We’re a general contractor that’s rooted in relationships, starting with a friendship that began at Oregon State University over 30 years ago.

How we got started.

In the 1980s, Jeff Perala and Gayland Looney were classmates in the Construction Engineering Management Program at Oregon State University. After school, they started their careers in the construction industry. Jeff joined a company called WL McCormack & Co that had been in the Northwest since the 1970s. Five years later, Gayland joined him. At that point, the company was called McCormack Pacific. From the get-go, Jeff’s and Gayland’s expertise were a perfect complement: Jeff enjoyed the pre-construction process and Gayland gravitated to the construction management.

In 1995, Jeff and Gayland were promoted to vice president positions. The company grew to $25M and Jeff and Gayland were invited into the leadership as partners. To mark the transition, Jeff and Gayland combined the first parts of their last names to create the company’s namesake: Perlo (“Per” from “Perala” and “lo” from “Looney”), which was added to the front of the company name. In 2010, after surpassing the $100M milestone, the company dropped “McCormack” in the name and became simply “Perlo” as it continues to operate under today.

Where we’re headed.

Perlo is on track to continue growing in size and expanding into new markets. The company has a solid presence in a variety of markets including healthcare, education, industrial, auto dealerships, retail, and many other industries.

To ensure the company always keeps its family feel, the leadership has put a laser focus on training new hires in “the Perlo Way” in terms of customer service and internal relationships. At the same time, the company will continue to explore new technologies to keep Perlo at the forefront of the industry. But no matter what changes happen, the company will always stay rooted in what matters most: doing what’s right for our clients and employees.