Army Reserve Awards GEM Contractors $26.1 Million Pennsylvania Maintenance Shop

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded GEM Building Contractors & Developers Inc. a firm-fixed-price deal to build a maintenance facility in New Castle, Pennsylvania, with work due by Oct. 16, 2028.

First Published: August 6, 2026, 2:07 PM ET

NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA — GEM Building Contractors & Developers Inc., a third-generation family builder in New Castle, Pennsylvania, received a $26.1 million Army Reserve construction contract, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award covers design-bid-build construction of an area maintenance support activity and a vehicle maintenance shop, carrying a total cumulative face value of $26,122,719, according to war.gov. The Army Reserve obligated fiscal 2026 military construction funds of $26.1 million at the time of the award. Bidders competed through an internet solicitation, and the Corps received eight bids, according to war.gov.

GEM traces its roots to 1952, when Gale E. Measel, Sr., founded the business under the name Gale E. Measel Building Contractors and focused on residential work, according to gembuilders.com. The company became G.E.M. Building Contractors & Developers, Inc. in 1979 and expanded into commercial general contracting and design-build projects, according to gembuilders.com. Its portfolio includes RIDC Business Park, Preston Motors and electrical union training centers in Lawrence and Beaver counties, with recent work concentrated in schools and healthcare facilities, according to gembuilders.com.

The project serves the Army Reserve, which relies on maintenance facilities to keep vehicles and equipment ready for training and deployment. Local tradesmen and subcontractors stand to benefit from the multiyear build, which channels federal dollars into western Pennsylvania construction payrolls and suppliers over roughly two years. The Corps expects work at New Castle to finish by Oct. 16, 2028, according to war.gov.

The deal marks the first federal contract recorded for GEM in the database, setting the company’s benchmark within the Army portfolio for the year. It ranks as the 24th Department of Defense contract awarded in Pennsylvania during 2026, and it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date low of $9.1 million and its high of $53.9 billion. Officials issued the award among eight Department of Defense contracts nationwide on August 6, 2026.

Awards like this one have gone to regional contractors before. The Army Reserve routinely funds maintenance and support facilities through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and small and midsize firms compete for the design-bid-build packages. GEM’s award reflects that established pattern rather than a departure from it.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District, the contracting activity, will oversee the work under contract number W912QR-26-C-A024. Officials have not announced a date for the project’s next milestone.

Federal military construction in Pennsylvania is not new territory for local builders. The Army Corps of Engineers, established in 1802, has directed military and civil projects across the country for more than two centuries, according to britannica.com. Pennsylvania hosted early federal arsenals, including the Allegheny Arsenal in Pittsburgh, which produced ammunition during the Civil War and suffered a deadly explosion in 1862 that killed dozens of workers, according to britannica.com. Contractors who supported that industrial base helped anchor the region’s long tie to national defense work.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to GEM Building Contractors & Developers Inc., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $26,080,966. It is also the 24th Department of Defense contract awarded in Pennsylvania during 2026. Because this is the first award to GEM Building Contractors & Developers Inc. recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $53,859,843,289. Overall, this award was announced among 8 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 6, 2026.