M.E. Rinker, Sr. Hall

Honoree

M.E. Rinker

Marshall E. “Doc” Rinker embodied the American Dream. The Indiana native had humble beginnings, hauling building materials in the 1920s, but eventually made it big in Florida. Rinker started his building construction company with a single truck. By 1988, the company had become the largest concrete supplier in the state of Florida, and Rinker sold it for $515 million.

Through his success, Rinker was able to establish the M.E. Rinker, Sr. Foundation, Inc. which has had a tremendous impact on the University of Florida. Through that Foundation, M.E. Rinker pledged $4 million to the University of Florida’s School of Building Construction in 1989, which resulted in the school being renamed “The M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction.” Donations continued after Rinker’s death, including a $650,000 pledge in 1999 by the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. Foundation led by his son, David Rinker. The new facility for the school, M.E. Rinker, Sr. Hall, was dedicated in 2003.

Facility History

Rinker Hall is the first building in the state university system designed using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. UF’s College of Design, Construction and Planning also holds the Rinker Scholar Endowment, which supports faculty members pursuing a doctoral degree in construction management.

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