Résumé

President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hunt, Huber and Nichols, Incorporated, Building Contractors, Indianapolis, IN, 1950s-2005 The firm's web site, indicated that R.C. Hunt took over leadership of the company in the 1950s, and targeted certain construction sectors that would yield solid profits. AECOM Hunt's web site stated: "While continuing to enjoy success in the industrial / manufacturing industry, RC was successful in diversifying the company into other market sectors such as healthcare, sports and government facilities." (See AECOM Hunt, "History Timeline: 1950s," accessed 03/28/2018.)

Hunt, Huber and Nichols established itself building auto plants for General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler Corporation in the 1960s, diversifying into building high-rises, beginning with the International Style,665,534-square-footIndianapolis City-County Building in 1962. The firm moved into the Dallas, TX, market in 1962 with the purchase of the firm Avery Mays. This was a key move into a fast-growing Sun Belt city.

During the 1970s, Hunt, Huber and Nichols focused on the expanding market for construction of multi-purpose sports stadia. It built Three Rivers Stadium (1968-1970, demolished 2001) in Pittsburgh, PA, Riverfornt Stadium (1968-1970, demolished 2002) in Cincinnati, OH, and the colossal Superdome (1971-1975), in New Orleans, LA. It also began competing for healthcare work, a sector that has boomed since the 1970s. Additionally, the firm established closed ties with the Procter and Gamble Corporation, a giant and diversified consumer goods company headquartered in Cincinnati. These connections were highlighted by the firm's role in constructing Kohn Pedersen and Fox's Procter and Gamble Corporate Headquarters in 1987.

The company was sensitive to new market opportunities in the 1980s, leading it into airport construction. It had a hand in constructing the giant Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (1980) in Atlanta, GA. It developed ties during the 1980s with the stock brokerage, Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner and Smith, yielding construction work across the US. It continued building high-rises during the 1980s, including Helmut Jahn's Germanic One Liberty Place (1985) in Philadelphia, PA. The firm also expanded its presence in the Sun Belt, adding an office in Phoenix, AZ, led by R.C. Hunt's son, Robert G. Hunt, in 1984.

The 1990s saw a greater push by the firm into CA and FL markets, when branch offices were opened in those two states. Hunt, Huber and Nichols also continued building sports/multipurpose entertainment facilities, including the mid-sized Van Andel Arena (1996) in Grand Rapids, MI, the $139 million, Ellerbe Becket-designed, Ice Palace (1996) in Tampa, FL, and the $127.5 million Marine Midland Center (1996) in Buffalo, NY.

The firm was renamed the "Hunt Construction Group" to clarify ownership in 2000. Richard G. Hunt assumed the President/CEO spot in 2005. The Hunt Construction Group focused more attention to the Southern CA market, opening a new branch office in Irvine, CA, in the mid-2000s. It maintained its stake in building sporting venues, constructing the lavish $455 million Cardinals Stadium (renamed University of Phoenix Stadium) (2006) in Glendale, AZ. The firm first hit the $1 billion earnings mark in the 1990s, but took less than 20 years to double that figure by 2008.

The construction business collapsed from c. 2008-2010, but rebounded strongly after 2012. During the lull, many firms with good ties with government managed to build facilities for the public sector. Participation in the vast 1.2-million-square-foot Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal (2008-2012) kept cash flowing into the Hunt Construction Group. The company erected the novel Barclays Center (2012) for the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn, NY, and the modestly-sized Marlins Park (2012) in Miami, FL. In its 70 years of activity, Hunt has proven to be a dominant constructor of sports stadia and multipurpose arenas, a significant player in contracts for airports, active in educational institution construction, and a significant builder of hotels, healthcare and government office facilities. The company has proven very adept at entering expanding regions of the US, primarily in the West and South, and identifying lucrative building types.

Parents

His father was one of the founders of the construction firm, Hunt, Huber and Nichols, Paul Hunt.

Children

One son, Robert G. Hunt, took over as President of the Hunt Construction Group.