The artist, The Engineer

The history of EMCO dates back more than the thirties; its founder Mr. Nagib El Rayes completed between 1930 and 1937 a number of construction projects including roads and building works in Lebanon and Palestine. Moreover, he was one of the leading Lebanese in Africa where he established a major contracting operation until 1961, the date of his return to Lebanon. During that year, EMCO was established as a Lebanese company. 

Due to its long and diversified history, EMCO has succeeded in fostering a management and executive structure which fuses capability with specialization in various areas of construction. Specialization enabled EMCO to pioneer the application of advanced engineering techniques in Lebanon and the Arab world. In 1961, EMCO introduced the technique of prestressed reinforced and precast concrete in the region and has since completed a number of projects considered avant-garde at the time. It has thus proved the utility of these techniques and their suitability for the construction of specialized structures. 

The pioneering work of EMCO in specialized areas has helped the company to perform well in various construction fields. Projects completed by the company include government and administrative buildings, housing projects, universities, hospitals, hotels, industrial buildings, airports, roads and bridges, in addition to private homes. For the purpose of better integration, the company has established separate divisions to execute electrical, mechanical and other works. 

This vertical and horizontal integration was dictated by the company's move into Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's biggest construction market. There, EMCO participated in the establishment of EMCO Binladen Bros for Buildings and Contracting. During these years of successful work, the company has gained respect for its execution of a number of important government projects with the full satisfaction of the Saudi authorities. 

In addition to the activities enumerated above, EMCO has participated in the establishment and management of a number of companies which are active in the field of real estate development in Lebanon and Western Europe. The efforts of the management of the company and its technical staff have brought about wide recognition of the company's ability to handle major projects and complete works on time and in accordance with the most stringent technical specifications required by governments in the region.