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History 1979 - 1988

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1980s - The Entrepreneurial Spirit

In 1979, after a great deal of discussion and brainstorming, Paul J. McKee, Jr. and his wife Midge formed a partnership with Richard F. Jordan and his wife Lavona, building on a clear vision for a unique type of construction company specializing in design-build projects – Paric Corporation.

In April of that year, Paul and Rick opened their doors of the first Paric office – all 1,200 square feet of it -- in the Westport area of St. Louis. Their credo? “People Make The Difference.” That entrepreneurial, values-based business model took hold quickly; in 1980 Paric built its first office building, and by 1982 had developed relationships with many major national corporations and many of the regions most successful commercial developers.

In only three years, Paric relocated its headquarters to Creve Coeur and soon was partnering with additional high-profile national corporations like Kroger, American Family Insurance and GMAC. The construction industry took notice and Paric rose rapidly to the status of recognized expert in the field of mid-rise office construction, with various publications praising the corporation for its proven “Paric-build” formula for success and, notably, a cover story in Building Design and Construction magazine lauding Paric’s innovative technology and management practices.

With a sharp focus on efficiency, Paric was on the cutting edge of creating some of the first proprietary software ever developed for efficient construction management – a decade before the word “paperless” emerged in the general business lexicon.

On the project front, Paric forged ahead with its goal to be the first and last point of contact on all projects – from design to engineering to pricing and subcontractor coordination – a revolutionary approach based upon Paric’s commitment to define and achieve each project’s “formula for success” in the early planning phase of the project.

By the end of the 1980s, Paric was working projects across the Midwest, including Illinois and Indiana – and was making its mark on the industry well outside the region, ranking in the Top 400 Contractor list by the national trade publication the Engineering News-Record.