McShane Construction Company

McShane Construction Company is a national general contractor headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, building multifamily, senior living, industrial and commercial projects. Founded in 1984, the firm runs regional offices across the Midwest, Southeast and West and offers preconstruction and construction management alongside general contracting. Multifamily and affordable housing make up a significant share of its annual volume, which gives it a deep bench on tax credit deals and public-private housing partnerships. McShane is the general contractor on The Overlook at Garson in Atlanta, a $65.7 million, 130-unit development delivering entirely income-restricted apartments beside the Lindbergh MARTA station for Atlanta Housing and the Atlanta BeltLine, with completion targeted for May 2028.

The office map has moved several times. Jim McShane started the firm on July 19, 1984 as a design/build outfit in suburban Chicago. Headquarters shifted to Rosemont in 1992, to Pointe O’Hare in 2002, and to Gateway O’Hare in 2016. Regional expansion followed the work: Phoenix in 2000, Southern California in 2004, Auburn, Alabama in 2005, Madison in 2018, Nashville in 2021. The current roster is Rosemont, Nashville, Auburn, Scottsdale and Madison. A 1995 acquisition of The Cadence Group’s Dallas, Austin and Houston offices created the affiliated Cadence McShane operation in Texas.

Molly McShane became chief executive of The McShane Companies in 2020, having joined in 2002 and driven the push into new geographic markets.

Three ways to buy the work

Design/build gives an owner a single source of responsibility for design and construction, with an early project cost guarantee and a shorter overall schedule. Design-assist keeps the design professionals under the owner’s contract but brings McShane in during preconstruction. Construction management commits to a guaranteed price and runs open-book, so owners can sit in on subcontractor buy-out and share savings if the number comes in low. Preconstruction underpins all three, covering cost estimating, value engineering, life cycle cost analysis, constructability review and scheduling.

The first job, in 1985, was a food processing plant for Mullins Food Products in Broadview, Illinois. Recent completions include Ellison Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee and District Eastside in Greenville, South Carolina, with a 93-unit affordable housing community in Madison underway.

The awards shelf stays current: 2026 General Contractor of the Year (Commercial), 2026 Affordable Housing Project of the Year, a 2026 CBC Merit Award, and further back, National Multi-Family Builder of the Year in 2019.

On the balance sheet side, the firm points to its bonding capacity and comprehensive insurance program as the foundation of its client partnerships, which is a practical consideration for owners underwriting large housing deals.