Through the fog of the pandemic, Gray Construction found opportunities. When many of its manufacturing and industrial process customers were deemed essential in 2020, the Lexington, Ky.-based contractor was well positioned to pursue a surge of work, including megaprojects.
Giant specialty contractor acquired William E. Groves Construction in 2021, and two departing senior managers of former family-owned firm aim to nullify earlier non-compete agreements.
Still hampered by pandemic-related uncertainly, Midwest construction starts fell in 2021 even as signs of a return to normalcy bolstered markets near the end of the year.
Darrin Carroll was running a little late for work. At about 7:20 a.m. on a cold January morning in 2019, the sun had not yet shown its face in northern Kentucky. Carroll, who had just reassured his employer that he was on his way, steered his red 2003 Chevrolet flatbed truck east along Richwood Road, a typical two-lane ribbon of black top. That's when everything went wrong.