How a young superintendent's decision to start his own company became a nearly 40-year legacy of building for national brands across 20+ states.
Anthony Francis Alber grew up learning construction from his father, Theodore Alber, who handled nearly every repair and improvement around the family home. Theodore would proudly say, "Er ist ein contractor," and often spoke about having an "eigenes Geschäft" — one's own business.
Anthony took that vision seriously. He studied construction, architecture, engineering, and construction management, then worked his way through framing, concrete, masonry, estimating, project engineering, and field supervision. By the time he was a superintendent running commercial projects in the Philadelphia area, he had the skills to build anything — and the drive to do it on his own terms.
In 1987, Anthony Alber founded A F Alber General Contractor. It wasn't because someone told him to — it was because he was ready. Years of working in every phase of construction had given him the confidence that he could deliver for clients on his own. Theodore Alber's dream of an "eigenes Geschäft" became real.
The company started with commercial construction work in the Philadelphia area. Anthony was building a reputation the old-fashioned way: showing up, doing the work right, and earning the next job from the last one.
Years earlier, Anthony had worked on a project where he served as superintendent and a young project manager named Jim Madden represented the client. They were on opposite sides of the table, but over the course of a few jobs together, they built the kind of trust that only comes from solving problems side by side on a jobsite.
They went their separate ways after those projects. Anthony went on to found A F Alber. Jim went on to build his career in retail construction, eventually rising to Vice President of EB Games at Electronics Boutique — the fast-growing Philadelphia-based video game retailer that was expanding across the country.
When their paths crossed again, Jim knew exactly what Anthony could do. He brought A F Alber into the Electronics Boutique program, and a partnership was born that would define both of their careers.
A F Alber went on to build more than 500 Electronics Boutique and EB Games stores throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. What started as a reconnection between two professionals who trusted each other became one of the most prolific contractor-client relationships in specialty retail construction.
Electronics Boutique, founded in 1977 at the King of Prussia Mall, grew to over 2,000 stores worldwide before its acquisition by GameStop in 2005. For nearly two decades, A F Alber was there for the build-out — delivering 1,200-square-foot retail spaces in malls and shopping centers across the continent, on time, on budget, and to a standard that kept the phone ringing year after year.
But the most important thing A F Alber built during those years wasn't a store. It was a network — of construction managers, architects, and project management firms who would go on to carry our name with them across the industry for decades.
"I have worked with Tony Alber at A.F. Alber General Contractor, Inc. for almost 30 years. When I was Vice-President of EB Games, he built more than 500 stores for me throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. At DSW, he has been building stores for me for the past 10 years. He has never missed a deadline and is consistent with the quality of work produced. I am extremely pleased to recommend A. F. Alber General Contractor, Inc."
When GameStop acquired Electronics Boutique in 2005, many of EB's construction leaders, architects, and project management partners moved on to new companies. And they took their contractor with them. What happened next is the story of how one client relationship grew into an entire business.
One of our primary contacts at Electronics Boutique went on to become a Senior Vice President of Construction at Five Below — the Philadelphia-based value retailer that was just beginning its national expansion. He brought A F Alber with him. We built our first Five Below store in 2009 and have since delivered more than 500 locations across 20+ states.
He later moved to Honeygrow as Chief Operating Officer, and once again, he brought us along. We've built Honeygrow restaurant locations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey.
"I have personally worked with Anthony Alber and A. F. Alber General Contractor, Inc. for over 10 years. The company has always provided superior service and workmanship. Every job I have entrusted to A. F. Alber General Contractors, Inc. has been completed on time and on budget."
James Madden — the same Jim Madden who reconnected with Anthony and brought A F Alber into the Electronics Boutique program — moved from his Vice President role at EB Games to DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse as a Senior Project Manager. He brought A F Alber with him there, too. We've built more than 60 DSW stores from Connecticut to Florida. Jim has since retired from the industry, but he remains a close friend of the family.
The pattern didn't stop with the EB generation. A Senior Project Manager at Five Below moved to Insomnia Cookies as Director of Construction and invited A F Alber to bid on those build-outs. He has since moved to Honeygrow as their Director of Construction — continuing the chain of people who bring us with them wherever they go.
