The Big Move
1975
Bill Butler moved West from NY in 1975; created W. L. Butler and focuses on small residential remodels and insurance work.
History in the Making
Treat people right. Stand by your work. Live by your word. These values have shaped our history and always will. For 50 years, W. L. Butler has approached every project with a focus on safety, quality, collaboration and fairness. From our start in fire re-construction to today’s multifaceted approach, every project shares the same commitment to excellence.
W. L. Butler, Inc.
1980 - 1985
W. L. Butler, Inc. establishes its first office at 32 Willow with 5 Team Members and continues to focus on residential remodels and fire jobs, sales reached $288,000.
Our Early Milestones
1985-1986
From developing Ellinwood Center in Pleasant Hill—W. L. Butler’s first retail shopping plaza totaling 15,000 SF across two buildings—to constructing the 16‑unit Bay Street Apartments in Fremont and securing our first major retail client with Mervyn’s, these foundational projects set the stage for our growth and long-term success.
Building Bigger Dreams
1987-1989
W. L. Butler relocated to 204 Franklin, marking a major milestone in the company’s growth. Soon after, we completed Greenhouse Gardens, our very first residential subdivision with 32 homes. This success paved the way for Stonegate, an 80-home hillside community in South San Francisco that stood as our largest subdivision to date.
Leadership and Growth
1990
W. L. Butler formally established its Leadership Team with Bill Butler, Frank York, Dave Nevens, Gina Tankersley, and Mark Heavey. That same year, the company participated in its first community service project, Christmas in April (later known as Rebuilding Together), and broke ground on a multifamily hillside development—Laurel Glen in San Rafael, an enclave of 23 single-family homes owned by David Packard.
Breaking New Ground
1991-1992
We completed OSH San Rafael as our first tilt-up project, undertook our first Price Club job (now Costco), and rebuilt a fire-damaged science wing along with an eight- building portable classroom campus at Woodside Elementary. This period also included work on our first project at Stanford University, and the Hiller Highlands rebuild, our largest fire and insurance project - reconstructing 34 homes lost in the Oakland Hills Fire.
Diversifying Our Portfolio
1995-1998
W. L. Butler Construction, Inc. is formally incorporated and opens its first Southern California office in Irvine; awarded our first Target project and our first Costco Wholesale projects; completed its first Design-Build medical facility with Abbott Labs in Morgan Hill—then the company’s largest project; expanded into hospitality with the 184-room Hawthorne Suites, and constructed its first below-grade parking structure at Silverwood Apartments.
Major Ground-Up Projects
1999-2000
We built our first ground-up Costco at Gateway San Diego, our first ground-up Target in Walnut Creek, and started construction on Escondido Village at Stanford—a two phase, 562-unit graduate student housing community. At that time, the company reported $123 million in sales and employed 120 team members.
From Dealerships to Green Awards
2001
Carlsen Porsche marked our first automotive project, followed by Lake Forest Self Storage with 865 units. At Stanford’s Jasper Ridge, we built the Sun Field Station, a state of the art research center that earned our first Green Award.
Major Firsts in Retail Development
2002-2004
We secured our first three Kohl’s projects (redeveloping former Mervyn’s sites), followed by a major Citibank compilation of more than 20 California locations. Soon after, Whittwood Shopping Center marked our first large scale retail center in Southern California. W. L. Butler also opened a new office in Stockton, and ended 2004 with annual sales surpassing $200 million company wide.
Retail Growth on a Grand Scale
2006
We delivered the Dunes on Monterey Bay, our largest ground-up retail project at the time, transforming the 30-acre former Fort Ord site. This was followed by Target Moreno Valley, the first of two Super Stores we built, and culminated with the opening of Costco’s 500th location in La Quinta.
Healthcare and Public Works Expansion
2008-2009
PAMF 49 Wells, our largest healthcare project during the Great Recession, delivered a LEED Gold Breast Diagnostic Clinic with two MRI machines, plus an executive health center and physician practice. We entered the Public Works market, which grew to 20% of company volume, with the San Mateo High School Biotech Building. Soon after, we built the nation’s largest hydrogen fueling station for AC Transit.
Diverse Commercial Firsts
2010-2012
We tackled the unique Willow Glen Shopping Center, building a three story mixed use structure over the top of the popular Willow Street Pizza. Around the same time, we began work with Chase Bank, completing 15–20 branch renovations and ground up builds. Our first mid rise office project, SurveyMonkey, featured below grade parking, 50,000 SF of office and retail, a rooftop garden, and our first car stackers. In Irvine, Allen Automotive marked the team’s first dealership project.
Expanding Scale & Diversity
2013-2017
For 40 years, our company has delivered landmark projects across 10 states, reaching $3 billion in sales since 1975 and opened our fourth California office in Livermore. Supported by a team of 195 members, highlights include Athens Services’ 220,000 SF Material Recovery Facility, MidPoint Office Park with four Class A buildings and LEED Silver certification, 777 Hamilton Apartments adjacent to Facebook/Meta HQ, Whole Foods’ Green Globes certified cold storage facility and Springline/Station 1300, a 6.4-acre LEED Gold mixed-use development.
Shelter-In-Place
2020
The WLB Team remains steadfast, conducting business Safely, remotely, and vigilantly, adjusting to new rules and regulations as needed.
Multi-Family Milestones
2022
We launched our largest multi family project to date with Fountaingrove Apartments—239 units across six buildings on 9.6 acres previously impacted by the Tubbs Fire. Soon after, we broke ground on Palmetto Apartments, our first Southern California multi-family project, a five story complex with 68 units on a 5-acre site.
Market Breakthroughs
2024
We completed our first life sciences project at 777 Industrial, a 123,000 SF Class A facility created through adaptive reuse. We also launched W. L. Butler Builders, Inc. to focus on the industrial tilt market, and completed Vallarta Clovis, our first project with the Gonzales family, which has since grown into a multi-store partnership. This milestone marked our largest volume year, with $345 million in sales and a talented group of over 200 team members.
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence
2025
Our 50th Anniversary marked more than a celebration—it was a moment to honor the people, partnerships, and projects that built our foundation. In 2025, our team gathered to reflect on five decades of growth and to look ahead to the future we are continuing to build together.
