WE’VE GOT HISTORY
Since 1987, we have built structures and relationships that last, thanks to a commitment to teamwork and exceeding expectations at every turn.
It all started in 1987.... Gordon got his start at 19 as a commercial salmon fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Using the money he earned from his work as a commercial fisherman, Gordon and Traci built their first home in Tacoma’s North End in the winter of 1985. Rush built it's first for-sale speculative home in 1987, and hired its first superintendent, Ray Wolanzyk, in 1989. Ray was and still is an integral part of the Rush Team today.
Rush built its first commercial building in 1991 at The Wollochet Business Park in Gig Harbor. In 1992, Rush built two more office buildings. That same year, Rush bought a 28-lot subdivision, the company's first significant residential housing community.
In 1995, Rush won a national Custom Home Award from Builder Magazine for a Model home in a 30 home community. In 1996 Rush expanded into medical partnership buildings, which began after Rush built a custom home for a local Endodontist and went on to build the doctor’s new office building. Rush’s ability to diversify and capitalize on new market sled us to grow tremendously.
In the early 2000s, Rush Commercial built the new 80,000 sq. ft. Kinetics building in Tacoma; Rush’s largest commercial building at the time. Around this time, Rush Residential also purchased and developed approximately 150 home sites in Gig Harbor’s Canterwood Community. In 2003, Rush built Gig Harbor’s impressive Park Plaza as a speculative office building, where Rush also moved its headquarters (and 55 employees) to.
In 2007, Matt Smith rejoined the company. Matt’s first worked for The Rush Companies in 1992 as a field technician while still in high school (Matt also spent summers as a deckhand on Gordon’s fishing boat in Alaska). When Matt returned 15 years later, Rush had over 80 employees and had expanded its commercial division significantly. Matt brought focus and energy to Rush, quickly taking on key leadership roles, and became the President in 2010.
In 2009 Rush moved into the multi-family market with the acquisition of the 270-unit Treetops homes in Silverdale. In 2010, Rush built our first large-scale multi-family unit, The Pacifica near the Tacoma Mall. To suit the changing market, in 2012 Rush Residential made the transition from custom homes to speculative and production houses. In 2015, Rush completed Proctor Station, a stunning mixed-use project with impressive amenities in Tacoma.
In 2015, to better manage its own Rush Developed commercial buildings Rush Properties was born. Now managing over 35 commercial spaces with brokerage and facility services Rush Properties works in conjunction with Rush Development & Rush Commercial to serve commercial building owners of all sizes.
