Building What the Community Depends On
08/20/2026
By: Chad Biggs
At the College of Southern Idaho’s Eagle Hall dorms, Michael Arrington hands First Federal CEO Jason Meyerhoeffer a hard hat, high-visibility vest and a magnesium float.
The job for the day was simple enough: finish the top of a concrete retaining wall. The meaning behind it is bigger.
Michael tells Jason, “and you’ve forever left your mark on the CSI campus.”
For Starr Corporation, leaving a mark on southern Idaho is nothing new. The Twin Falls-based construction company has helped shape schools, civic buildings, commercial spaces and community landmarks across the region for more than 60 years.
Starr’s work can be seen in places people use every day: the College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls City Hall, Kimberly schools, Cassia County Judicial Center, Chobani, Intermountain Gas and even First Fed’s Corporate Office. The projects vary, but the approach is consistent: careful planning, hands-on building and a belief that construction is ultimately about helping people bring a vision to life.
A Third-Generation Building Story
The company began in 1962 as Arrington Brothers Construction. In the early years, the team built homes, cabinets and other small projects. By the 1970s, the business had shifted toward general contracting and industrial work, fielding crews for concrete, wood framing, finish carpentry and steel erection.
In 1989, the company was sold to Glenn Arrington and renamed Starr Corporation. Michael Arrington, a third-generation family member, became president in 2008.
Michael brought his own background in concrete work and a construction management degree from Boise State University. Under his leadership, Starr has continued to offer construction management, design/build and general contracting while maintaining the self-performing capabilities that have long been part of its identity.
“We are builders, not just managers,” Starr says on its website. That distinction matters. The company self-performs earth work, steel erection, utilities, concrete placing and wood framing, giving its team hands-on experience through multiple stages of a project.
Planning Before the Pour
On the CSI campus, Starr’s current work is part of a broader effort to address deferred maintenance needs. At Eagle Hall, that means a retaining wall. At the Hepworth Building, it means replacing an aging ramp and stairs with a new entrance that meets current ADA requirements and better serves the community.
Helping Owners Bring a Vision to Life
For Michael, the reward is not just seeing a project completed. It is seeing an owner move into a finished space and use it the way they imagined.
“Often we’re approached by someone who needs our services, who needs our help to be able to put together a project,” he says. “They’ve got a vision, and they need help executing it.”
Twin Falls City Hall is one example. Starr was selected as construction manager/general contractor to help convert the historic Banner Furniture building into a new civic home for the city. It took vision from the owner and careful execution from the project team to turn an old furniture store into a public building serving downtown Twin Falls.
“But being able to share an owner’s vision and then help them to be able to move in—that’s what’s really rewarding to us,” Michael says.
Built on Local Relationships
First Fed’s relationship with Starr Corporation goes back years, predating both Jason and Michael in their current roles. For both organizations, that history reflects a shared belief in staying active in the community and supporting the places they call home.
“Building some of the buildings that our community uses… is important,” Michael says. “But even more than that, I think that’s one of the reasons why we align and are able to work and support each other so well, because we’ve got similar philosophies.”
Those shared priorities show up in everyday ways, from supporting county fairs to school drives and other local efforts.
“We’re very fortunate to be in a community where we’re not the only businesses that think that way,” Michael says. “More businesses think that way than don’t here in the Magic Valley, and that’s one of the reasons that it makes it such a great place to live.”
Looking ahead, Starr plans to keep building on the foundation created by the generations before it. That includes continuing work in the Magic Valley and partnering on development projects, including one currently underway in Jerome.
“One thing that’s very important to us is putting our customers’ needs first,” Michael says. “By teaming up and partnering, we can accomplish things like that. I’m excited for it.”
For a company whose work is poured into walls, campuses, civic buildings and Main Street landmarks, the future is another chance to keep building what the community depends on.
