Building legacy, leading into the future
When Mississippians drive past a school, a hospital, a casino, a state government building in the capital city, or our sprawling university campuses, chances are good they’re looking at a building tied to the Anderson family legacy.
Today, carrying that tradition forward is Roy Anderson III, Chairman and CEO of AnderCorp, the Gulfport-based general contractor and construction management firm that has quickly become a leading general contractor in the Southeast.
In just over five years, AnderCorp has gone from startup to Engineering News-Record (ENR) Texas and Southeast 2025 Top Contractors List—a recognition earned through high-profile projects, blue-chip clients, and a people-first culture. For Anderson, the trajectory isn’t just about company growth. It’s about innovation, community, and a vision for how construction can be transformative and impactful in the communities it works in.
A Family Tradition of Building
Anderson’s story begins with his grandfather, Roy Anderson Sr., who left Purvis, Mississippi, for Bowling Green State University in Ohio in the early 1900s. He later moved to Gulfport and worked in real estate, believing the Port would become the state’s economic engine. He was right—and the Andersons have been tied to that growth of the Gulf Coast ever since.
Roy Anderson Jr., Anderson’s father, added to that heritage as both an engineer and businessman, and founded Roy Anderson Corp (RAC) in 1955 with $3,000 he saved after graduating from Georgia Tech and serving as a pilot in the Korean War. He also mentored his son.
“Our offices were 20 feet apart, and we had countless late-night and early-morning meetings,” said Anderson. “You couldn’t ask for a better mentor. There have been many times since his passing in 2011 that I wanted to ask him for his advice. He supported me in important decisions which ultimately led to our growth and diversification into new market sectors.”
Reflecting on his early years in the family business, Anderson said, “Growing up, I didn’t have intentions of joining my father’s construction company. I looked forward to working a summer job while in junior high, and I was assigned to the company’s storage yard and had to pull nails out of lumber and scrape concrete off metal forms, then mop them down with diesel oil for the entire summer. I felt my father was sending me a message to do anything other than construction.”
However, Anderson began his career in 1982 with Roy Anderson Corp (RAC). He was the CEO of RAC and the Holding Company, Anderson Companies, for 35 years, which consisted of two construction companies he acquired in 2003 and 2010: Harrell Contracting Group of Jackson, MS and Brice Building Company of Birmingham, AL and New Orleans, LA.
Anderson played an integral role in two of the Gulf Coast’s most impactful economic development events: the construction of many of the gaming and hospitality projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in Tunica, and also the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. Under his leadership, RAC delivered major projects consisting of hotels, shopping centers, hospitals, correctional facilities, office buildings, sports facilities, governmental, institutional buildings and natural disaster recovery contracts.
That reputation would carry him through decades of growth, culminating in the sale of RAC to the Tutor Perini Corporation, a publicly traded company, in 2011. Anderson remained CEO of the firm until the end of 2017. “I tried retirement for several months in 2018 and it just was not personally fulfilling for me,” recalled Anderson. “After being a CEO of a company for several decades, I realized I missed developing and implementing strategic plans to expand companies geographically and to diversify into new emerging market sectors.”
Before entering and eventually taking the reins of his late father’s company, Anderson took a different path from most in the construction world. After having already earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Alabama, he decided to complete his Juris Doctorate degree at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He said this made him a better CEO.
“I feel law school helped me to be more analytical—A first year law student is required to brief legal cases; it’s a process of understanding the Facts, identifying the Issues and developing Conclusions. That process has been very important to me, I feel it is critical in any business.”
When asked how he balances respecting the family’s legacy with forging a new path for AnderCorp, Anderson responded, “Our foundation is Mississippi, but our reach is regional. Our customers have been based on relationships and shared cultures, so I have had experience in working in 17 states.”
AnderCorp emphasizes leadership built on communication and accountability. That structure provides timely decision-making, selectivity in project choice and pursuits and personal accountability at every level. For owners, it means faster cycles, transparent communication, and a partner who sees beyond bricks and steel to long-term values. “Our goal is for owners to be involved in the critical construction decisions with their projects, without personally having the construction risk,” said Anderson.
As far as the many things he learned from his father and how he’s imparting those lessons for his own son, Roy Anderson, IV, Anderson referred to several instances.
“My father stressed the importance of having a thorough understanding of various departments throughout the company; human resources, finance, preconstruction, operations, safety, risk management and business development—all of it,” said Anderson. “It’s not just one thing that makes a company successful; it’s how each department is integrated successfully with each other. Roy IV is an integral part of our company. I have always encouraged Roy IV to engrain himself with the various departments to further understand how each department contributes to the overall success of the company. In his understated manner, my father taught me to work hard, provide leadership, attract and develop top talent, and make decisions that provide transparency with our customers.”
Blue-Chip Clients and Rapid Growth
That approach has paid off. In five years, AnderCorp has delivered headline projects including the Jim & Thomas Duff Center at Mississippi State University; Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, an inland casino in Bossier City, LA.; Department of Public Safety Headquarters in Rankin County; University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Nursing, and the recent groundbreaking of the $1.4 billion Live! Gaming & Entertainment District in Petersburg, Virginia.
AnderCorp is also preparing to break ground on the $105 million Gulfport Town Center, a mixed-use development featuring a Marriott Tribute hotel, luxury apartments, and retail space that will help redefine downtown Gulfport. Anderson co-developed the concept after being inspired by a study completed in 2019 for the Gulf Coast Business Council. The report centered on revitalizing the Mississippi Gulf Coast, specifically addressing the need for “quality of place” projects for millennials along the MS Gulf Coast, which are commonplace in progressive cities such as Austin and Nashville.
