ARCO National Construction

ARCO National Construction was founded in 1992 by Dick Arnoldy and Jeff Cook as a single office in St. Louis, Missouri, and earned $9.5 million in its first year. It now reports 47 offices in major U.S. markets and more than $6 billion in annual revenue, and it is 100 percent employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan. Cannabis is one specialty among many: the firm also builds cold storage, warehouses, food and beverage plants, data centers, multifamily and aviation projects. Its cannabis and controlled-environment agriculture work is run out of its regional offices rather than a separate company.

The cannabis page counts more than 70 cannabis and CEA facility projects and over 13 million square feet completed, covering grow and cultivation buildings, processing and manufacturing, vertically integrated sites, distribution and dispensaries. Named projects include a 71,400-square-foot grow facility renovation for Temescal Wellness in North Adams, Massachusetts, a 58,650-square-foot cultivation facility for LSL Management in St. Louis, a 2,500-square-foot dispensary renovation for Feel State in Kansas City, a 14,850-square-foot processing renovation in St. Louis for a confidential client, and a cultivation expansion for Ascension BioMedical in Oberlin, Ohio.

ARCO sells cannabis work through its design-build model: no upfront cost during conceptual development, a firm proposal after which ARCO takes on pricing risk and buys key materials, and a guarantee that the client pays no more than the accepted price unless the scope changes. Its FAQ notes that zoning, permitting and environmental-control requirements vary by state and locality and says the team engages early to map the regulatory path. It does not publish pricing. Buyers should expect a large-contractor engagement, which suits multi-state operators and larger cultivation builds more than a single small storefront.