Eric Schaefer

A humble construction professional, and third-generation leader, Eric Schaefer carries forward the legacy of Schaefer General Contracting Services as President, taking over the reins in 2025. Established in 1954 by his grandfather more than seven decades ago, Schaefer has grown from a mom-and-pop shop to a sharp and structured medium-sized commercial general contracting business that still holds onto our core foundational values more than 70 years later.

Eric earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Louisville and later received a Master’s degree in Strategic Finance from Indiana University. Eric leveraged his business degree at UPS working in operations and finance for almost 10 years before returning to the family business in the early 2000s. Starting as a project manager with little construction management experience, Eric set out to earn his place through performance, not pedigree–a mindset that continues to shape the company today. Applying his corporate mindset to the operations of Schaefer, Eric employed his business acumen to build processes and procedures laying the groundwork for building long term confidence in Scaefer’s delivery and project management teams.

As a leader, Eric’s passion lies in supporting the people who make the work happen. He sees his role as keeping the lights green for the teams on the ground—removing barriers, offering support, and staying visible and engaged. Through his humble, people-first leadership, he continues to champion a culture of integrity, collaboration, and accountability.

He’s played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s geographic footprint, including the acquisition of SouthCo in Florida and the launch of the Florida operations in 2018. He also founded Schaefer Service Solutions, expanding the company’s services to include building and facility maintenance, as well as dock and door installation and repair. These initiatives have strengthened Schaefer’s ability to serve clients throughout the entire lifecycle of their facilities. He remains focused on Building Confidence in the teams that reaches across all offices while preserving what makes Schaefer unique: a shared commitment to do good work with good people, for good people.

From healthcare and senior living to large-scale commercial developments, Eric brings business insight and client empathy to every project, ensuring Schaefer delivers lasting value—not just for today’s clients, but for generations to come.

For Eric, Building Confidence means building a company that’s even stronger tomorrow—by investing in people, honoring tradition, and always striving to leave things better than he found them.