It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of Don Brennan, one of the original founders of River City Construction. Don’s legacy and values will forever be engrained in the fabric of RCC.
Over the course of his career at RCC, Don was a strong advocate for the continuous improvement and evolution of the company. At a time when the concept of "design/build" was foreign in our industry language, Don was hitting our largest clients with alternative delivery options, trying to evolve the industry as a whole to leave it in a better spot than where he started. To this day, many of those clients reach out, sharing stories of Don’s crusade to positively change the industry by evolving the process by which projects are delivered.
Coupled with that, Don was instrumental in recognizing the value of a complete "under one umbrella" approach to delivering projects for clients. With that purpose in mind, he established the River City Design Group to fill a void in the industry by providing our clients with design services and construction services—all under one roof and under one contract. Don’s vision to accomplish clients' missions through collaborative ideas, cooperative efforts, and a partnership approach between all parties was "cutting edge" for the time. As a matter of fact, August 31st is RCDG’s official 25th anniversary!
From an industry perspective, Don was actively involved in leadership roles for many of the industry associations, including GPCSA (Greater Peoria Contractors and Suppliers Association) and CIB-AGC (Central Illinois Builders of AGC). Through his leadership efforts at GPCSA, he and the other RCC founders were the catalysts behind the Tri-Con Board (now known as Better Built), a joint labor and management relationship-focused organization whose mission was to improve labor and management relations at a time when they were critically strained. Mission accomplished! Relations between labor and management drastically improved over time as a result of this concerted effort from all parties.
Though RCC has continuously grown, expanded, and evolved since his retirement in 2008, the guiding principles he and the rest of the RCC founders established hold true today: integrity above all else, excellence in execution, and uncompromising commitment to customer satisfaction.
Don - We thank you for taking a chance with your partners at River City Construction, and we will see you in the next phase of the ongoing building project known as life.