Discover our company’s history
- 1963 – Ron Kinning started Kinning Plumbing, Inc. in Pender, Nebraska
- 1966 – Ron Kinning brought on a partner with HVAC expertise, Jack Reil, and they rebranded their company to Kinning & Reil, Inc.
- 1969 – Relocated to Norfolk, Nebraska to support the growth of the their growing business
- 1982 – Ron Kinning purchases Jack Reil’s stock and rebrands to Ron Kinning, Inc.
- 1985 – RK Mechanical, Inc. was incorporated in Norfolk, Nebraska with Ron and Rick Kinning as founding partners. Ron Kinning was CEO and Chairman, and Rick Kinning was President of this new company.
- 1986 – RK Mechanical, Inc. consolidates operations from four offices and moves headquarters to Denver, CO
- 1996 – Jon Kinning joins RK Mechanical, Inc. full-time after spending time in the commercial real estate business
- 1997 – RK purchased the site of its current Denver headquarters in Stapleton
- 1998 – RK Service is launched
- 2001 – Rick Kinning becomes CEO
- 2004 – RK Steel is launched
- 2011 – RK Energy is launched
- 2012 – RK opens fabrication and manufacturing facility in Henderson, CO to support RK Steel, RK Energy and RK Mechanical’s pipe fabrication shop
- 2012 – RK Water is launched
- 2015 – RK Electrical is launched
- 2015 – RK launches RK Mission Critical
- 2016 – RK opens office in Salt Lake City, UT to support RK Mechanical, RK Steel, RK Service, RK Water and RK Electrical
- 2017 – RK opens office in Vail, CO to support Western Slope of Colorado for RK Mechanical, RK Service, RK Steel and RK Water
- 2019 – RK Mission Critical opens manufacturing facility in Aurora, CO
- 2020 – RK opens office in Colorado Springs, CO to support RK Mechanical, RK Electrical, RK Service, RK Steel and RK Water
- 2021 – RK restructures corporately. RK Industries, LLC is our holding company, and our seven divisions – RK: Mechanical, Steel, Electrical, Energy, Mission Critical, Service and Water – become standalone LLC’s.
- 2021 – RK opens office in Albuquerque, NM to support RK Mechanical, RK Electrical, RK Service, RK Steel and RK Water
RK has gone through many evolutions and diversifications since its incorporation in Colorado in 1985. With roots tracing back to 1963, RK is proud of its family business history and traditions and its continued focus on leading its industries of choice.
RK’s first diversification was the addition of RK Service in 1998. Since then, RK added five additional businesses to provide construction, manufacturing, fabrication and facilities services under RK’s legal name RK Mechanical, Inc.
As the complexity and size of RK’s businesses have developed, in 2021, RK updated its corporate structure, changing its legal name from RK Mechanical, Inc. to RK Industries, LLC. In addition, all of RK’s businesses are now subsidiaries of RK Industries, LLC, including RK Mechanical, LLC (RK Mechanical), RK Service, LLC (RK Service), RK Steel, LLC (RK Steel), RK Energy, LLC (RK Energy), RK Water, LLC (RK Water), RK Electrical, LLC (RK Electrical), RK Mission Critical, LLC (RK Mission Critical). Corporately, RK continues to do business as RK.
Why RK
Our second-generation, family-owned business promotes a culture of respect, teamwork, passion and advancement with our employees and customers.
All of our success is a direct result of the talented team members who arrive every day with a positive attitude and a drive to excel. We strive to maintain a culture where employees feel heard, valued and fulfilled. We continually foster a positive work environment that focuses on the happiness and success of our team members.
Whether it’s during our annual company picnics or a simple lunch on the jobsite, we provide everyone with opportunities to connect, be heard and influence the company’s culture.
Our core values
RK’s success is rooted in living our SMART core values of Safety, Mentorship, Accountability, Relationships and Teamwork. These values are more than words on a page – they unite us and enhance our culture to provide the RK team with purpose, drive and direction. We want every employee to feel connected to RK and be proud of their role in our company’s contributions to the community. Our core values act as a standard across internal teams and through our customer approach.
- Safety: No Exception
- Mentorship: Connecting talent and opportunity for a better future
- Accountability: Earning Respect by delivering on our commitments
- Relationships: Putting people first
- Teamwork: Stronger together
Our pledge to all RK employees is to continue to make considerate, SMART business and community based-decisions.
More about RK
Meet the people who lead us to fulfill our vision.
Safety is our number one core value and priority in all that we do.
We are proud to be recognized by our peers in our industries.
Making an impact in the communities we work.
Who we are