Building a Company Around People, Not Just Projects
Asked how AnderCorp is attracting new employees in an ultra-competitive market, Anderson pointed to the company’s guiding philosophy. “Our growth is built around investing in people and treating career development as a core strength,” said Anderson. “Attracting and retaining skilled talent is the top concern not only at AnderCorp, but across the construction industry. We try to approach that challenge as an opportunity.”
According to Anderson, the firm’s recruiting engine—driven by university outreach, employee referrals, and trusted recruitment partners—has produced below-average turnover and high-performing teams. “This culture not only keeps clients satisfied but attracts the next generation of construction professionals who want to grow with an innovative company.”
Construction as Community Transformation
Beyond scale and technology, Anderson is quick to emphasize the human side of construction. “When people look around Mississippi, they may be in or next to buildings our teams delivered, these buildings help shape a community and our state,” he said. “The most meaningful impact is not just the project itself, but how it anchors a community—how it creates jobs, supports schools, and additional economic development.”
Rebuilding After Katrina: From Destruction to Renewal
Having lived through Katrina and this year’s 20th anniversary of the storm, Anderson said, “Many of our team understand what rebuilding truly means—restoring not just structures, but hope and community.” After Hurricane Katrina, Anderson was involved in rebuilding casinos, hotels, schools, hospitals and public infrastructure that put thousands of Mississippians back to work. “Getting these facilities back in operation was critical to recovery,” he recalled. “A community does not fully recover from that type of devastation until it’s residents and families can return to their homes, schools and their place of work.”
For Anderson, the devastation wasn’t just physical, it was personal. “Hundreds of our employees and partners had lost everything. But Governor Haley Barbour’s words stuck with me: ‘We’ve got to get people back to work.’ That became our mission,” he recalled.
In August 2005, two days before its scheduled grand opening, the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi co-developed by Anderson—was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina’s record 30-foot surge. “The National Guard escorted me to the site the morning after the hurricane, there were six inches of water on the floor, waves still breaking through the structure, with Hard Rock memorabilia and paintings floating throughout the dark unlit hotel lobby. The casino barge looked like a shoebox that had been crushed against the hotel. It was total devastation,” said Anderson
“Within days, we had a tent set up at our office, and the Hard Rock employees cooked food for hundreds of their employees and first responders with the use of generators and food that was unspoiled in the kitchen’s unopened freezers.”
In the months that followed, RAC was working six or seven days per week rebuilding Hard Rock, several additional casinos and restoring critical coastal facilities including hospitals, schools, churches, and managing large-scale debris removal across Gulf Coast communities. The firm also served as co-construction manager for the $570 million Mississippi State Port at Gulfport Restoration, one of the state’s largest recovery projects.
Hard Rock Biloxi reopened with the iconic guitar lit again in July 2007 and it quickly became a local and national symbol of resilience—proof that Mississippi could rebuild stronger and more dynamic than ever before, said Anderson.
Positioning for the Future: Mission-Critical, Data Centers, and Federal Work
Today, AnderCorp is positioning itself for the next decade of growth in the pursuit of mission-critical/data centers, federal construction, and national entertainment projects. AnderCorp is continuing work for utilities companies as energy demand is critical to AI, data center, and economic growth. The company recently broke ground on the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center in Biloxi, which will be critical to cyber security, research, and development.
Also this year, AnderCorp launched its federal practice group, tapping into rising demand for MILCON, national security, and defense infrastructure. Combined with its Southeast base—headquartered in Gulfport, with offices in Jackson and Oxford—the firm now serves clients across a multi-state footprint.
A Legacy of Leadership, A Vision for the Future
From his grandfather’s move to Gulfport in the early 20th century, to his father’s mentorship and founding one of the most respected construction firms in the Southeast and to his own rise through gaming and hospitality construction and guiding through disaster recovery, Roy Anderson III has lived at the center of Mississippi’s construction story.
Now, through AnderCorp, he’s writing a new chapter, one that blends family legacy with forward-looking strategy. The firm’s rapid rise, national projects, and people-first culture prove that Mississippi-grown companies can compete at the highest levels.
That legacy now extends to Roy Anderson IV, who joined his father in founding AnderCorp after serving nine years at RAC. He currently is the Executive Vice President of AnderCorp and represents the third generation of Anderson builders—and a bridge between tradition and innovation.
Roy IV’s vision for AnderCorp mirrors the values passed down through his family: community impact, quality construction, safety, and forward-thinking leadership. His partnership with his father reflects the same mentorship and shared purpose that began three generations ago on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
For Anderson, it all comes back to legacy and purpose. “I’ve been fortunate to manage successful companies,” he said. “But the most meaningful part of this chapter is sharing it with my son, building something that endures, and knowing AnderCorp is helping shape the Coast and Mississippi’s next generation of growth.”
As AnderCorp breaks ground on Gulfport Town Center and expands into mission-critical and federal work, the message to clients, talent, and the broader business community is clear: a substantial Southeastern player, with deep Mississippi roots, ready for the future.
Anderson is married to the former Sandi Suarez of Biloxi, and has two daughters: Courtney 43, of West Palm Beach, FL and Annie, 40, of Austin TX, wife to Daniel Mahoney with 3 sons, and Roy IV, 38, husband to Ryan with one daughter , one son, and their third child expected in the spring, in Gulfport, and one stepdaughter, Heather, 28, in Biloxi.