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Our Legacy

More than 65 Years of Excellence

We are proud to be a family-owned firm, where generations of McGoughs have learned the trade from the ground up and led with a strong sense of values and integrity. We see our employees as extended members of the family and treat them that way. It’s the way Peter McGough wanted things when he founded our business, and his commitment to quality, honesty and doing the right thing lives on today.

Passion for Partnership

Since our earliest days, we have known that collaboration is the key to success. We focus on building open relationships and trust so we can talk plainly with clients and partners to find the best path forward for everyone.

A Legacy of Building

The McGough family has been building for more than 150 years, going back six generations to 19th century Ireland. The McGough family immigrated to America in the late 1800s, bringing with it a long-standing practice of quality and craftsmanship that was employed by members of the family who worked as builders in Minnesota, the new family home.

1956: Founded by Family

Peter McGough and his six sons incorporated McGough in 1956, the third and fourth generations of the family to work as builders. Ever since then McGoughs have maintained and enhanced our construction expertise. We have always honored the skill and attention to detail that goes into a well-built structure.

Black and white image of Peter McGough and his six sons gathered around a table, 1956

In those early years we laid the foundation of the reputation we enjoy today: a legacy of collaboration, integrity, craftsmanship, and delivering on what we promise. One of our first projects was one of our proudest: St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, still hailed as an engineering and construction marvel.

Black and white image of St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, under construction in the 1950s
St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN as it appears today

A Premier Minnesota Builder

In the decades that followed, McGough grew to become one of the largest and most admired construction firms in Minnesota and nearby communities. We built relationships with most of the state’s Fortune 500 companies and became known for our work on corporate campuses and office buildings for companies like General Mills, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, CHS, Ecolab and many more.

Along the way, we became a go-to builder of many of the state’s leading colleges and universities, public buildings, fine arts and performance centers and worship spaces. We also mastered the complex requirements needed to build science facilities, hospitals and clinics.

General Mills Headquarters in Minneapolis, MN, built by McGough
General Mills HQ, Minneapolis, MN
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN, built by McGough
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN
Ecolab Headquarters, St. Paul, MN, built by McGough
Ecolab Headquarters, St. Paul, MN
Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
City of Austin Rec Center, Austin, MN, built by McGough
City of Austin Rec Center, Austin, MN
Substance Church, Spring Lake Park, MN
Substance Church, Spring Lake Park, MN

Entering New Fields and Markets

Starting in the 1990s, McGough’s reputation led us to take on more projects in neighboring states and cities. We began opening offices in additional Minnesota markets, and then in Iowa and North Dakota. We took on projects coast to coast, with traveling teams of experts.

Over the ensuing decades we established a super-regional footprint covering the Upper Midwest, and now have hubs in Dallas-Fort Worth and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

Bringing Excellence to Development and Facility Management

In addition to growing geographically, in the past decades McGough has added capabilities that let us take projects from concept to close-out and beyond. Our Development team gives us a way to shape projects from the start and take an ownership stake where it makes sense. Our Facility Management team enables us to support owners even after they occupy their new building.

Collage of images showing McGough headquarters, a regional office, and a McGough worker in protective gear

Expanding Nationally and Embracing Growing Sectors

As we continue to focus and sharpen our skills in high-profile and complex work, including semiconductor factories, agricultural processing plants, labs, power generation and distribution and more, we’ve found success executing work around the country at an extremely high level for nationally-known clients.

Valley City State University Heating Plant, Valley City, ND
Valley City State University Heating Plant, Valley City, ND
General Mills, James Ford Bell Research Center, Golden Valley, MN
General Mills, James Ford Bell Research Center, Golden Valley, MN
Interior view of SkyWater Technology Foundry semiconductor factory, Bloomington, MN
SkyWater Technology Foundry, Bloomington, MN
Dakota Spirit AgEnergy ethanol plant, Spiritwood, ND
Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, Spiritwood, ND
Cummins Power Generators Acoustic Test Facility, Fridley, MN
Cummins Power Generators Acoustic Test Facility, Fridley, MN
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