Scott + Reid celebrates 30 years, adds 5 owners, and begins next evolution

 

This article was originally in The Dallas Business Journal
 

By Jim Molis – Contributor

 

Mar 20, 2023

 

In principle, Scott + Reid General Contractors has long belonged to more than the owners whose names were on the door. Now it’s official. As the Dallas-based commercial general contractor marked 30 years in business, it advanced five employees to the ownership team.

 

“We’ve been approached more times than we can count by people who wanted to buy our company, but we decided our hearts were in having a succession plan that involved our employees,” Scott + Reid President Brad Reid said.

 

“We have a lot of people who work hard to make this company successful, so it felt cheap to us to take a quick payday and put everyone at risk. This has always been about more than Chris Scott and Brad Reid,” he said.

 

Expanding the ownership team at Scott + Reid

 

Scott + Reid recently expanded the ownership group, which also includes Doug Scott, Principal and Vice President. “Brad and I are blessed that Scott + Reid has gotten bigger than both of us,” said Chris Scott, the company’s CEO.

 

These leaders are tenured in the industry and bring their own experiences and skillsets. The new ownership team members include:

 

• Alvin Cozby, Principal, Director of Quality Control.
• Derico Lewis, Principal, Director of New Construction.
• Eric Gilbert, Principal, Vice President of Corporate Development.
• John Robison, Jr., Principal, Vice President of Operations.
• Phillip Vanderhill, Principal, Director of Field Personnel.

 

Adding the new owners also seemed right because the shares they purchased belonged to former partner Jeff Reid, who passed away in January 2022. “It was very hard on all of us because he was such an integral part of this company, but in a wonderful way his legacy is living on,” Brad Reid said of his late brother.

 

The trajectory for the next 30 years

 

The expansion of the ownership team sets the company up for the long term. “It’s a statement to our employees and clients that Scott + Reid isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to be a business to be reckoned with in the construction industry well beyond Chris Scott and Brad Reid,” Scott said.

 

Indeed, the company has come far since it started with just three employees in a single office. It has grown to 124 team members across three offices, with locations in Addison, Houston and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

Specializing in high-profile corporate remodeling, capital improvements and low-rise new construction, Scott + Reid has developed a reputation for providing cost-saving solutions that keep projects on budget and schedule. It has also become known as a desirable place to work. Multiple generations of families have worked for the company, including siblings and other close relations.

 

“We’re a people business first and having good people as part of our team is huge. The construction side is second to us,” Scott said.

 

Culture is paramount. “One of our favorite sayings is ‘a family that plays together stays together’ and we took that to heart,” Reid said.

 

That is until the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted everything. “It fragmented that family unit and challenged us from a business perspective,” Reid said. “Connecting the dots has always been one of the reasons for our success. Because we were always together, until then, we were always collaborating.”

 

Yet the pandemic also solidified the company’s commitment to employees perhaps more than any other challenge could have done. Though it was considered an essential business, fear about possible layoffs or furloughs inevitably swept through the ranks. But an email from the company’s human resources leader allayed those concerns.

 

Essentially, the message stated that although the company was in unprecedented times, ownership had saved up for just such a moment — and everyone’s jobs were safe.

 

Scott + Reid has since continued to grow, accumulating project experience across the country, building for an array of major industry verticals and proving adept at preserving the fidelity of the architectural design. With collaboration at the heart of its process, relationships with industry top performers enable the company to continuously deliver high-quality services.

 

“I love to look at our job list and see that 90 to 95% of the business is from repeat clients. That’s a huge strength of ours and part of our success,” Reid said.

 

If you had told him 30 years ago the company would have grown the way it has, he would have laughed, he said.

 

Now, they look to the future with new owners and leaders in place. “We’re able to provide mentorship and connect at all levels of the company, and not just rely on Brad and me. People can get a personal touch and feel that they are making an impact at Scott + Reid,” Scott said.

 

Thirty years in and the next evolution is ready to begin.

 

Learn more about Scott + Reid by visiting scottandreid.com.

 

Scott + Reid is a commercial general contractor specializing in high-profile corporate remodeling, transformative capital improvements and low- to mid-rise new construction.

 

Jim Molis is a freelance writer with The Business Journals Content Studio.