During the Roaring Twenties and into the ‘30s, the founder’s son, Ralph William Cooper, began learning the company’s business — as Cooper Construction “followed the market” and built throughout Western Ontario, in Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock and Ingersoll.

Bell Canada became a major client — an association would continue into the 1950s as Cooper built Bell’s switch exchanges and offices throughout southwestern Ontario.

Ralph Cooper took the helm in 1937. In the early years of his stewardship, the company’s focus was largely on building for secondary manufacturers and lighter industry.

During the 1950s and ’60s, however, the company’s reputation grew, and more diverse projects were added to the portfolio as Cooper developed substantial expertise and business in the institutional sector. Cooper built private schools, university buildings, libraries, and completed a variety of hospital construction projects. Cooper also built research centres for McMaster University

Cooper continued earning an enviable reputation in these market sectors into the 1970’s — a decade which also saw Cooper awarded construction of several Sears stores.

The ’70s saw Cooper Construction pull up its Hamilton roots and move to a new Head Office in Etobicoke — a move driven by the Toronto location of many Cooper clients.

In 1978, the third generation took the helm of the company, as Bill Cooper assumed the presidency.

Relocation to Toronto spurred rapid growth and the most significant evolution in the company’s history — as Cooper committed to industrial Design/Build, while continuing to offer general contracting services.

Cooper acquired industrial sites in Etobicoke, Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville. They could now offer a complete Design/Build package — from land and concept to turnkey commissioning.

The economic downturn of the early 1990s forced the majority of builders to make choices. Cooper decided to remain a Design/Build single-source contractor, focused on suburban office, manufacturing, retail, and industrial distribution and warehouse construction.

Cooper continues to serve long-term clients in building private schools, multi-storey parking garages, broadcast facilities, and other specialized premises.

As the new millennium began, Cooper was positioned to meet new challenges. In 2004, the company completed one of the first industrial buildings in Canada to achieve “green” certification under the LEED™ Building Rating System (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

In 2005, Cooper celebrated its centennial year. The company’s second century opened with landmark events, as construction began in 2007 on the largest building in the company’s history—a 1.12 million s.f. distribution centre—and the purchase of 180 acres on Hanlon Expressway made Cooper the largest industrial land developer in the prime GTA location of Guelph.