McCarthy Building Companies Announces Completion of New USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Midwestern Laboratory in St. Louis
A Collaboration of Construction, Design, Science and Technology
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., the oldest privately held construction firm in the United States and a leading builder of microbiology, pathology and chemistry labs nationwide, has joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to announce the completion of the Midwestern Laboratory in St. Louis. Following the installation of laboratory equipment in July, the facility is set to open shortly thereafter.
Representing a significant milestone in FSIS’s commitment to public health and food safety, the 84,000-square-foot, single-story, state-of-the-art facility was designed by Hoefer Welker. It was developed in close collaboration with the agency to ensure operational efficiencies, sustainable practices and the integration of the most advanced scientific technologies to address both current and future food safety challenges.
Located in the northwest region of the St. Louis metro area and near the University of Missouri – St. Louis campus, the facility includes microbiology and chemistry labs, processing center, large receiving area and adjacent sample prep laboratory, as well as administrative offices. The new lab will coordinate and conduct laboratory services in support of the agency’s farm-to-table strategies for food safety in meat, poultry, fish and egg products.
It will be home to approximately 60 employees across three branches:
- Administration: Overseeing testing, quality control, procurement, and safety
- Chemistry: Conducting analyses for veterinary drugs and environmental contaminants
- Microbiology: Performing testing for foodborne pathogens, including Salmonella, the top seven E. coli STEC strains, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter species, and sanitary indicators. The lab will also conduct whole genome DNA sequencing on positive isolates
“Delivering a facility that enables FSIS to fulfill its vital public health mission is a point of pride for our experienced science and technology team,” said Josh Gaghen, McCarthy vice president and St. Louis business unit leader. “This laboratory reflects not only the importance of food safety in our daily lives but also what’s possible when experts in construction, design and science collaborate with a shared purpose.”
In alignment with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) mission to procure space for federal agencies, GSA executed a 20-year lease with US Federal Properties for a total contract value of $115.54 million. Construction began in May 2023 and concluded on schedule.
About GSA
GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.
About USDA – FSIS
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is the public health regulatory agency within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) responsible for ensuring that domestic and imported meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.
About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy) is the oldest privately held national construction company in America. With more than 160 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients, McCarthy is committed to delivering superior results and creating great experiences for everyone. McCarthy approaches every job with the mindset of a true builder. By self-performing critical scopes of work, McCarthy delivers accountability and consistency from start to finish. Through industry-leading design phase and construction techniques, combined with value-add technology, McCarthy drives smarter solutions and maximizes project outcomes.
Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 15th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2025). With over 8,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Chandler, Ariz.; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
