Inductees

He could have declined and went on his way. That’s what gets lost in all of this. After all, he had no meaningful connection to sports – high school sports at that – since he spent his teen years in the family business, performing thankless roles such as sweeping concrete floors of construction sites.

In 1995, two years after buying his family’s company, Killian Construction owner William “Bill” F. Killian agreed to meet with Jerald Andrews, then the new President & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“I’ve known Jerald for 30 years,” Killian said recently in his expansive office, complete with fireplace & comfort chairs. “He came to see me about the induction ceremony and how he wanted to grow it. And John Q. Hammons was a client of ours but also becoming a mentor to me.”

And now look. Killian Construction is in its 25^th consecutive year as the presenting sponsor of the annual January 2020 Enshrinement Ceremonies as well as a corporate sponsor. And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to bestow the John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award on Killian Construction.

The award is based on overwhelmingly backing the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in the Show-Me State as well. For the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Killian Construction throwing its financial support to the Enshrinement – as well as Celebrity Golf Classics and the Sporting Clays Classic – cannot be underscored enough. In Killian’s time sponsoring the Enshrinement, the event alone has raised more than $7 million.

That’s significant considering the Hall of Fame is a 501c-3 not-for-profit and does not apply for state or federal funding. The Enshrinement itself is the Hall of Fame’s largest fundraiser of the year, enabling it to keep its doors open and continue honoring coaches, athletes and teams from across the state.

Understand, Killian Construction has previously been recognized as an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 400 firm nationwide as well as an ENR Top 25 hotel builder nationwide.

“I’ve always liked that it’s about coaches and players and enjoy listening to their stories,” Killian said of Enshrinement. “It’s about never giving up and doing what it takes to succeed. And you can apply it to every facet of life. I invite young people, friends, business associates, Killian team members and family to come in and hear the speeches. It echoes out and is great for business and life in general. And they are all teaching and motivating stories that need to be told.”

One of his favorite speeches?

“Ozzie Smith,” Killian said of the former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop, inducted in 1997 and honored as a Missouri Sports Legend in 2011. “He detailed his speech very well. He was very succinct in explaining how he was successful in his career and laid out a roadmap for others. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, he just knocked it out of the park.’ But there have been many other inspiring stories from other inductees. They all have the same common theme – a timeless recipe for success.”

Killian Construction’s history

Killian Construction was founded in 1948 by Bill’s grandfather, J.P. Killian, and his father, Robert G. Killian. From that time until 1992, the firm grew from a small home builder to a respectable sized construction firm that averaged about $25 million in revenue annually in 1993.

Killian himself was sweeping concrete floors on projects at age 12 and into his teens, with his father adding more duties. In doing so, he never had time to play sports before graduating from Glendale High School in 1972.

Yet those years were grooming him to become the company’s leader. Its projects are now all across the United States. They include the Renaissance Spa, Hotel & Media Convention Center in Glendale, Arizona – built to help the city host the Super Bowl and college football bowl games — as well as The Palace Resort Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the Embassy Suites & Convention Center in Rogers, Arkansas.

Around Branson, projects include the Hilton Hotel on Branson Landing, Falls Lodge at Big Cedar and the Andy Williams Theater. Numerous Springfield projects are all over, with OakStar Bank on Battlefield Road an impressive, multi-story structure.

It’s no wonder, then, that Killian Construction has earned 20 top awards for Excellence in Construction from the Associated Building Contractors.

In Springfield, Killian Construction has a solid foundation, including on the sports scene.

It completed Highland Springs Country Club in 1989, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, the upper deck of Missouri State University’s Plaster Sports Complex (football stadium) in the early 1990s, the Roger G. Killian Softball Fields for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board in the 1990s, Hammons Field in 2003-2004 and the O’Reilly Family Events Center at Drury University in 2010, among other projects.

Killian Construction also built the Bass Pro Shops Shooting Academy at Big Cedar Lodge as well as sporting facilities at Southwest Baptist University and a world-class, 18-field soccer facility in Foley, Alabama.

Hammons, a hotel developer and philanthropist in Springfield, hired Killian Construction to build Highland Springs Country Club in 1987 and befriended a young Killian, ultimately taking him under his wing.

Hammons also had the idea for Highland Springs, the Hall of Fame and Hammons Field. In order, they host the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, some 760 inductees in a two-level facility, and the Springfield Cardinals.

“Besides my dad, John Q. was the most important male influence in my life,” Killian said. “When he did something, he always tried to do it the best he could to represent the best quality.”

Likewise, Killian has continually challenged himself and his company. As he put it, it wasn’t about building a sports venue but building a great project and then building another great project.

Killian Construction has enjoyed the success thanks to many as it has grown to more than 100 employees. Additionally, the company counts a base of more than 15,000 subcontractors across the country.

If anyone assumes the company hasn’t earned trust, consider the 2007 opening of Killian Construction’s central office in north Springfield. Outside the building is a “Lunchtime on a Skyscraper” statue – only the second in the country, based on an iconic photo – commemorating a 1932 construction crew sitting on a beam during the Rockefeller Construction in New York City.

A surprise congratulatory video was put together by Killian’s wife, Lisa, and Killian staff. It featured friends/clients: Hammons, Robert Plaster, then-Chamber of Commerce director Jim Anderson, Prime Inc. owner Robert Low, Congressman Roy Blunt, then-Gov. Matt Blunt, former Gov. Roger Wilson, Branson Landing developer Rick Hoffman, Wendy’s franchisee Sam Hamra of Hamra Enterprises, Branson entertainer Andy Williams, SBU president Pat Taylor, then-Greene County Commissioner Dave Coonrod, Care to Learn founder Doug Pitt and Todd Edwards, to name a few.

Low, Plaster and J.B. Hunt became friends and mentors, too, as their counsel enabled Killian Construction to grow and take on numerous projects.

“I built the Chateau on the Lake on a handshake,” Killian said. “And for awhile, that’s how John Q. and I did business – only on a handshake.”

For Killian personally, the support of his wife, Lisa, and their children, Christina and Nicholas, has played a huge role. Out-of-state projects required attention, and Hammons also requested his presence on business trips that required a private jet, which they owned together.

Supporting the Hall of Fame

Killian Construction’s support has enabled the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame to reach significant milestones. The Hall of Fame’s inductee roster is now near 760 and casts a wide net, honoring not only pro and college sports athletes but high school and small college coaches, players and teams as well as other unique individuals – including those in sports medicine – and organizations.

As a corporate sponsor, Killian Construction fields a team in the Hall of Fame’s Springfield Celebrity Golf Classic presented by Great Southern Bank, and the Sporting Clays Classic. The Sporting Clays Classic has grown to 260 competitors in less than 10 years.

Additionally, Killian Construction had the first skybox on the 18^th green (and again this past year) of the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper.

“When Jerald came to me and asked about putting up a skybox, I asked, ‘How does that work?’” Killian said. “He explained the concept and I said, ‘I’m in.’”

That has led to numerous skyboxes near the greens on Nos. 9 and 18, with proceeds going to Ozarks children’s charities. The PCCC has gifted more than $16 million in its 30-year history.

Those are ways for Killian to reward employees or entertain clients.

“I’m not a very good golfer, but we have people who work for us who are great golfers,” Killian said. “It’s just about being a good corporate citizen who gives back to the community.”

Which is why he is quick to point out the company’s employees. Their professionalism has raised Killian’s national profile.

“It’s all about the employees,” Killian said. “You cannot have a great company without great employees – and we have some of the very best in the business.”