Merit General Contractors, Inc. is officially Russell Merit since its recent acquisition by Russell Construction & Development, based out of Davenport, Iowa with an office in St. Louis, Mo.
“We are extremely excited to join the Russell team. This is not only great news for Merit team members but for our clients as well. We look forward to continuing to serve the Kansas City region and beyond with our deep bench of talented construction professionals and their commitment to technology and innovation in the construction process,” Merit’s founder and CEO, Don Crabtree, said.
Russell Construction offers an expanded skill set to the merger — including real estate development, efficient project management and use of advanced virtual design & construction technologies. The two companies both value building great people, relationships and community and have worked on similar project types, including manufacturing, industrial and office.
Russell previously merged with HBD Contracting based out of St. Louis, to form Russell HBD in November 2020.
“We are thrilled by this new opportunity with Merit to continue to build off their established legacy and to develop stronger relationships with customers and subcontractors in the Kansas City region. As a family-owned company, community is of the utmost importance to us. Having Don Crabtree on our team allows us to continue to leverage his knowledge and experience of the market to continue to serve clients,” said Sam Russell, the newly named director of Russell Merit in Kansas City.
Jason Jacobson will join the new leadership team as the VP of business development.
Russell Merit is already working together to construct a significant project for Cargo Largo in Independence, Mo. —a $42 million, 558,600-SF warehouse and retail center, including 92,600 SF of mezzanine space on approximately 43 acres.
The new facility will consolidate all of Cargo Largo’s activities under one roof; including 51 docks, storage, shipping, sorting, auction areas, and retail center. The project kicked off in February 2021 and is scheduled for completion in May 2023.
Russell Merit currently resides in Merit General Contractors’ existing office space at 16400 118th Terrace in Olathe, Kan.
For more information on Merit General Contractors, please visit their website at www.meritkc.com.