What Olaf Anderson does

Olaf Anderson is a privately held design-build general contractor headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, founded in 1913 (originally in Bismarck, relocated to Fargo in 1920). The firm provides commercial construction services across a tri-state area spanning North Dakota, Minnesota, and adjacent markets, with a self-described track record of constructing over 300 acres of building space and an estimated two-thirds share of the Fargo industrial park. It serves a diversified mix of end-markets including automotive dealerships, healthcare, K-12 and higher education, manufacturing and warehouse, aviation, dental, offices, and specialty projects, with named customers including Amazon, Bayer, UPS, Caterpillar, Butler Machinery, Corwin, and Essentia Health.

The company's core offering is integrated design-build delivery for pre-engineered metal buildings (notably through a long-standing Inland Steel Buildings franchise and a Top Ten national ranking via Ceco) and conventional construction. Olaf Anderson self-performs structural steel erection, concrete work, and carpentry, supported by in-house design services. Specialized capabilities include master planning for senior living facilities, healthcare construction led by a certified healthcare construction professional (Tom Stiel), and mission-critical projects such as a data center for Parallel Technologies.

Olaf Anderson operates as a privately held, family-led firm owned and managed by Jeff Furstenau (CEO), Cody Furstenau (President), and Troy Mallow (VP), with a headcount of 51-100 employees. Its revenue model is project-based general contracting, with compensation tied to fixed-price and design-build contracts. The company states it is debt-free, which positions it to self-finance working capital on large projects. Its recognition history includes Builder of the Year (Midwestern Region, 2011) and a Ceco Top Ten Builders designation. The firm's go-to-market is primarily referral- and reputation-driven within its regional footprint, supplemented by repeat enterprise clients.

Name

Olaf Anderson

Legal name

Olaf Anderson

Website

http://www.olafanderson.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Olaf Anderson is a Fargo, North Dakota-based design-build general contractor founded in 1913, self-performing structural steel, concrete, and carpentry for commercial clients across North Dakota, Minnesota, and adjacent states in automotive, healthcare, education, industrial, and aviation sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• Design-build contracting
• Pre-engineered buildings
• Construction management
• Master planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Contracting Services: Provides turn-key Design-Build General Contractor services for commercial construction projects including architectural design, engineering, and construction management. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts for commercial buildings across multiple sectors.
2. Pre-Engineered Building Systems: Constructs Pre-Engineered Building Systems in addition to conventional construction, utilizing materials including masonry, precast concrete, wood, and steel.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Olaf Anderson is a Design-Build General Contractor providing turn-key commercial construction services including architectural design, engineering, and construction management under one entity. The firm self-performs structural steel erection, concrete foundations, finished carpentry, and general labor, and also constructs Pre-Engineered Building Systems for commercial projects across sectors such as automotive, healthcare, education, manufacturing, warehousing, aviation, dental, and offices.

Product overview

Olaf Anderson is a Design-Build General Contractor founded in 1913, offering turn-key construction services for commercial buildings. The company's core offering is its integrated Design-Build Services, which combines preliminary design through construction management under one entity. Supporting services include Total Design Services (architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, landscape, and interior design with green design elements), Site Development Services, Master Planning Services for senior living campuses, Contract Administration, and Self-Performed Construction Work (structural steel erection, concrete work, finished carpentry, and general labor). The company also specializes in Pre-Engineered Building Systems construction. Projects span multiple sectors including Automotive (dealerships), Healthcare (clinics and hospitals), Education (schools and universities), Manufacturing/Warehouse (including Amazon and UPS distribution centers), Specialty (arenas, data centers, community facilities), Aviation (hangars), Dental (dental offices), and Commercial Offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Contracting Services Full-service general contracting including construction management, project execution, and turn-key delivery for commercial buildings across multiple sectors.
• Design-Build Services Integrated design and construction services combining preliminary design layouts, budgets, renderings, full construction documents, and construction management under one entity.
• Master Planning Services Strategic planning, feasibility pricing, site assessment, space programming, conceptual layout, and demand analysis for senior living campuses and commercial developments.
• Pre-Engineered Building Systems Construction using pre-engineered metal building systems with nationally recognized competence, with capabilities in masonry, precast concrete, wood, and steel materials.
• Total Design Services Comprehensive architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, landscape, and interior design services, including green design elements and special design requests.
• Site Development Services Site analysis, development planning, utility studies, zoning assistance, geotechnical engineering review, and site surveys for construction projects.
• Self-Performed Construction Work In-house construction capabilities including structural steel erection, concrete foundation and flatwork, finished carpentry, and general labor to streamline the building process and reduce communication gaps.
• Contract Administration Daily project monitoring including shop drawing review, product data approval, field testing coordination, change order records, payment tracking, and final project closeout inspections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 acres of buildings constructed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Inland Steel BuildingscoreTechnology or IntegrationMetal building business franchise from Inland Steel Buildings. Tracy Myers served on the National Advisory Council for Inland Steel Buildings for ten years, indicating a strong partnership for pre-engineered metal building construction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boldt Company: Wisconsin-based Design-Build general contractor serving industrial, healthcare, and commercial clients across the Upper Midwest. Most direct comparable to Olaf Anderson given similar integrated Design-Build delivery model, regional Midwest footprint, and comparable self-performed trade capabilities.
• Kraus-Anderson Construction Company: Minnesota-based general contractor with integrated Design-Build and construction management services across commercial, healthcare, education, and industrial sectors. Direct peer given geographic overlap in the Upper Midwest and similar project-type mix to Olaf Anderson.
• Miron + Co: Wisconsin-based Design-Build contractor with strong Midwest presence serving healthcare, education, commercial, and industrial clients. Comparable to Olaf Anderson in integrated delivery model and regional focus, though larger in scale.
• Knutson Construction: Minnesota-based general contractor providing Design-Build, construction management, and general contracting services across the Upper Midwest. Comparable in scale, regional focus, and commercial/industrial project mix to Olaf Anderson.
• Pepper Construction Company: Chicago-based Design-Build general contractor serving commercial, healthcare, education, and industrial clients across the Midwest. Comparable in integrated delivery and self-performed trade capabilities, with broader geographic reach than Olaf Anderson.

Broad incumbents

• McCarthy Building Companies: National Design-Build general contractor with deep healthcare, industrial, and education portfolios. Comparable in Design-Build integration philosophy but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geography than Olaf Anderson.
• JE Dunn Construction: Large national general contractor with strong Midwest presence serving commercial, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Comparable in Design-Build delivery and customer-type mix, but materially larger than Olaf Anderson.
• Mortenson Construction: National general contractor with significant wind energy, healthcare, and data center portfolios, including Midwest operations. Comparable in commercial construction capabilities and regional Midwest presence, but substantially larger and more diversified than Olaf Anderson.

Regional players

• Walsh Construction: Chicago-based general contractor serving commercial, healthcare, and institutional clients across the Midwest. Comparable in project-type mix but primarily competes in Illinois/Indiana rather than Olaf Anderson's tri-state ND/MN/SD territory.

Emerging players

• Morton Buildings: National provider of pre-engineered metal and steel building systems for commercial, agricultural, and community facilities. Comparable to Olaf Anderson's pre-engineered building systems capability and regional sales-led distribution model, though focused on the building system product rather than full Design-Build delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OlafAndersonConst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Olaf Anderson