History

Company History

The Beginning…

Norman Eckinger Sr.
Founder
1932-2004

1971: Prior to 1971 Norman Sr. spent 18 years working for his father Walt Sr. and with his older brother Walt Jr. in their construction business. It was after the death of Walter Eckinger Sr. in 1971 that Norman decided to start his own business, Norman Eckinger General Contractors. The company had very humble beginnings. Norman Sr. used a two-stall garage for his shop and a converted dining room as his office.

The 70’s

The company employed 2-3 people and the workload consisted of about 40% commercial and 60% residential construction, including many residential disaster restoration projects.

1972: The Company’s shop was moved to a 1,200 sq. ft. building.

1978: A 480 sq. ft. office was added to Norman’s residence and a larger shop was purchased that was 3,200 sq. ft. in size.

The 80’s

The company broke full scale into the commercial construction market by landing a “design build” project in downtown Canton that encompassed the complete interior and exterior renovation of a five-story building. This project was the foundation that signified the company’s move away from residential and into commercial work.

1981: The company got involved with its first taste of the Banking world by winning a contract for a new Branch Bank for Harter Bank (now Key Bank). This project opened the door for work at bank branches in several counties and continues to be an integral part of the workload for Norman Eckinger Inc. today.

1986-88: Marked the company’s entrance into the retail building market with the construction of four jewelry stores in various malls throughout Ohio.
The Company also built a new church in 1988 for a Methodist congregation.

1989: This was a milestone in the company’s history with its entrance into the “public work” sector of construction. This step proved to be essential in enlarging the subcontractor resources of Norman Eckinger Inc. and it built the foundation for our present bonding capabilities.

The 90’s

1993: Construction of our first “pre-engineered” building which was a 12,000 sq. ft. addition to an existing facility was begun. This laid the groundwork for what today has grown to be a very significant element of our business.

1996: Acquired two acres of land in the Canton Industrial Park and constructed our original 8,000 sq. ft. facility.

The New Millennium

2002: A 6,000 sq. ft. warehouse was added to the Norman Eckinger Inc. facility.