In 1947, 37 year old entrepreneur, Robert Edward Carlson, began his journey in becoming a business owner with the support of his wife, Mabel. Out of his kitchen in Chicago, he started a moving company. Shortly thereafter, with a loan of $350 from his brother-in-law, he bought his first truck and began delivering coal and black dirt instead. The business expanded to include concrete subcontracting, performing work for Steele & Loeber garage floors and City of Chicago sidewalks, with secretarial support of his wife, Mabel and the help of his oldest son, Robert S. Carlson (Bob). Hence, the original name of the company was R. Carlson & Son. In the late 1950’s, Robert moved to Harvey, Illinois and built a new home with an office, later building a warehouse for his equipment. Business expanded again, providing clients with full-fledged General Contracting services. Robert’s attention to detail and determination on his first G.C. project, a Sinclair Oil fuel station, was a roaring success. Business began to expand once potential clients heard about the growing reputation of R. Carlson and Son in the construction industry. By the early 1960’s, R. Carlson and Son was building fuel stations for an array of clients.