Manning Construction Company has officially joined the ranks of Russell Merit, an Olathe, Kan-based general construction firm that recently acquired Merit General Contractors.
Manning founder and president, Tom Manning, and several long-time team members were exploring options on how to begin winding-down his successful 27-year-old business. After hearing the news of Russell’s acquisition in January 2022, Manning reached out to Russell Merit.
“With no additional family involved in the business, other than myself and my wife, we wanted to find a way to ensure our remaining employees had a place to land, as we begin seriously considering retirement. We really didn’t want to just close our doors and leave our employees to find new jobs. That just didn’t feel right. After hearing about the Merit Construction acquisition, I reached out to Damen Trebilcock of Russell, who I knew from a past project. Damen introduced me to Jim Russell, and after our first meeting I knew this was going to be a great fit,” stated Manning in a press release.
Through the acquisition of Merit General Contractors in 2022, Russell began offering expanded services, including real estate development, efficient project management and advanced virtual design & construction technologies in the Kansas City market.
The addition of Tom Manning, his team, and Manning Construction’s extensive portfolio of work in the K-12 education and hospitality market further complements Russell Merit’s already growing industrial, retail and office resume.
“We are excited to welcome Tom and several of his long-term team members to Russell Merit. We look forward to building off the legacy established by Manning Construction and developing stronger relationships with customers and subcontractors in the Kansas City region,” said Sam Russell, director of Russell Merit.
Currently, Manning Construction is serving as the Construction Manager on a $9 million addition to the De Soto High School Performing Arts Center in De Soto, Kan. The 24,100-SF addition includes a 763-seat performance theater with orchestra pit, dressing rooms, storage, and a 10,300-SF renovation of the existing auditorium with classrooms, dust collection system and a coffee shop.
The project is scheduled for completion in August 2022.
Manning Construction plans to vacate its current Olathe, Kan. office location at 1708 E. 123rd Street and join Russell Merit at 16400 118th Terrace in Olathe, Kan.
Read MWM's related story from January 26, 2022: Merit General Contractors is now Russell Merit