In 1922, G.W. May and his family moved from rural Arkansas to Little Rock to start Arkansas Lumber. G.W. managed materials andbooks for Arkansas Lumber until he was called to serve his country in 1942.“In the midst of war and depression, those were tough times for our country…You’ve got to hand it to G.W.,” said Lewis May, current CEO of MAY Construction. “Jobs were scarce in those times, but he took on the challenge starting his own company,” adds Lewis. G.W. May Construction Company handled mostly miscellaneous, small jobs picked up through the family lumber company

In 1945, Jimmy, G.W.’s younger brother, joined the business. G.W. and Jimmy began to broaden their projects focusing on industrial construction projects using tilt-up concrete. During the 1940s and 50s, G.W. May Construction Company was responsible for the completion of many churches, warehouses and manufacturing facilities. May Construction Company has been involved in the industry from the beginning with G.W. as a founding member of the Arkansas chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and its third President.”

The company had grown its’ construction capabilities considerably by the 60’s, constructing a number of large commercial buildings, such as Commercial National Bank and the Blue Cross Blue Shield building. In 1968, G.W. passed away. The company became known as MAY Construction Company, of which Jimmy became CEO.

“By the 1970s, Dad (Jimmy) began to take on larger, more complex projects one of which was a huge project for Arkansas Farm Bureau, said Lewis.

In 1980 Lewis became a partner and President later that same year. “After only three months being named President, my father Jimmy May, passed away. Facing uncertain times, we had four employees and one project,” said Lewis.

However, it was not long until MAY Construction Company was given the opportunity to renovate the Union Life Building. Our reputation was all we had and this was an opportunity to build on the name that G.W. and Jimmy had worked so hard to establish.

Lewis was joined by his brother Jim in 1981. Over the next 17 years, the two brothers worked to build MAY Construction Company into the strong and viable institution it remains today. In 1998, Lewis became CEO, naming Ernie Cline, former Director of Marketing and Business Development, as President.

During this time, MAY Construction Company entered the regional market with the completion of a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center in Southlake Texas. “Lowe’s took MAY Construction to the next level. The Southlake store completion then enabled us to market MAY as a national contractor quickly expanding our market reach,” explains Lewis.

MAY Construction Company opened it’s regional office in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1996 to capitalize on the rapid economic growth of the area. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, MAY Construction Company has changed considerably over the last 75 years, but the foundation remains the same. After all, skill, integrity and responsibility are three permanent qualities that are always required to build a legacy. MAY Construction Company is recognized as one of the region’s premiere general contractors.