History of GH Phipps
The Gerald H. Phipps company was founded in 1952, making this the year we celebrate our 60th anniversary. As we look back – and ahead – we thank our clients, employees and partners for helping us reach this milestone. For a trip through our history, check out our company timeline through 60 years of service to the community.
As you will see, the Phipps family’s role in shaping the region goes back many years before that.
Gerry's father, Lawrence, represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1919 to 1931. His uncle, Platt Rogers, opened a construction company in Pueblo in 1923. In 1946, when Platt decided to expand to Denver, he asked Gerry to manage the operation. A mere two years later, the company built Bears Stadium--later expanded to become Mile High Stadium.
In 1952, Gerry and his wife bought out his uncle and named the company Gerald H. Phipps, Inc. Rapid growth was never as important to Gerry as building solid relationships with clients, employees, subcontractors and communities. Nonetheless, the company grew --from $109,000 in revenues its first year to $3 million by 1962, when a Colorado Springs office was opened.
Gerry's interest in employee satisfaction was backed up with action. In 1967, he established a profit-sharing plan to allow employees to share in the success of the company and by the time he died in 1993, he had created a plan to transfer the company's assets to the profit-sharing trust, now shared by more than 100 of the company's employees.
Today, GH Phipps Construction Companies is pleased to welcome clients to its flagship building in the Denver Tech Center, where we look to the promise of the future.
As it turns out, the history of GH Phipps is linked inextricably to the history of its clients. Senator Lawrence Phipps was instrumental in raising funds for Children's Hospital when it was founded in 1908. GH Phipps has worked with the hospital on numerous expansions and improvements over the decades, including the hospital’s $410 million campus in Aurora and the recently completed East Tower addition.
One of GH Phipps’ best-known projects, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, is also a symbol of the company's history in Denver. GH Phipps founder Gerald Phipps owned the Denver Broncos from 1961 until 1981. He is the only non-player honored by a spot in the Broncos' Ring of Fame. He led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl and established sell-out crowds as the norm.