Stellar (construction company)
| File:Stellar Construction Logo.jpg | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Construction |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida, USA |
Key people | Ronald Foster Jr., Chairman Brian Kappele, CEO Scott Mark, COO Clint Pyle, CFO |
| Services | Design-Build, General Contracting, Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Refrigeration and Energy Systems Fabrication/Installation (Self-Perform), Mechanical Services, Quality Assurance and Job-Site Safety, Automation & Controls, Instrumentation and Programming, Utility and Energy Management, Real Estate Services, Thermal Insulation and Roofing |
| Revenue | $885 million (2017) |
Number of employees | 750+ (2018) |
| Website | www |
Stellar operates as a private enterprise specializing in design, engineering, construction, and mechanical services with its headquarters located in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm caters to prominent clients including Starbucks, Nestlé, and Walt Disney World. With a workforce exceeding 750 professionals—comprising architects, engineers, construction experts, and refrigeration technicians—Stellar provides end-to-end solutions across diverse industries.
History
Established in 1985 under the name Stellar Group by Ron Foster Sr. alongside four partners in Jacksonville, the company initially focused on residential remodeling projects such as the condominiums at Epping Forest Yacht Club. It soon concentrated on food processing plants and refrigerated storage facilities, securing early contracts like the Bradenton headquarters for Tropicana Products in 1989.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Stellar broadened its portfolio to include commercial construction ventures such as religious buildings, automotive dealerships, and healthcare centers while launching a dedicated power and utilities division specializing in cooling systems. By 2002, it had completed assignments for clients like JEA, General Mills, and notably constructed a $250-million Nestlé food processing facility in Arkansas. Additionally, Stellar acted as the general contractor for the $850-million mixed-use Jacksonville Shipyards development.
In 2007, the company transitioned its brand identity from "Stellar Group" to simply "Stellar." Following this rebranding, it managed the construction of Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church’s sanctuary in Jacksonville (2008) and was responsible for both architectural design and construction of Heinz’s 225,000-square-foot food processing plant in South Carolina (completed in 2011). In 2013, Stellar completed Nestlé’s research and development center located in Solon, Ohio.
Among its distinguished projects are the 117,000-square-foot Starbucks soluble coffee manufacturing facility in Augusta, Georgia (finished in 2015), which earned recognition from Food Engineering Magazine as the "Fabulous Food Plant" of that year; a $7.6-million refurbishment of Walt Disney World’s Shades of Green resort completed in 2016; and the Bell & Evans poultry processing facility in Pennsylvania—also honored as a "Fabulous Food Plant" in 2016—with an ensuing $260-million expansion initiated in 2018.
More recently, Stellar finalized an $18-million upgrade of Herrmann Hall at the Naval Postgraduate School (2018), performed multiple renovations for automotive dealerships owned by the Tom Bush family in Jacksonville (2019–2020), and enhanced the Ilima Pool complex at Hawaii's Hale Koa Hotel (2020). In 2021, it modernized the refrigeration infrastructure for the Florida Panthers’ IceDen arena.
By 2022, Stellar embarked on several major projects including expanding Jack Link's distribution center located in Iowa and constructing a new museum facility for Jacksonville's Museum of Science and History—demonstrating ongoing expansion and significant influence within construction and engineering markets.
Operations
Stellar caters to commercial and industrial sectors, serving industries such as food and beverage, refrigeration and cold storage, military, automotive, education, healthcare, hospitality, power and utilities, as well as office facilities. The company provides a comprehensive range of services including planning, design, pre-construction activities, construction management, refrigeration solutions, mechanical and utility services, building envelope expertise, and full operations maintenance. With its headquarters located in Jacksonville, Florida, Stellar operates additional offices throughout Wisconsin, California, Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and various other regions.
Philanthropy
Established in 2006, the Stellar Foundation was created to formalize the company's philanthropic efforts and manages yearly grant applications. Furthermore, Stellar matches employee charitable contributions up to $1,000 annually. In the same year of its founding, the company initiated support for pre-engineering and mechanical drafting programs at Allen D. Nease Senior High School through the Stellar Academy of Engineering. The Jacksonville Business Journal honored Stellar as a "Partner in Philanthropy" in 2017, recognizing its donation of nearly $250,000 to nonprofit organizations during 2016.
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States
- Companies based in Jacksonville, Florida
- Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1985
- American companies established in 1985
- 1985 establishments in Florida
- Privately held companies based in Florida
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment