The company was founded by chartered civil engineer Arthur Hopkinson in 1971. Arthur retired from the business in 1983 and Gerry Atkinson, chairman to this day, bought out the shareholders. James Bathgate was promoted to managing director, a position he held until he retired from the business in 2006. 

John Aitchison was then promoted to managing director and with Barry Simpson joining in 2007 as construction director, they continue to lead the company today.

Chairman Gerry Atkinson said: “I am delighted and proud to see how Maxi Construction has developed over the years. After taking over the construction company from Arthur’s management in 1983 the business has grown from a turnover of less than £1m to over £18m.

“This has been achieved by many years of successful management and development by James Bathgate and then continued under the direction of John Aitchison, achieving huge growth with high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat business whilst maintaining excellent safety and quality standards.”

Maxi Construction has delivered projects in all market sectors over the past 50 years. The more unusual have included a boathouse in Kirkintilloch, a wind tunnel building for Heriot-Watt University, a firing range at Glencorse Barracks, the refurbishment of Gourock outdoor pool, an office built from shipping containers and the reconstruction of the 18th century Botanic Cottage.

In more recent years places have been secured on a number of frameworks which have helped to secure work during some challenging times including the COVID-19 pandemic. These frameworks include the Crown Commercial Service Construction Works and Associated Services framework, the Scottish Futures Trust hubcos and numerous local authority construction works frameworks for clients including the City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council and South Lanarkshire Council.

A spokesperson said: “The diversity of projects that Maxi Construction has been involved with over 50 years illustrates the company’s ability to continually evolve to meet changing client demands and focus within the construction industry.

“With current projects including Whitburn Partnership Centre, Abington Community Hub, Balerno High School Refurbishment and Callendar Park Nursery in Falkirk we look forward to continuing to meet these needs over the next 50 years and beyond.”