What Gardner Builders does

Gardner Builders is a hospitality-focused commercial construction general contractor founded in 2010 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company self-describes as "a hospitality company in the commercial construction business," positioning its core differentiator as client experience, transparency, and partnership rather than lowest-bid execution. Its services span four primary practice areas: Mission Critical Construction (data center conversions, advanced labs, clean rooms), Tenant Improvement (workspace construction and build-outs), Healthcare Construction, and General Contracting Services, supplemented by a Commercial Handyman offering in Milwaukee and a dedicated National Contracting Services team for projects outside the primary Midwest markets.

The company operates from three regional offices in Minneapolis (headquarters, 730 Second Avenue South, Suite 1233), Duluth (2 West First Street, Suite 133), and Milwaukee (648 North Plankinton Ave, Suite 233), serving markets across the Upper Midwest and nationally on a project-by-project basis. Its underlying technology stack is conventional construction management tooling rather than a proprietary platform: onsite field staff produce daily activity reports with photos for clients, architects, and building managers; building playbooks and project scheduling systems support execution; and the company markets a downloadable Project Guidebook via HubSpot. There is no API, no software product, and no disclosed AI capability.

Gardner Builders generates revenue through project-based general contracting fees tied to construction scope, complexity, and timeline, with pricing set per engagement rather than via published rate cards. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales across three regional offices and a national team, targeting a mix of enterprise clients (e.g., Allete Clean Energy, Markel Insurance, Park Lafayette), mid-market businesses (e.g., Wheeler Associates), and SMBs and nonprofits (e.g., YMCA Camp duNord, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Corktown Deli & Brews). The company is independently owned, with no disclosed outside investment or parent company.

Name

Gardner Builders

Legal name

Gardner Builders

Website

https://gardner-builders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gardner Builders is a Minneapolis-founded, hospitality-focused commercial general contractor serving enterprise, mid-market, and SMB clients across the Upper Midwest and nationally. It delivers tenant improvements, mission-critical data center builds, healthcare construction, and general contracting from offices in Minneapolis, Duluth, and Milwaukee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• General contracting
• Tenant improvement
• Mission critical construction
• Healthcare construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Construction Services: General contractor services for commercial construction projects including tenant improvements, mission-critical environments, healthcare facilities, and hospitality spaces. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with fees tied to construction scope, complexity, and timeline.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gardner Builders is a hospitality-focused commercial general contractor delivering general contracting, tenant improvement, healthcare construction, and mission-critical construction (data centers, advanced labs, and clean rooms) for commercial clients. The company also provides a national contracting services team for projects outside its primary Midwest markets and commercial handyman services through its Milwaukee office. Revenue is earned through project-based contracts with fees tied to construction scope, complexity, and timeline.

Product overview

Gardner Builders is a hospitality-focused commercial construction company offering a unified suite of construction services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings consist of Mission Critical Construction (data centers, advanced labs, clean rooms), Tenant Improvement, Healthcare Construction, and General Contracting Services, supplemented by a National Contracting team and commercial handyman services. The company operates from three primary office locations (Minneapolis, Duluth, and Milwaukee) with a focus on hospitality, transparency, positive partnerships, and flawless execution across all project types.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mission Critical Construction Development of highly specialized mission-critical environments including data centers, advanced labs, and clean rooms where precision, uptime, and operational integrity are non-negotiable. Includes transforming vacant office buildings into high-performing, revenue-generating data center facilities and delivering ground-up or retrofit builds with deep understanding of complex mechanical and electrical systems.
• Tenant Improvement Workspace construction services focused on creating meaningful experiences during the construction process and long after project completion. Measures success not just by deliverables but by how the entire team feels throughout the project.
• Healthcare Construction Healthcare setting construction management that embodies empathy, honoring the well-being of those receiving care and serving as a vital partner in caring for those in the vicinity of construction sites.
• General Contracting Services Full-service general contracting for both simple and complex commercial construction projects, delivered with a focus on hospitality, transparency, positive partnerships, and flawless execution.
• National Contracting Services Dedicated national contracting team that extends Gardner Builders' construction expertise beyond the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Milwaukee markets to serve clients across the United States.
• Commercial Handyman Services Commercial handyman services offered through the Milwaukee office with 24-hour response time, no job too small policy, and Gardner quality craftsmanship.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero impact during construction process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• LHBminorOthersArchitecture firm serving as project architect for Allete Clean Energy Addition and Wheeler Associates projects in Duluth
• DSGWminorOthersArchitecture firm serving as project architect for Corktown Deli & Brews project in Duluth
• Studio BVminorOthersArchitecture firm serving as project architect for Gardner Builders Duluth office build-out
• Meyer GroupminorOthersArchitecture firm for Pebble Spa project in Duluth
• Wagner Zaun (LHB)minorOthersArchitecture firm (Wagner Zaun, a division of LHB) for Wheeler Associates project
• HGAminorOthersArchitecture firm for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center project
• Jessica StoeminorOthersPhotographer for Duluth projects including Corktown Deli & Brews and Gardner Builders Duluth office
• Design and Trade Partner CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPositive partnerships with the design and trade partner communities. The company embraces mutually-beneficial relationships resulting in credibility and trust with stakeholders, longevity in the market, and successful projects for clients. The company does not beat up partners to deliver on promises.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mortenson Construction: Minneapolis-headquartered national GC with deep mission-critical/data center and renewable energy practices, plus commercial and healthcare construction — a natural upper-bound benchmark for Gardner's mission-critical ambitions.
• Ryan Companies US: Minneapolis-headquartered national developer and general contractor with overlapping tenant improvement, healthcare, and commercial construction services across multiple U.S. markets.
• McGough Construction: Minneapolis/St. Paul-based commercial general contractor offering similar tenant improvement, healthcare, and mission-critical services with comparable mid-market positioning in the Upper Midwest.
• Weitz Company: National commercial GC with overlapping tenant improvement, healthcare, and mission-critical/data center capabilities; comparable on service mix though at larger scale.
• Kraus-Anderson: Minneapolis-based construction company with comparable commercial general contracting, real estate development, and healthcare/tenant improvement capabilities in the Midwest.
• JE Dunn Construction: Large national commercial GC with strong healthcare, mission-critical, and tenant improvement practices; comparable service mix to Gardner, though at meaningfully greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Shingobee Builders: Minnesota-based commercial general contractor focused on tenant improvements, hospitality, healthcare, and retail — a closer-to-size direct competitor operating in Gardner's home Midwest market.
• DPR Construction: National commercial GC with one of the largest data center and mission-critical practices in the U.S.; comparable to Gardner on tenant improvement and advanced technical builds, but at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Hensel Phelps: Large national GC with significant mission-critical and commercial building practices; competes with Gardner for the same enterprise clients on larger and more complex builds.
• Turner Construction: One of the largest commercial GCs in the U.S. with a national footprint across healthcare, commercial, and mission-critical sectors — sets the competitive ceiling Gardner's national contracting team is pushing against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GardnerBuilders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gardner Builders