Type General Contractors Number of employees 400 Founded 1909 | Area served Greater Houston Area Founder Tom Tellepsen | |
 | ||
Industry General Contracting
Pre-Construction &
Construction Services
Construction Management Key people Chairman & CEO: Howard Tellepsen, Jr. Website Tellepsen Builders Company Website Headquarters Houston, Texas, United States | ||
Tellepsen Builders is a construction company founded by Tom Tellepsen in Houston, Texas in 1909. The company has been family owned and operated for four generations, and was created during a period when Houston was rapidly expanding. Tellepsen Builders has been recognized as a safety leader in the construction field, and was recently noted for completing more than 4.5 million man-hours with no time lost due to injury over the past four years. The Houston Business Journal has awarded Tellepsen Builders its Landmark Award for Houston-area projects numerous times, and the company has been the recipient of the "Houston's Greatest" award, among many others.
Contents
First generation
Tom Tellepsen founded Tellepsen Builders in 1909. The first Tellepsen Builders offices were built in Houston in 1921. The company's first notable project was the Miller Outdoor Theatre in 1922, followed by the Rice University Chemistry Building in 1923. In 1925, the company began work on Houston's first 10-story hotel at Texas Avenue and La Branch Street. The company constructed the Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in 1927 and the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in 1932. In 1929 Tom incorporated, changing from "Tom Tellepsen, General contractor" to Tellepsen Construction Company.
Second generation
Tom's son, Howard Tellepsen, became president of the Tellepsen Construction Company in 1940. In the 1940s and 1950s the Tellepsen Construction Company was awarded many projects that have become Houston landmarks, such as Ellington Field, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, the Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, the Falcon Dam, and the Melrose Building. The company was involved with the construction of the Shamrock Hotel. At the time of its grand opening on St. Patrick's Day, 1949, it was the largest hotel in the United States.
During Howard's tenure, he served as president of the Houston County Chamber of Commerce and was the youngest ever chairman of the Houston Ship Channel (now Port Authority). Howard was a board member for the Texas A&M Research Foundation, served on the chair and the board of the Texas State Board of Hospitals, and was the fundraising chairman for Houston's United Way, overseeing a time when more than 100% of United Way fundraising goals were met.
Third generation
Howard Tellepsen, Jr., succeeded his father and is currently the third-generation Tellepsen to serve as CEO of Tellepsen Builders. Tellepsen contracts during this time included American Retirement Corporation, MetroNational Corporation, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Methodist Healthcare System, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Exxon Mobil Exploration, Reliant Energy, Sterling Bank, and Texas Medical Center.
Fourth generation
After 100 years, Tellepsen is still family owned and operated by Howard Jr. and his four sons, Tadd, Tellef, Trent, and Trevor.