Huber Construction, Inc. is a General Contractor in the Western New York State region. The company began in 1933 taking the name of its founder, Frank C. Huber. The companies’ first project was a compressor foundation at National Analine on Elk St. in Buffalo, that first contract was worth $300.
The next fifty years saw Huber’s expertise grow in many areas of Industrial Construction. One of the first major jobs was the construction of the Thousand Islands Coast Guard base in 1938. As the company grew it constructed many water and sewage treatment plants as well as many bridges in Erie and Niagara County. During this era Huber Construction became expert in electric furnace construction for the growing alloys industry, major projects were completed in Calvert City, Ky; Mobile, Al; Charleston, SC; as well as Niagara Falls, NY. Many of the corporate relationships that began in 1938 continued through 1994.
Rich Products Corporation of Buffalo, NY became another major client of Huber Construction. The company constructed Rich’s first plant to produce whipped topping in 1945 and did much of the construction as the company expanded over the years. Two of the major projects for Rich’s included the Corporate Office Building completed in 1980 and the Rich Renaissance Center completed in 1989. The Renaissance center and the offices at 1200 Niagara Street remain signature projects for Rich’s and for the city of Buffalo. One unique project came to Huber through it’s relationship with the Rich family, renovating the vacant War Memorial Stadium for use as the location for the filming of “The Natural”, starring Robert Redford.
 | In 1993, Huber reacted to the slowdown in Industrial Construction by acquiring Boxhorn’s, a well established acoustical and drywall contractor in Buffalo. Boxhorn’s had been in business since 1963 and had acquired a reputation as a quality interior contractor with an outstanding workforce. The acquisition allowed Huber to become more of a “turnkey contractor”, allowing the company to become much more competitive in commercial and retail construction. More that fifty retail projects have been completed since then, including everything from Abecrombie to Zales.
Renamed Boxhorn Division of Huber Construction, Inc., the interior division continues to offer subcontracting services including metal stud, drywall and acoustical construction as well as fireproofing, exterior finish systems and quality finish carpentry services. Signature projects that this division has completed include the HSBC Arena, renovations to the Ralph Wilson stadium including the Jim Kelly and Maple Leaf Club sections as well as the Medical Research Center at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. |
The synergy created by merging both of these companies continues today. Huber has completed several large projects over the last few years, including the two-story Sears Store in Amherst, NY as well as major expansions to Niagara and Jamestown County Community Colleges, the Erie County Public Safety Campus and the Niagara Center.
The diversification and experience, as well as their reputation for quality and as a leader in worker safety should keep Huber busy for a long time.
(Some of this story was copied from an article that appeared in the Buffalo Courier Express on May 4, 1974 by Ray Dearlove.)
