sets Graycor apart from the rest?
We place greater value on partnerships over profit, and we operate within a set of core values that frame our strategy and culture, including maintaining a long-term perspective, upholding integrity and honesty, demonstrating safety leadership, emphasizing relationships, creating value, striving for continuous improvement, and achieving a healthy balance of work and family life.