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Omaha Magazine

Larry Lundquist

May 15, 2018 02:07PM ● By Kirby Kaufman
Larry Lundquist’s success in Omaha construction is tied to the rise and rebirth of many local buildings.

The 69-year-old CEO of Lund-Ross Constructors says the company relies on roughly 50 employees who share his belief that preserving existing community structures matters. 

Rob Stargel, vice president of business development at Lund-Ross Constructors, says Lundquist loves the city of Omaha and is vocal about his enthusiasm for working on its historic and new buildings.

“You understand that when you’re riding with him to lunch or meetings,” Stargel says. “He always takes a new route to show you a building or view of Omaha you may have never seen.”

He adds it’s not surprising that ideology is embodied in the work accomplished by the company.

Enthusiasm applies to many parts of his life. In addition to his work, Lundquist served two consecutive three-year terms (from January 2009 to December 2014) as a board member for Girls Inc., and has been involved in professional organizations.

“Larry Lundquist was everything you would want in a board member—engaged, generous with his time, treasure, and talents, and 100 percent supportive of our mission,” says Roberta Wilhelm, executive director of Girls Inc. “Larry has a large professional footprint in this community and he has an even larger heart to go along with it. He really did care about the girls and would do anything to help them grow up strong, smart, and bold.”

But it’s that belief in preserving community structures that has prevailed. When M’s Pub was destroyed by a fire in January 2016, Lundquist and his team took the loss to heart. Lund-Ross employees frequented the popular restaurant, which reopened in late 2017. Lundquist himself met with a group of developers, lawyers, and friends, sitting at the same table every Friday night for more than 20 years to have drinks and chat about the week.

The initial assessment of the post-fire Mercer Building was that it was in danger of collapse. The liquid used to put out the fire on that frigid day turned to ice, and this danger would increase as the ice returned to a liquid form. Lundquist has experience with renovating many historic structures—one of the pluses in this story—and he wasn’t about to let this beloved structure fall.

“His passion for preserving our architectural heritage and progressive new development are at the core of everything we do at Lund-Ross,” Stargel says.

Lundquist describes repairs to the Mercer Building, which housed M’s Pub, as emotional and challenging. He adds, “It was an honor to be involved in rebuilding it.”

“I just like the atmosphere of it,” Lundquist says of M’s Pub. “It’s like a pair of old Levi’s. You get a hole on the knee, and you keep wearing them because they still fit. M’s is the same way.”

The Mercer Building project was given the Excellence in Construction award by the Associated Builders and Contractors. At presstime, they were in the running for other industry awards.

These days, you can see Lundquist and his colleagues at the storied bistro, thanks to his team, who put his exact table back in place, allowing his Friday night happy hours to commence again.


Visit lundross.com for more information.

This article was printed in the June/July 2018 edition of B2B. 

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