After attending Northern State University in South Dakota for a year, Lou joined the South Dakota National Guard and served until 1952, then returned to school to finish his business degree. He founded Palace Construction in 1963 based on a framework of honesty and integrity, principles the company still operates by today.

Over his career, Lou completed a tremendous number of projects, both large and small, from minor window and door repairs to his final project, a 381,000 sf, six-story, senior living facility in Aurora, CO.