A Special Feature in ENR: A Century of Building Dreams

ENR section cover featuring the Chicago Theatre (1987), one of our marque projects in Chicago, Illinois.

Celebrating 100 Years of integrity, innovation, and lasting relationships

We’re thrilled to be included in Engineering News-Record (ENR) Special Anniversary section, highlighting our journey from our founding in November 1925 to today.

ENR also tapped CEO John Finn on building a lasting legacy through client and employee connections. John shared what has been a consistent hallmark of our company culture over the years, “A cornerstone of our culture is putting people first: building strong, lasting relationships. Since our founding a century ago, W.E. O’Neil has earned the trust of clients through integrity, collaboration and delivering on our promises. More than 80% of our work comes from repeat clients who value that partnership, and our employee-owners carry that same commitment into every project. By investing in our people and honoring our relationships we’ve built a culture that endures and continues to define how we do business today.”

Read on ENR Digital Media: A Century of Building Dreams

Our founder William Edward O’Neil with Art O’Neil (1940s)

From humble beginnings, W.E. O’Neil’s century-long story is one of integrity, innovation, and lasting relationships. Its legacy starts with a Packard and bottles of Coke.

Born in 1888, William Edward O’Neil founded W.E. O’Neil Construction in 1925 after a 20-year apprenticeship. Known for showing up for his people, he visited jobsites in his Packard, handed out sandwiches and cold Coca-Colas, taking time to know every worker by name.

Art O’Neil joined the company in 1935 and moved into his father William’s office, where the two shared a desk, phones just feet apart. Joining the company in 1967 and becoming CEO in 1993, Art’s son Bill knew that the strength of the company always came from its people. “Hire people who are smarter and better than you are,” he said. “Then give them the responsibility and let them grow.”

The O’Neil family’s dedication to integrity and people remains central today. In the 1970s and 80s, the O’Neil family deliberately broadened leadership, promoting talented team members from within to guide the company’s future. Most recently, CEO leadership transitioned from Brian Ramsay to John Finn, continuing the tradition of thoughtful stewardship through internal promotion.

A cornerstone of our culture is putting people first: building strong, lasting relationships. Since our founding a century ago, W.E. O’Neil has earned the trust of clients through integrity, collaboration and delivering on our promises. More than 80% of our work comes from repeat clients who value that partnership, and our employee-owners carry that same commitment into every project. By investing in our people and honoring our relationships we’ve built a culture that endures and continues to define how we do business today.
_{John Finn
Chief Executive Officer}

It All Started with the Monkey House

The Lane Tech High School, built 1933 in Chicago, is still standing today. It was “one heck of a job for a small emerging contractor,” shared President and Chairman Art O’Neil.

W.E. O’Neil’s first major project was to build the Primate House (“Monkey House”) in Lincoln Park Zoo in 1926. The massive Lane Tech High School, still the largest public high school in Chicago, was completed in 1933 after much perseverance through the Great Depression. All concrete was mixed at a small central plant and hauled in man-pushed steel buggies about a quarter mile on wooden runways.

As part of Chicago’s Century of Progress World’s Fair in 1934, W.E. O’Neil constructed four buildings, including the iconic Ford Rotunda along Lake Michigan’s shoreline.

Then, at the 1986 grand reopening of the beloved Chicago Theatre, Frank Sinatra himself called for a standing ovation for O’Neil, recognizing the team that brought the beloved theater back to life.

Smart Growth Across the Nation

W.E. O’Neil has continually adapted, from staying afloat during the Depression and expanding into new industries after WWII to entering new markets in the 1980s and achieving major growth in the new millennium. Through steady growth from their roots in Chicago, they now operate across six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.

Key growth in the 80s through today marks strategic diversification in industries such as aerospace, gaming, retail, senior living, hospitality and multifamily, with recent major expansion in aviation.

People First

From day one, W.E. O’Neil has put people at the center of everything they do. This philosophy shaped a culture built on relationships, integrity and shared success. With 80% repeat business, they focus on doing what’s right to build lasting trust with clients. From mentorship and continuous learning opportunities to creating clear pathways for employee growth and development, W.E. O’Neil invests deeply in its people. That commitment began in 1946 with profit sharing and evolved into 100% employee-ownership, ensuring those who build our projects share in our success.

Today, W.E. O’Neil operates as a national builder with regional expertise, delivering projects across diverse markets and sectors, with an annual revenue surpassing $1.5 billion. The company continues to expand its reach while maintaining its commitment to quality, innovation and lasting partnerships: valuing people and building dreams.

This centennial is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone for all of us at W.E. O’Neil. It’s been remarkable to honor the O’Neil family’s legacy and celebrate the achievements, people and values that shaped who we are today. From the beginning, our story was built on integrity, innovation and lasting relationships.

_{John Finn
Chief Executive Officer}