BC Sports Collectibles was created by one of Electronics Boutique's internal Vice Presidents. When he launched the brand, he brought A F Alber in to handle the construction.
"If an opportunity arises to save cost or time on a project, they always let me know. Good communication is a key to their success with us."
During the transition of Electronics Boutique's merger with GameStop, A F Alber continued working through the changeover — building stores as the brands consolidated.
The architects who designed Electronics Boutique stores referred us to Time Factory and Timex. When you work well with an architect on hundreds of projects, they remember you when their other clients need a contractor.
"Their company representatives are very professional and the quality of work has been consistently excellent. Their post completion work is thorough and completed on time."
A third-party construction project management firm that originated with the Electronics Boutique program introduced us to Bed Bath & Beyond and its subsidiaries, including Harmon Shoppes, Face Value, and Harmon Discount.
"I have been working with Tony Alber at A. F. Alber General Contractor, Inc., for almost 10 years. He has either built or remodeled stores for me during this time. He has never missed a deadline and his quality of work and professionalism are outstanding."
A different construction project manager from the Electronics Boutique network referred us to Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and their parent company Charming Shoppes. Another branch from the same tree.
Not every client came from the EB tree. Some of A F Alber's most rewarding relationships started the old-fashioned way — with a cold call, a magazine article, or the simple decision to pick up the phone.
Anthony Alber read about Zumiez in a trade magazine. The action sports retailer was founded on the West Coast and had no East Coast presence. Anthony cold-called them and suggested that if they ever expanded east, they should call him. They did. A F Alber built Zumiez's first East Coast location in upstate New York, and went on to build 35+ stores.
Murphy Varey, the architect who designed a number of Zumiez stores, referred us to Sur La Table. One client led to one architect led to one more client — the referral chain at work again.
Zoots came the same way as Zumiez: Anthony read about them in a trade publication and made the call. Sometimes the best business development strategy is simply paying attention and being willing to pick up the phone.
Eastern Mountain Sports was a cold call driven by something personal. The Alber family are serious winter sports enthusiasts. Anthony has been volunteering with the National Ski Patrol for over 25 years. Tony and John love skiing and snowboarding. When the opportunity came to reach out to EMS, it wasn't just a business call — it was a conversation between people who shared the same passion for the outdoors.
As A F Alber's digital presence grew, new clients started finding us. Miracle Ear's construction project management firm was searching online for East Coast contractors, found A F Alber, and called us directly. They gave us the opportunity to build a store for them — proof that the website and reputation work together.
Sometimes the best stories are the most unexpected. A F Alber was placed on the contractor list for the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, New York. When a new tenant needed a general contractor to build their first concept location, their co-owner called us. Our team member Karen, infatuated by his Irish accent, kept him on the phone for over an hour. The conversation turned into a project, and the project turned into a relationship. That's retail construction.
John Alber was born in 1990 and grew up around the business. Today, he and his father Anthony — Tony, as everyone in the industry knows him — run A F Alber together from Dublin, Pennsylvania. The company remains focused on retail, restaurant, and medical build-outs, along with rollout programs across the eastern United States.
The numbers tell one story: 500+ Electronics Boutique stores. 500+ Five Below stores. 60+ DSW stores. 35+ Zumiez stores. Honeygrow restaurants, Insomnia Cookies locations, and dozens of other brands across four decades. Over 1,000 retail and restaurant build-outs in 20+ states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
But the real story has always been about how the work comes in. Some clients came from the Electronics Boutique tree — people who worked with us at EB and brought us to their next company, and the architects and CPMs who referred us to their other clients. Some came from cold calls and magazine articles and the willingness to pick up the phone. Some came from shared passions, lucky conversations, and an Irish accent that kept someone talking for an hour.
And increasingly, some find us online — searching for a contractor who has the track record, the capability, and the relationships to deliver.
What hasn't changed since 1987 is how we keep them. We don't keep clients through contracts or pricing. We keep them because when someone changes companies, they call us first. That's happened at Five Below, at DSW, at Honeygrow, at Insomnia Cookies, and at a dozen other clients over the years. It's the only measure of quality that truly matters.
