BREAKING GROUND
Floyd Arthur Nunnelly Sr. founded F.A. Nunnelly in 1922. The 1920’s were an exciting time as our firm began to break ground on several projects in the San Antonio and Cuero regions. Some of the first projects in our history included the construction of a furniture store, multiple hotel renovations, and several residential projects. Our crews would self-perform in the concrete and carpentry trades. Floyd Sr. instilled integrity as the cornerstone of our corporate values.
Hard Times Ahead
As F.A. Nunnelly established itself as a preferred contractor in San Antonio, the realities of the Great Depression began to set in. Work was hard to find and competition was fierce. Despite this difficult period of time, F.A. Nunnelly was able to develop key relationships with Porter Loring Mortuaries and the San Antonio Brewing Association which would pave a road for success for the next fifty years. It was also in the 1930’s when Nunnelly completed our first Educational facility.
Family & Country
As Floyd Sr. continues to build the Nunnelly brand, his two sons, Floyd Arthur Jr. “FA” & Philip Scott Nunnelly “Bubba” join the firm to start learning the family business. However, both boys would soon choose to serve their country in World War II & the Korean War. F.A. Nunnelly began building hi-profile projects including several Federal and Educational facilities, a multi-story building for Pearl Brewery, Kelly Field National Bank Building, and assisted in the construction of the Cameo Theatre.
Brews & Automobiles
The 1950’s brought a great deal of success as FA and Bubba rejoin the firm. The relationship with Pearl Brewery continued to thrive, and new relationships developed with the Jordan and Mitchell Motor Companies. F.A. Nunnelly built two brand new automobile dealerships in 1950 & 1956, completed multiple major expansion projects for Pearl, built the new Production Building for the San Antonio Light Newspaper and began to grow our Secondary & Higher Education portfolios.
2nd Generation Begins
The 1960’s were exciting times for San Antonio as our city began to prepare for the World’s Fair of 1968. In addition to completing several successful projects for Pearl Brewery, Porter Loring, Frost Bank, and Alamo National Bank, F.A. Nunnelly was selected to build several features for HemisFair ’68. Throughout the 1960’s Floyd Sr. groomed FA and Bubba to be businessmen with integrity and transitioned the ownership and management of the firm to both boys in 1969.
Project Diversification
With FA & Bubba running the business, the 1970’s played a key role in F.A. Nunnelly’s future stability. For the first time in our history, our portfolio would include work in all Educational, Healthcare, Industrial, and Office sectors. Notable projects of the 70’s included the Pearl Brewery Full Goods Building, a multi-story medical office building, new manufacturing plants for Farah and Columbia Manufacturing, and projects for multiple local school districts.
Treading Rough Waters
This decade brought in the tide of high interest rates to temper rampant inflation. This coupled with a challenging economic climate made projects difficult to come by. Client relationships played an intricate role in F.A. Nunnelly’s success to navigate through the 80’s. Clients such as Pearl Brewery, Porter Loring Mortuaries, and several others provided addition & renovation projects to stay afloat. It was in 1988, after a long battle with Polio and Cancer, when Bubba passed away.
Third Generation
While FA’s sons, Doug and Philip, and Bubba’s son Scott all worked on and off for the family throughout the years learning all the aspects of the business, it wasn’t until 1990 when they joined forces to take the reins as the third generation. Doug, Philip, and Scott continued to nurture and build on existing and new relationships with Pearl Brewery, the City of San Antonio, Southwestern Bell, Alamo Community Colleges, and multiple local Public and Private School Districts.
Turn of the Century
Coming off the 75th anniversary in business, Philip, Doug, and Scott put a focus in developing and strengthening a strong family culture. F.A. Nunnelly began to solidify its reputation as a local school builder and completed several successful municipal projects including libraries, fire stations, and police facilities. While F.A. Nunnelly maintained a large volume of educational and municipal work, our firm completed several financial and corporate office projects in the late 1990’s.
The Future Unfolds
A new generation joins the Nunnelly team and works closely with Philip, Doug, and Scott to grow the brand and expand the business. The company experiences strong, but stable growth as the Nunnelly’s transfer ownership and management to Greg Vaughn and Blaine Beckman as the 4th Generation. Nunnelly continues to build on its reputation in the Education, Healthcare, Industrial, and Office sectors in the same way it began…with a steadfast commitment to building with Integrity.
A Legacy Continues
As the ownership transition completes from the third generation to the fourth generation, Greg Vaughn is named Chief Executive Officer and Blaine Beckman is named President. They focus on building a strong team culture and on recruiting experienced managers and builders. Nunnelly continues to build in the Education, Healthcare, Industrial, and Office sectors, but on a much larger scale. Our firm adapts a business plan concentrating on the client experience and on providing opportunities for successful careers in construction. While Nunnelly has observed substantial growth, we maintain a selective approach to the type and size projects we pursue helping guarantee our control on the quality of construction and services we deliver. This approach solidifies its success as Nunnelly is named 2023 Business of the Year by the San Antonio Business Journal and is also recognized with several state-wide project awards. As the construction industry experiences challenges resulting from the Covid Pandemic, our team remains focused on providing a solutions-based approach helping our clients avoid costly delays. Nunnelly celebrates its 100th year in business and looks to a bright future of continued success.
