History

Building Kelley Construction

The year was 1978. Jimmy Carter was President, unemployment and inflation were on the rise, minimum wage was $2.65 per hour, a gallon of gas averaged $.63, and The Great Blizzard of 1978 had just ripped through the Ohio Valley.

Joseph Kelley Sr. and his wife, Joy, began operating Kelley Construction from a single desk. They started a company whose niche was performing heavy industrial work for some of the most recognized names in the country, such as Ford, General Electric, Rohm & Haas, Phillip Morris and many more. As a small company working for larger ones, there was only one way to compete: by exceeding client expectations through quality, technical expertise, and commitment to service excellence.

Seeing an opportunity to bring those values to diverse projects, the team at Kelley Construction began seeking commercial work. The response was overwhelming. As word of our reliability spread, we captured the attention of new, national clients and continued to win repeat business from our existing clients.

As a third generation, family-owned business, Kelley Construction has grown steady and strong to employ skilled individuals nationwide, conducting work in the commercial, food service, healthcare, industrial fields. As we’ve grown, our focus has remained the same. And no matter the size or scope of our projects, we’ve never lost our philosophy of truly partnering with clients and approaching each project with an open and transparent manner. When we share a common goal of excellence, we’re all on the same team.