History

Owner 1912 - 1959 - Olaf E. Anderson

Olaf was born February 6, 1885 in Norway.

He was one of twelve children and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1901, when he was 17 years old. Olaf only had a grade school education. He learned about construction by working at a lumberyard in Bismarck, ND, working in the industry, and by reading books.

In 1913, Olaf started his own contracting business in Bismarck, then moved to Fargo in 1920 building houses and barns, shingling, and anything he could to make his new company thrive. Olaf retired in 1959.

He died August 23, 1984 at the age of 99.

Owner 1946 - 1983 - Warren Merrill "Bud" Anderson

Bud was born September 16, 1922 in Fargo.

He graduated from Fargo High School in 1940 and in Civil Engineering from the NDAC in 1944.

He served in the US Navy until 1946.

After his time in the Navy, Bud started working with his father at Olaf Anderson & Son Construction Company in 1946. He built custom homes and began building commercial buildings in the upper Midwest.

Bud retired in 1983 and died June 26, 2005 at the age of 82.

Owner 1960 - 1995 - Raymond Tracy Myers

Tracy was born in 1932 in Fargo, ND. After graduating from Cavalier High School in 1950, he served four years in the US Navy.

Tracy graduated from NDSU in 1958 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Tracy worked for Sandia Corporation in New Mexico for two years and in 1960, he returned to Fargo and worked for Olaf Anderson and Son Construction Company for the next 35 years. Tracy retired in 1995.

He and his wife Diane live in Fargo and in Arizona. Tracy was instrumental in getting a metal building business franchise from Inland Steel Buildings, where he served on the National Advisory Council for ten years. Other organizations served by Tracy were First Interstate Bank’s (now Bank of the West) Board of Directors, NDSU’s Alumni Board of Directors, and Fargo’s Municipal Airport Authority.

Tracy is a pilot and a licensed amateur radio operator. He plays his clarinet at many functions and also as a volunteer traveling to area events, nursing homes, and much more.

Owner 1976 - 2005 - Robert Warren "Bob" Anderson

Bob was born February 7, 1945 to Warren “Bud” and Barbara Jean (Beals) Anderson. He was raised and educated in Fargo schools graduating from Fargo Central High School in 1963. He earned his Civil Engineering Degree from NDSU and was a member of the ATO Fraternity.
After college, Bob worked with the MN Highway Department for 8 years before joining Olaf Anderson & Son Construction in 1976. He and his wife, Phyllis, have two children.

Bob was very active in building a strong community as well as building strong buildings. His contributions of time and financial resources in the Fargo/Moorhead area are numerous. He served on many regional and national steel builder’s advisory councils. Bob began partial retirement in December of 2005, yet continued to hold a vital position on the Olaf team and continued to give leadership as a member of the Board of Directors. Bob died on Saturday, October 10, 2009 after a valiant fight against cancer.