Celebrating its 125-year milestone, “Manhattan Construction Company – A History” book reveals Manhattan's resiliency over time, the dedication and skillfulness of its people, and the Rooney family's commitment to helping clients through difficult times, including two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Oil Crisis, the Savings and Loan Crisis, and two pandemics.

The book is a 179-page account of a family business that strived and survived by reacting and adapting to the extraordinary changes, opportunities and risks all American businesses confronted during the last 125 years. The book relates Manhattan’s contribution to building communities across the country and evolution throughout history, from the Oklahoma State Capitol to the U.S. Capitol.

In 45,037 words, co-authors Francis Rooney, the fourth generation of Manhattan’s founding family, and Dr. Bob L. Blackburn, historian (former Director of the Oklahoma History Center), candidly tell Manhattan’s story within the context of historical events in which the company flourished, evolved, and nearly cratered more than once.

From the book, company principals distilled the underlying behaviors and processes that made the company successful. They assembled a companion piece, The Guiding Principles Communication Guide, an internal tool to inform the company’s culture, The Manhattan Way.

The book documents how the company’s culture evolved and sustained, serving as a springboard designed to carry The Manhattan Way culture into the future. Born from the book, The Guiding Principles Communication Guide is the source document leaders use to communicate and share our culture and values among our team members. 

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