Ozanne Construction’s two-building headquarters are on the corner of East 25th Street and Payne Avenue, just east of Downtown Cleveland.
Ozanne Construction Continues Leading the Industry By Jordan Taylor
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zanne Construction has built a lot more than just physical structures since the company was started in 1956 by founder Leroy Ozanne. Now in its second generation of family ownership with company president Dominic Ozanne, the Cleveland, Ohio-based construction management and design-build firm also has built an enduring reputation for quality, excellence and perseverance through some challenging social and economic times. Founder Leroy Ozanne sold the company to his son Dominic in 1990. During the 1950s, Ozanne Construction was one of a few minority-owned construction firms in Ohio and in the nation, capitalizing off of the dedication and tireless work ethic of its founder and leadership team. The company got its start building gas stations, schools and restaurants, and eventually branched out in to transportation and airport projects which are a part of the company’s current portfolio. Early projects included the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport where Ozanne teamed with Turner Construction in the 1970s on the Concourse C Expansion project. The company also worked in Atlanta to help expand the Hartsfield Airport (now Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) and completed upgrades in 1996 to prepare for the International Olympic Games, which were hosted in Atlanta. Dominic said that he has always worked in the business because his family’s culture was, “get up and get to work.”
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He said that growing up in his parents’ home, the thought of not working was never a part of the conversation and they stressed the principle, “if you’re awake, do something.” From the beginning Dominic’s plan was to attend college, get a business degree, and then return home to work for his father’s company. He did just that and learned the construction business from spending summers working under the tutelage of his father. Dominic earned his Bachelor of Science/ Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from Boston University in 1975. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he was Senior Comments Editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. He received his J.D. degree in 1978. Dominic worked briefly for the law firm Thompson, Hine & Flory, after which he joined the Ozanne Construction Company as general counsel. In 1990 Dominic was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the company and proceeded to expand the firm beyond the Greater Cleveland area by securing a number of significant contracts including: Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Rebuilding Program, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Rebuilding Program, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Administrative Campus, and the Elkton, Ohio Correctional Facility. In recognition of his achievements, Dominic was awarded the 1991 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Award for Excellence; Ozanne Construction was named the Best-inClass in Workforce Diversity for middle market companies by the Greater Cleveland Partnership in 2011, and listed in