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DENTON – Chris Breeding called it a “dream come true.”
Along with his son Andrew and two longtime employees, Breeding broke ground Wednesday, June 18, 2025, for a new 30,000 square foot industrial building at 75 Engerman Avenue in the Denton Industrial Park.
Although the day was already hot and humid at 11 a.m., about 30 guests assembled under a large white tent at the site. The Chesapeake Culinary Center in Denton catered a light luncheon.
Wielding engraved, commemorative shovels, Breeding, along with his son General Manager Andrew Breeding, sales manager David Gray and operations manager Bobby Lockerman lifted some dirt, while behind them earth movers graded the flat 5.5-acre property.
Breeding owns the company founded by his father in 1969. Bob Breeding General Contractors LLC is headquartered on Burrsville Road in Denton. Bob Breeding retired about four years ago.
“It's been a dream of mine ever since I started with my dad 30-some odd years ago to do this for our own self,” he said. Mill Creek Properties LLC is the fulfillment of that dream.
Chris Breeding said when he was working for his father, “we did all this for other people, other customers. I saw how they made it work for them, and how it was very financially successful for them.”
His company worked with customers “who started small and added on and added on, and I was like, we're doing this for other people, why can't we do this for ourselves?” He said he witnessed “a formula that works.”
The award-winning company “has been a leader in construction and installation of pre-engineered metal buildings and foundations since 1969,” according to their website, bobbreeding.com. Projects they’ve built include Ridgely Volunteer Fire Department, Perkins Family YMCA in St. Michaels and Saints Peter and Paul High School in Easton.
In 2024, Metal Construction News, an industry magazine, named Bob Breeding General Contractors as one of the top 100 U.S. metal builders in 2023 for both tonnage (ranking 34th) and square footage (ranking 26th).
Andrew Breeding told attendees that he and his father discovered five years ago that they had the same dream of developing properties. “We're pretty good at building stuff – how hard can it be to develop?”
Unfortunately, interest rates climbed and the Covid pandemic arrived. “What was once a very attractive project quickly became unfeasible,” Andrew said. “But we're patient, so we just held tight and waited and finally got to this point where, as you see here, we've already broken ground. Concrete site work is underway.”
“The real fun begins in about a couple weeks when the steel hits the ground. That's when we really have fun out here,” he said. “We're moving quick, and we're really excited to be developing this 60,000 square foot warehouse that'll bring jobs to Denton, new tax revenue to the county. It's been a dream come true for us.”
“I think it's amazing,” Chris’s wife Laura said. “It’s so exciting to see what Andy and Chris and Dave (Gray) and the whole crew have been able to do, and how far they've come. It's definitely his dream, and it's just fun to watch.”
In spite of tariffs and the rising prices accompanying them, Chris Breeding said they were “not affecting us in a way that has slowed us down. We're as busy as we've ever been, and we're still moving.”
On hand for the groundbreaking were SVN/Miller Commercial Real Estate Senior Advisor Meredith Mears and Advisor John Foster, Queenstown Bank Senior Vice President Kathy Clark and Chief Lending Officer Eric Johnson.
“Queenstown Bank has been very instrumental in helping me get this funded,” Chris Breeding said.
“Originally, we had (the property) for sale as a development concept for a developer to come in, build and then fill with their tenants,” Mears said. “The Breedings expressed a desire to build it themselves and fill it so they're moving forward with that. We're working on leasing the property. There's two 30,000 square foot spaces available.”
Also attending were Denton Town Administrator Scott Getchell, Denton Town Councilman Dallas Lister, Denton Public Works Director Mark Chandler, Caroline County Economic Development and Tourism Executive Director Bob Zimberoff and Caroline County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tracey Snyder.
Andrew Breeding also acknowledged the town of Denton. “I really want to especially thank (Planning & Codes Director) Donna Todd,” Andrew said. “She's been really, really great throughout this whole process.”
Getchell said the Mill Creek Properties development project was “wonderful.”
“Denton Industrial Park had been kind of static for a number of years,” Getchell said. “In the last couple of years, it’s been starting to get a lot of interest.”
“I think it's spectacular,” Lister said. “It's been a long time coming. We've been working really hard. The town had ownership of like, four lots, and it's taken a long time to get them all sold off.”
Created in the late 1980s, the Industrial Denton Industrial Park has 16 lots covering 90 acres near Route 404.
“I am thrilled that this building is being built,” Zimberoff said. “Bob Breeding Contractors really is a good local company. They are developing right here in Caroline County, they do business right here in Caroline County, and they're active with non-profits. They're helping our neighbors.”
“What a great day for Denton,” Mears told attendees. She said she and Foster were “very fortunate to work with the town of Denton” and sell “about eight lots in this industrial park. The demand for those lots was off the charts.”
The Breedings were “just super easy to work with, … so I know they'll be terrific landlords,” Mears said. “Their flexibility, their desire to get things done, and their desire to move things forward in a timely fashion – you just can't beat that.”
In a May 13 interview, Chris Breeding said, “I'm just really proud of my company, (how far) it's come and how my son – and not just my son, but the people that work for me – make this company grow. They've taken the load off of me to allow me to spend a little more time away from work.” His wife Laura, recently retired from teaching at Lockerman Middle School.
“I'm amazed at the progress and the amount of work that the team has been able to take on and continue to add to,” he said. “I guess I'm amazed and overwhelmed at the same time. It's all good. It's all really good.”
For more information about the new warehouse, contact SVN/Miller at svnmiller.com.
