Regional construction company campus showcasing tilt-up construction and modern facilities.
St. Louis, Missouri, August 29, 2025
Ralph Korte, founder of a prominent Midwestern construction company and an early proponent of the design‑build method, has died. He built the firm from residential beginnings into a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar regional contractor known for early technology adoption, BIM, tilt‑up construction and LEED projects. The company reports roughly $552–$553.3 million in revenue, about 250 employees and more than 4,000 completed projects. Korte led the business from its founding in 1958 until retirement, later transferring ownership to family and stakeholders. His philanthropy and local investments include a namesake recreation complex and community programs.
Ralph Korte, the founder of a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar construction company known for pioneering design‑build delivery and early technology adoption in the industry, died on Aug. 26. Reports differ on his age at death, with multiple accounts listing him as 91 and at least one report listing him as 90. The company he started grew from small beginnings into a national firm that completed thousands of projects.
The company, founded in 1958, was built from a one‑person startup and expanded into a full‑service construction firm. The business reported roughly $552 million in revenue last year in one account and $553.3 million in another. The firm is reported to employ about 250 people and to have completed more than 4,000 projects across the U.S., including hospitals, factories, distribution centers and schools.
Korte served as chief executive from the company’s founding through 2001 and later retained the title of chairman emeritus until his death. He retired and transferred ownership to family members and stakeholders around 2008. His son now serves as executive chairman.
Korte was an early adopter of business and construction technology, integrating computers into estimating, scheduling and planning decades before those tools were commonplace. He pushed the industry toward design‑build approaches that combine design and construction under one contracting umbrella, and his firm was among the early users of Building Information Modeling (BIM). The company also delivered environmentally rated projects under recognized certification programs, and it adopted tilt‑up concrete techniques as part of its construction methods.
Raised on a family farm as one of 14 children, Korte learned hands‑on building skills early and helped neighbors and other farmers in his teens. After enlisting in the U.S. Army at 18 and completing a high‑school equivalency while serving, he returned home and started a one‑man construction business. Accounts differ on the exact cost of his first electric saw, with two figures circulating, but both underscore a modest, bootstrap beginning. The business started doing residential work and shifted into commercial construction in the early 1960s. An internal design‑build division was launched in the late 1970s, formalizing the company’s integrated approach.
The firm offers architectural design, construction management, general contracting, historic restoration, interior design and surveying. It ranks on major industry lists and is regularly cited among national design‑build leaders. The company reports completion of thousands of projects since 1958 and maintains a headquarters in a major metro area while continuing operations in its founding hometown.
Korte served on boards of local nonprofits, supported construction education with significant gifts to his alma mater, and funded a recreation facility in his hometown. These philanthropic efforts and volunteer roles were part of his civic profile alongside his business accomplishments.
Colleagues and family describe him as someone who combined hands‑on jobsite experience with a willingness to meet clients and employees where they worked and thought. He emphasized hard work, reasonable pricing, collaboration and accountability and is credited with changing how many people in the industry think about project delivery and teamwork. The firm continued to operate under family leadership after his retirement and sale of the company interests.
Regardless of small variations in reported figures, the overall arc is consistent: a farm‑raised builder who founded a company in 1958, guided it into commercial and design‑build work, embraced construction technology and grew it into a national firm with hundreds of millions in annual revenue and thousands of completed projects. He remained active in the organization for decades and left a record of industry innovation and community support.
Ralph Korte was the founder of a nationally active design‑build construction firm established in 1958. He led the company as CEO for many years, later serving as chairman emeritus.
He died on Aug. 26. Published reports list his age at death as either 90 or 91; both figures appear in available accounts.
The firm reported last‑year revenue in the low‑to‑mid $500 million range in different accounts and is reported to employ roughly 250 people. The company says it has completed more than 4,000 projects nationwide since its founding.
The company was an early proponent of integrated design‑build delivery, adopted digital tools for estimating and scheduling early on, and was among the first in its sector to use BIM. It also used tilt‑up concrete methods and delivered projects meeting recognized environmental certification standards.
Leadership transferred to family members and other stakeholders when the founder retired. A family member now serves as executive chairman.
The firm maintains operations in its founding hometown and a headquarters in a nearby metropolitan area.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ralph Korte |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Major metro area headquarters with operations in founding hometown |
| Last‑year revenue (reported) | $552 million (one account); $553.3 million (another account) |
| Employees | About 250 (reported) |
| Projects completed | More than 4,000 nationwide since 1958 |
| Core services | Architectural design, construction management, general contracting, historic restoration, interior design, surveying |
| Notable innovations | Early use of computers for estimating/scheduling, championing design‑build, early BIM adoption, tilt‑up construction |
| Industry recognition | Ranked on major contractor lists and cited among top design‑build firms |
| Community giving | Major donations to education and local recreational facilities; board service with civic organizations |
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