On March 30, Robert “Rob” Elsperman, the former Tarlton Corp president, was admitted to a St. Louis-area hospital with COVID-like symptoms. He died of complications from COVID-19 eight days later on April 7. He was 83.

Rob took over from his father as president of the Tarlton Corporation from 1977 to 1999. During this time under his leadership Tarlton’s construction projects shaped St. Louis including key projects for The Muny, Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, and Washington University.

He’s remembered for leading through example and having genuine respect for the tradespeople in the field who actually do the work. While working for Tarlton in the 1960s, Rob served eight years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve where he reached the rank of captain.

Three days after Rob Elsperman’s death, Tarlton Corp working with the Missouri National Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed construction and conversion of a Florissant hotel to an alternate care facility to treat non-acute COVID-19 patients.

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