Opus is an integrated group of commercial real estate development, design and construction companies headquartered in Minneapolis with offices and projects across the country.
Guided by our mission and values, we operate as a multidisciplinary team with expertise in development, capital markets, finance, project management, construction, architectural design and engineering. We uniquely offer an integrated design-build project delivery method driven by a client-centered team and backed by enduring community commitment.
Our promise is steadfast—to collaborate with you, to incorporate your design aspirations and to deliver a successful project every time with lasting value that supports your organization's mission and vision—on time and on budget.
Organized by Discipline, Not Geography
We're well-equipped to tackle virtually any project across the United States. From luxury and market rate apartments in Arizona, Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota to industrial facilities in Texas, Colorado, Iowa and Indiana—and developments in countless places in between—we bring industry-leading talent and skill sets to every project.
Delivering customized solutions for your project is part of what makes us a great partner—now and into the future.
Learn more about each of our disciplines:
Development Design ConstructionLeadership Team
We're led by a diverse team of experts respected in their fields and directed by a Board of Directors comprised of industry experts and business leaders.
Executive Leadership Team Board of DirectorsOur History
We're built on the rich history and tradition of our earlier companies. To learn more about this history, view the archive decades.
Responsive Leadership in an Evolving Market
With the wisdom of our founder in mind—to always seek a better way—we adapted to the evolving nature of society and business to begin in a new decade. Gerry Rauenhorst lived by and built a business on core values, which today include safety, integrity, respect, entrepreneurship, innovation and stewardship, and serve to guide our associates daily.
We began the new decade with notable projects including:
- 19Nineteen Mile High Apartments neighboring Empower Field, home of the Denver Broncos
- the University of St Thomas' Iversen Center for Faith, an innovative addition to the 100-year-old Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas
- two industrial build-to-suits to support growth at Andersen Corporation—Renewal by Andersen Value Add Center in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, and Andersen Windows Manufacturing in Goodyear, Arizona
New Decade. New Names. New Project Types.
Building on the rich history and tradition of earlier companies, our team began the 2010s with new operating company names and a new mission. We began work in new project types and maintained a stream of work in existing types, completing notable projects around the country like:
- the award-winning The Nic on Fifth® luxury multifamily apartments in downtown Minneapolis
- a 1.6-million-square-foot distribution center for long-time partner ConAgra Foods in Frankfort, Indiana
- national and international headquarter offices for companies like Xcel Energy, TriZetto, Gavilon, Centerpoint Energy and Church & Dwight
- Stadium Village Flats, a luxury student living complex adjacent to the University of Minnesota and our first student living project, which became part of a significant and growing student living business
Ringing in the New Millennium
Our team launched itself into the new millennium with high-profile projects such as:
- a 1.6-million-square-foot corporate headquarters for Best Buy Richfield, Minnesota
- a 98,000-square-foot headquarters for HOK Sport, the first new commercial building in decades to grace the historic River Market district in Kansas City, Missouri
- the pioneering Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, the first upscale lifestyle center in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area
- Crescent Ridge Corporate Center I, the first multitenant building in Minnesota to achieve LEED-EB Gold certification
Experienced Talent Across Sectors
Showcasing integrated skills and expertise in a landmark project in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, the team developed, designed and constructed ConAgra's corporate campus. After completing the four-building, 450,000-square-foot campus, the team completed additional campus developments for ConAgra, including two parking decks and a 150,000-square-foot Global Trading Center.
The team completed a notable government building, constructing the California Department of Justice building in Sacramento, California.
Winning a competition to design and construct the Mariucci Arena at the University of Minnesota and completing the downtown campus for the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, the team showcased knowledge and expertise in institutional projects.
Creative Work: Expanding Horizons & Creating New Skylines
In 1982, the company unveiled a new name—Opus Corporation, meaning "a creative work." The company expanded its market presence and brought new buildings to life, including:
- Southwest Financial Plaza in Phoenix
- Westshore Place, the team's first office building in Tampa, Florida
- 100 and 150 South Fifth Street—buildings that changed the skyline in downtown Minneapolis
Leaders in Innovative Design
Throughout the 1970s, Rauenhorst Construction Company illustrated innovative thinking and strong architecture and engineering skills on projects, including:
- Northwestern Financial Center (Bloomington, Minnesota) featured a top-floor carousel, state-of-the-art fire and life safety system and a heat-pump system that became a prototype for the growing construction company
- American Family Insurance office (Minnetonka, Minnesota) achieved a new level of client service excellence as the first project to include a detailed study of the client's space needs as part of the design process
Deep roots as a design-build pioneer
In the 1960s, Rauenhorst Construction Company stripped away the age-old tensions between architects and contractors—horizontally integrating the two components of projects to promote accountability and responsibility from concept to completion.
The company launched this turnkey approach with the completion of an office and manufacturing facility for The Toro Company and broke new ground as a leader in the design-build delivery method, saving clients time and money.
"Walking the talk"
In 1953, Gerry Rauenhorst founded Rauenhorst Construction Company grounded in a vision to build a strong reputation of integrity in the community. The young company's first contract was for the construction of the Zion Lutheran Church in Rauenhorst's hometown of Olivia, Minnesota.
From its first headquarters building in Bloomington, Minnesota, Rauenhorst Construction Company embraced a culture of honesty—making a commitment to complete projects on time and on budget—and building trust with clients along the way.