Dale’s father, Frank Terrel, moved his young family to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1948 to try his hand as a farmer. When farming didn’t pay well enough, Frank took a job at Trostel Lumber where he saw the huge demand for carpenters due to the incredible growth that Fort Collins was experiencing. He teamed up with another carpenter and started T & S Construction in 1949. Frank left the partnership a few years later to go into business for himself in 1957, with a focus on building quality custom homes.
According to Dale, “Some of my earliest memories were on the job site with Dad.” As he became old enough, he spent every Saturday during the school year and six days a week in the summer working with his father, building custom homes and learning the construction trade. Dale left home to attend college in Kansas, eventually getting married. But when Frank announced his retirement from construction, Dale moved his own young family back to Fort Collins to take over the successful custom home business in 1977.
Over the past 40 years, a few things have changed. Both Dale and his business moved from Fort Collins to Niwot, Colorado. In addition to custom homes, Dale added a thriving commercial construction practice, including apartment buildings, office buildings, warehouses, and many other types of commercial projects. And Terrel Construction now operates across most of the northern Front Range.
But Dale says some things haven’t changed. “There are three things that are just as important for the company today as they were 40 years ago: integrity, quality, and personal attention to our customers.”
