1916 – PARK TRANSFER COMPANY OFFICIALLY INCORPORATED
Park Transfer Company was officially incorporated on December 1, 1916. The company’s general nature was to “transport personal property for hire also to care for, keep and store personal property” principally in Minneapolis. Walter, Gorham, and Alvin officially formed the corporation.
1920 – EXPANSION TO FREIGHT HAULING AND EXCAVATING
During the years following World War I, brothers Bennett and Charles Carlson quickly expanded the business to general freight hauling and later made their services available to the excavating business. That move marked the first step in the evolution of Park Construction Company into the company we know today. The brothers had a vow to keep to their father Walter to keep his company alive. They were starting to create something far bigger than Walter could have ever imagined.
1935 – GREAT DEPRESSION SURVIVAL
Despite the developments in machinery during the 1920s and 1930s, the Great Depression took its toll on Park’s bottom line. In the early 1930s, the company filed for bankruptcy reorganization. It was by no means alone. Hundreds of Minnesota companies suffered the same fate during the 1930s.
1941 – PARK JOINS THE WAR EFFORT
Having endured bankruptcy and the effects of the Depression, Park Construction soon became part of the war effort. Park Construction Company joined hundreds of subcontractors to help build a new ordinance plant for the U.S Army. Running alongside what is now Interstate 35W, about 11 miles north of downtown Minneapolis in Arden Hills, the plant was part of the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) war materials production program and accompanied other Herculean efforts to gear up for the war.
1956 – THE START OF MAJOR HIGHWAY WORK FOR PARK
Designed to bypass Minneapolis and St. Paul, I-694 would become the main street for the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Park Construction worked on the first section of the highway, which was completed in 1961 between U.S. Highway 10 at Arden Hills and the interchange with I-35E at Little Canada. This project was the start of Park’s long history of highway construction projects.
1968 – RICHARD N. CARLSON BECOMES PRESIDENT AND CEO (3RD GENERATION)
1970 – EXPANDING PARK’S GEOGRAPHIC REACH
Park diversified its customer base and began to specialize in highway bridge work in the Upper Midwest – Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, & North Dakota
1980’S – HIGHLIGHTS
Star Tribune Building – Minneapolis, MN
Edinburgh Golf Course – Brooklyn Park, MN
Canterbury Downs – Shakopee, MN
610 Bridge over Mississippi River – Brooklyn Park, MN
I-94 from Downtown Minneapolis to 694 Junction
Anhuesser-Busch Facility – Denver, Colorado
1990’S – HIGHLIGHTS
Giants Ridge Golf Course – Biwabik, MN
Camp Ripley Firearms Range – Little Falls, MN
Baldhill Dam – Valley City, ND
Integration of GPS for heavy equipment
1999 – BRUCE R. CARLSON BECOMES PRESIDENT
Bruce R. Carlson becomes President and CEO, continuing the family lineage as the 4th Generation of Park Construction
2000’S – HIGHLIGHTS
2000’s – Underwent rough times with economy and scaled back the fleet
2009 – Park underwent a resurgence and began to build back
2011 – Jeffrey R. Carlson Becomes President (4th Generation)
2012 – Boom at Park Construction & Restructure
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
2015 – Park Developed “Park Energy Services” for oil and gas work
2018 – St. Paul, Minnesota Ice Palace
2020 – Park is at the forefront of technology in the construction industry and always looking to expand into new markets