RUSH Construction: New Divisions, Enduring Values
For visitors, it calls to mind the legendary, larger-than-life missions of Neil Armstrong and Eileen Collins. But for Space Coast natives, it conjures up memories of sitting on a lawn chair in a yard on a warm summer night, following the shuttle through a sunset-colored sky.
Just a bit further down the road sits the headquarters of RUSH Construction Inc., which happens to manage the shuttle landing facility through RUSH Facilities, a firm that is part of the RUSH family of companies. Working so closely to what its leaders regard as a reminder of both the legacy of Central Florida and the heart of its residents, RUSH is doing its part to lay the foundation for the next stages.
On the Pulse of Change
Al Forbes, the executive vice president of RUSH Construction, recalls the buzzing energy of the community decades ago. “What we are seeing with healthcare, Port Canaveral, and privatizing of the space industry — I do not see it slowing down anytime soon. Remember what it was like during the Apollo program? Multiply that by four and that’s what’s going to happen around here.”
As Central Florida keeps its pace, more industries join aerospace to diversify the area’s portfolio — with changes that might otherwise take decades happening in just a few years. According to a survey conducted by the Kauffman Foundation and reported in the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando’s metro area placed No. 4 in the nation for its density of high-growth companies in the health industry, while already-established entities such as Orlando Health and AdventHealth are announcing expansions and new facilities at an astonishing pace.
