THE ARES STORY
The value of your building tomorrow may depend upon your commitment to sustainability today.
The history of ARES began with Aardex Corporation and its successor Aardex LLC. Mr. Rick Butler who founded Aardex Corp., pursued Government build-to-suit opportunities through the General Service Administration. Although successful, the pursuit of GSA opportunity resulted in a boom-bust cycle of operations. The company would gear up when Mr. Butler was awarded a GSA contract. When the project finished the company would close and would not start again until a new development opportunity was won. The company would close at times for two years. In 2003, Mr. Butler decided to build a more inuring and sustainable company by looking for other opportunities other than GSA build to suit opportunities.
In order to accomplish his vision, he first hired Mr. Chris Ernst as Senior Vice President of Development. Mr. Ernst's duty was to pursue commercial and medical development opportunities. Also in 2004, Mr. Butler hired Mr. Jeff Seberg to serve as the company's CFO. Mr. Seberg's duty was to position the company financially to be able to undertake the development opportunities that Mr. Ernst sourced. This resulted in the creation of a holding company, Aardex Group LLC and Aardex LLC. In 2005, Mr. Butler hired Mr. Ashley Lemon to serve as the company's Architect. Ernst, Seberg and Lemon were the core execution group of business development activities.
Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg developed a business plan to build a sustainable company, and started to execute the plan. Through the efforts of the core execution group, the company developed a medical office complex in Moreno Valley California, an acute care hospital in Muskogee Oklahoma, and a LEED Platinum office building in Golden Colorado among others.
With the advent of the capital market crash in 2008, Mr. Butler decided to wind down and close the company in order to retire. Believing in the vision that Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg developed in the business plan, in July 2011, Rick Butler sold Aardex LLC to Chris Ernst. Also in 2011, Jeff Seberg envisioned that the company could better serve its clients by separating the construction activities from the development activities. Accordingly, Mr. Seberg and Mr. Ernst formed ARES LLC to serve as a property manager, commercial broker and developer, and Colcon Development LLC as a construction manager and general contractor. In October of that same year, Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg capitalized the new entities, which purchased the operating assets of Aardex LLC.
The ARES core team completed the Signature Centre at Denver West, Colorado’s first commercial LEED Platinum building in Colorado. Signature Centre was also 2007’s largest speculative Platinum project in the country and was awarded the 2008 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Green Development of the year. The primary mission is to design structures that improve worker health and productivity.
In order to accomplish his vision, he first hired Mr. Chris Ernst as Senior Vice President of Development. Mr. Ernst's duty was to pursue commercial and medical development opportunities. Also in 2004, Mr. Butler hired Mr. Jeff Seberg to serve as the company's CFO. Mr. Seberg's duty was to position the company financially to be able to undertake the development opportunities that Mr. Ernst sourced. This resulted in the creation of a holding company, Aardex Group LLC and Aardex LLC. In 2005, Mr. Butler hired Mr. Ashley Lemon to serve as the company's Architect. Ernst, Seberg and Lemon were the core execution group of business development activities.
Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg developed a business plan to build a sustainable company, and started to execute the plan. Through the efforts of the core execution group, the company developed a medical office complex in Moreno Valley California, an acute care hospital in Muskogee Oklahoma, and a LEED Platinum office building in Golden Colorado among others.
With the advent of the capital market crash in 2008, Mr. Butler decided to wind down and close the company in order to retire. Believing in the vision that Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg developed in the business plan, in July 2011, Rick Butler sold Aardex LLC to Chris Ernst. Also in 2011, Jeff Seberg envisioned that the company could better serve its clients by separating the construction activities from the development activities. Accordingly, Mr. Seberg and Mr. Ernst formed ARES LLC to serve as a property manager, commercial broker and developer, and Colcon Development LLC as a construction manager and general contractor. In October of that same year, Mr. Ernst and Mr. Seberg capitalized the new entities, which purchased the operating assets of Aardex LLC.
The ARES core team completed the Signature Centre at Denver West, Colorado’s first commercial LEED Platinum building in Colorado. Signature Centre was also 2007’s largest speculative Platinum project in the country and was awarded the 2008 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Green Development of the year. The primary mission is to design structures that improve worker health and productivity.