Our History
In 1932, during the height of the Great Depression, four immigrants from Sweden – Nils Anderson, Helge Carlson, Walfred Olson, and Manfred Peterson – began what is known today as Ellis Construction. Working out of a quarry they leased in Ellis, Wisconsin, they quarried stone for churches, schools, homes and other buildings. In the late 1940s, Olson left the company to start his own business.
By the early 1950s, Ellis Stone Construction Company, Inc. emerged as a general building contractor, and continued to grow to become one of the most highly regarded general contractors in central and northern Wisconsin.
In 1955, Peterson retired and sold his interest to Anderson and Carlson.
Nils Anderson and Helge Carlson continued to advance Ellis Construction through the 1960s. Through the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, Ellis Construction grew considerably under the second generation leadership of Carl Carlson and Jim Anderson. Jim Anderson continued as Ellis Construction’s President and in 2007, Carl Carlson sold his shares to his son and third generation owner, Erik Carlson who served as Executive Vice President until 2017. In January of 2017, Ellis Construction completed a year long succession plan by finalizing a transition of ownership. Jim Anderson sold the majority of his shares to Erik Carlson and Andrew Halverson, along with Tim Kreft, Patrick Pierce, Brandon Kohls and Steve Chizzo. Collectively, with Erik Carlson as President and Principal Shareholder, Andrew Halverson as Executive Vice President and Kreft, Pierce, Kohls and Chizzo as respective Directors of their areas of expertise, Ellis Construction continues on a solid path of measured incremental growth.
