Editor’s note: Roper St. Francis Healthcare is highlighting local companies contributing to the construction of its future Roper Hospital campus in North Charleston, part of its 2030 Strategic Plan initiatives of optimizing the system’s footprint, addressing future clinical needs and modernizing technology. In this feature, learn about Gulf Stream Construction and its role in the history of the Lowcountry.
From the ground up, Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s future hospital campus in North Charleston is being built with the help of trusted local partners who understand the region and the people it serves. One of those partners is Gulf Stream Construction, a Charleston-based company with deep roots in the Lowcountry.
Replacing the current facility in downtown Charleston, the transformative new Roper Hospital campus is designed to expand access to high-quality care across the greater Charleston area. With more than six decades of experience delivering complex infrastructure and site development projects, Gulf Stream Construction is playing a pivotal role in bringing that vision to fruition.
Founded in 1963 and incorporated in 1966, Gulf Stream Construction is a full-service general site contractor, providing expertise in all phases of site, civil and infrastructure construction for major public and private projects throughout South Carolina and coastal Georgia.
For the future Roper Hospital campus, Gulf Stream Construction is responsible for turnkey site work, including demolition, excavation and grading, stormwater systems, utilities, sanitary sewer and water lines, paving, curbs and other finished site elements.
“This project represents everything Gulf Stream does best,” said Mark Hylton, President of Gulf Stream Construction. “It is highly technical, specialized work that allows us to fully leverage both our construction and environmental expertise. We’re honored to be part of a team delivering a project that will have such a meaningful impact on the region.”
A trusted local partner
Gulf Stream Construction’s role in the hospital project builds on decades of collaboration with public agencies and institutional partners across Charleston and North Charleston. The company has contributed to many of the region’s most visible and impactful projects, including the International African American Museum, the Charleston Low Battery Seawall, major drainage and infrastructure improvements, airport runway and terminal expansions, environmental remediation projects and large-scale mixed-use developments.
That local knowledge has been critical for the Roper Hospital site, where Gulf Stream’s environmental and civil sitework experience supports careful coordination with project partners, engineers and the city of North Charleston.
“Our experience working with Roper St. Francis Healthcare and the project’s joint-venture construction team has been extremely positive,” Hylton added. “Like any large construction effort, there are challenges, but the collaboration has been strong, transparent and solutions-oriented from the beginning.”
Investing in community health
Beyond the technical scope, the project holds personal significance for the Gulf Stream team.
“As a company headquartered here – and as individuals who live here with our families – we rely on the same healthcare systems we help build,” Hylton said. “Roper St. Francis Healthcare is a vital part of Charleston’s fabric. Expanding healthcare access in North Charleston is an investment in the long-term health and resilience of the entire region, and we’re proud to support that mission.”
Once complete, the new hospital will play a major role in expanding healthcare access for residents across North Charleston and the broader Lowcountry – helping ensure that growing communities have the medical infrastructure they need today and for generations to come.
“Gulf Stream Construction is incredibly proud to be part of the Roper Hospital project in North Charleston, delivering a state-of-the-art facility that will serve the community invaluably,” said Rob Herman, Gulf Stream’s Director of Training and EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety). “It has been an absolute pleasure working alongside such a collaborative, dedicated and professional team of owners, architects, engineers and trade partners who share our commitment to excellence every step of the way.”