About Us | Saunders Construction

Build What Matters

Saunders Construction is one the Rocky Mountain region’s leading construction and commercial development companies. Our purpose is to build what matters with exceptional skill — creating better communities, outstanding experiences and a culture of care for all.

Established in 1972, we are an employee-owned corporation with over $9 billion in completed projects. Saunders brings the resources, expertise, technology and community relationships necessary to deliver practical solutions to any project.

Saunders excels in building office, municipal, educational, mixed-use, healthcare, residential, recreational, hospitality, mission critical, cultural, and retail facilities. Our aim is to build what matters, safely and with the highest quality, regardless of project scope.

Building what matters also requires a wide lens. Saunders is a member of the Citadel Group — a consortium of separately-owned construction companies from across the U.S. that serve individual clients with national needs by leveraging best practices, innovative ideas and relationships.

Safety

Building what matters starts with safety. It’s expected that everybody returns home safe at the end of the day. At Saunders, our safety culture promotes an environment of positive reinforcement and respect for the nature of work. This means our employees take accountability for the safety of themselves and those around them.

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Saunders Through The Years

A Decade of Identity

1970s

In the early years of Saunders, there was minimal office staff, but no shortage of work. Workweeks consisted of 80+ hours and good old-fashioned hard work. Business was made through phone calls, handshakes and trust. What followed were relationships built on the budding reputation of Saunders’ unfailing commitment to clients. Saunders’ first exploration of a formal construction management contract method was implemented on the Dry Creek Elementary School project in the Cherry Creek School District. This concept was new to the construction market, but would quickly take hold as a best practice.

A Decade of Evolution

1980s

The 1980s saw Saunders focusing on and growing its internal organizational structure. Business development, under the guidance of Tom Blackstone, and preconstruction services, led by Jack Sheppard, were developed and formalized. By 1983, Saunders had built and moved into its office on South Jordan Road in Centennial, Colo. During this decade, Saunders’ ownership was split between four majority partners; Dick Saunders, President, CEO and Founder, Dick Fullerton, Executive Vice President, Jerome Gustafson, General Superintendent, Tom Blackstone, Vice President of Business Development. Jack Sheppard, Director of Preconstruction Services, and Darrell Eastwood, Vice President, also held shares in the company.

A Decade of Strategty

1990s

More than 20 years after its inception, Saunders underwent a makeover, revealing a new logo in 1995. The new logo was evidence of the company’s dedicated investment in continually evolving to meet market demands. The 1990s also introduced Saunders to its future presidents and CEOs, albeit hired at the time as a project manager and lead estimator, respectively. Saunders joined the Citadel Group in 1999. Organized of seven industry partners throughout the United States, the Citadel Group is designed to serve individual clients with national needs.

A Decade of Adaptability

2000s

Following through on a well-developed succession plan, Dick Saunders slowly transitioned out of the daily business operations of the organization. John Beeble was appointed President and CEO in 2001. Saunders weathered many ups and downs, including one of our nation’s worst recessions. It was the company’s unfaltering commitment to core values and steady leadership that allowed Saunders to persevere. In 2005, Saunders completed its first project out of state – the Comcast Technical Operations remodel project in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Building Confidence in Kids (BCiK) was launched in 2009. As a continuation of the philanthropic work employees were already doing, this program was designed to create a formal outlet for volunteerism and community impact with local non-profits.

A Decade of Expansion

2010s

In 2011, Greg Schmidt succeeded John Beeble as President. Schmidt assumed the role of President and CEO in 2015, following Beeble’s retirement. Saunders acquired Heath Construction in 2014. This partnership pairs Heath’s history in and knowledge of Northern Colorado and Saunders’ depth of resources to meet the growing demands for comprehensive construction services in the region. Saunders was awarded its largest single contract project at $150 million, in 2015. By 2017, Saunders had completed 30 projects in nearly 10 states, outside of Colorado.

A Decade of Excellence

2020s

Saunders remains centered around sustainable growth — keeping this top of mind as we continue to break the mold in our industry through our services and diverse work program along the Front Range. In 2021, we launched Saunders Norwood Construction, LLC, a new partnership entity with Norwood Development Group that provides construction management, general contracting and alternative project delivery services to the Pikes Peak region. Additionally in 2023, we formed Saunders Concrete Structures, LLC, a business unit that focuses on cast-in-place, place and finish, architectural and tilt-up concrete projects throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Saunders is committed to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which means aligning our economic, environmental and social goals for the betterment of standards within the industry and the footprint we leave behind. We’ve integrated our CSR program into our strategic plan, which is reflected in the annual CSR report — published annually since 2010.

Saunders recognizes that investing in our people, focusing on safety, improving business processes, and reducing environmental impact, adds value to our industry and community. We’re proud to be recognized with over 100 industry awards for these commitments.

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Our Core Values

Care

Collaboration

Commitment

Community

Our Locations

No matter where you are in the Rocky Mountain region, Saunders has the resources, workforce and expertise to get your project built. Learn more about our companies.

Our Companies

Ready to Build What Matters?

Saunders is made up of people who harness the power of passion — both individually and collectively. Each and every one of us goes above and beyond to deliver more than what’s expected, not because that’s a part of a job description, but because that’s who we are.

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