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One vision, many people, and the dream we built together.

FCL Builders History

The FCL story begins with a local real estate company and a visionary leader. With each new person and project, this team grew the company into a national employee-owned builder that is shaping the future of the industrial construction sector.

1967

Robert (Bobby) Stovall works for J.L. Williams, an industrial real estate firm in Dallas, Texas. He relocates to Chicago, Illinois to open a local office for the firm.

Photo of FCL Founder, Robert (Bobby) Stovall
1976

Stovall purchases the business, renames it Four Columns Limited (FCL), and starts a construction division.

1979

Michael Boro joins FCL Builders. He will become President in 1993.

Headshot of Michael Boro
1986

Chris Linn joins the team. He will become President and CEO in 2022.

Headshot of Chris Linn
1987

FCL Builders merges with The Stava Construction Company to become The FCL/Stava Group Inc.

1988

Carmen Dodaro joins FCL Builders, and became Executive Vice President, overseeing the company's operations and ascending to CEO in 2019.

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1993

The company is sold to 5 employees and FCL Builders is born.

Photo of Michael Boro and Carmen Dodaro
1994

FCL builds its first cold storage & food processing facility, Culinary Foods in Chicago, Illinois

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2001

The Ford Chicago Manufacturing Campus wins the EPA's Phoenix Award for outstanding revitalization of brownfield property.

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2007

FCL builds its first data center, Cyber Continuity Center in West Chicago, Illinois

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2008

FCL is recognized for successfully completing more than 760 projects, totaling more than 67 million square feet, valued at $1.9 billion.

2014

FCL expands out of the Midwest with a new office in Dallas, Texas.

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2015

FCL expands to the Southeast opening an office in Suwanee (Atlanta), Georgia.

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2016

FCL opens an office in Baltimore and celebrates 40 years in business.

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2018

FCL expands in the Midwest with an office in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The company hosts its first Casino Night, raising funds for a charitable organization. Casino Night becomes an annual event, raising more than $1 million to date.

2019

FCL becomes 100% employee owned, names Carmen Dodaro CEO, and opens new offices in Houston, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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2020

FCL expands to the West Coast with offices in Southern and Northern California. FCL reaches #4 ranking for Distribution Warehouses in the Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 400 Sourcebook.

2021

FCL opens new offices in Phoenix, Arizona and Tampa, Florida. Carmen Dodaro retires as CEO. He remains on FCL’s Board of Directors as Lead Director.

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2022

FCL names Michael Boro Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Advisor. Chris Linn becomes President and CEO.

2023

FCL launches FCL Cares, a foundation for charitable giving.

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