Scott Copas
John S. “Scott” Copas began his career at Baldwin & Shell in 1977 as an estimator and rose through the ranks, becoming vice president in 1983, executive vice president in 1993 and chief operating officer in 2012. In January 2014, he was promoted to president and CEO.
Baldwin & Shell, which reported 2015 revenue of $151 million, operates regional offices in Jonesboro and Rogers.
When Arkansas Business last talked with you at length, in spring 2014, you said Baldwin & Shell was looking for projects outside Arkansas. How has that initiative fared?
Since that conversation we have completed three projects in Tennessee and one in North Carolina, two of which were repeat clients that were developed in Arkansas and two that are new clients. In addition, we have an ongoing project in Tennessee with another repeat client from Arkansas.
You also said at that time that Baldwin & Shell was looking to enhance its construction services business. How has that effort gone?
Extremely well! Both our Construction Services and Industrial Services Divisions experienced banner years in 2015. The specific market that I was referring to in our last visit was the retail sales market, and that business was quite robust in 2015, especially in the jewelry, furniture, restaurant and insurance/clinic sectors. Our building maintenance work has also risen significantly, especially with repeat clients. In late 2014, our industrial construction and maintenance work came to life with both new and repeat national and international customers in central, southeast and southwest Arkansas, and we see even greater opportunities throughout the entire state in 2016.
What caused you to pursue a career in construction?
My architect friends will get a chuckle from this response. Quite frankly, my dream career was in architecture but my talent was not. Therefore, I took another path of building someone else’s vision. I have enjoyed that role for over 40 years, but I have stayed heavily involved with the University of Arkansas School of Architecture through other roles in an effort to live that dream.
How has this business changed over the years?
I would have to say that technology has had the most significant effect on business in general, and I am proud to say that we have stayed on the cutting edge of technology in our industry. However, with all of this technology and such a strong emphasis on post-secondary education, we have quickly depleted our workforce of craftsmen in the hope of a better and more fulfilling life behind a desk and computer. Fortunately, I am seeing that many of these highly educated young people are realizing the opportunities and financial rewards of our profession and are taking another look at construction as their career.
The one technological tool that has created a great deal of frustration for management is the use of email in a situation of conflict. I still think a personal phone call or face-to-face meeting is the best way to resolve any issue.
What was your worst business decision? Your best?
This question is quite easy. My worst business decision was to open an upscale restaurant in downtown Little Rock in the late ‘80s called Gabriel’s on MainStreet. It was quite popular for a couple of years but never profitable.
My best business decision was to stay with Baldwin & Shell when I was offered a better position with another construction company out of state in the early ‘80s. That decade was quite interesting.
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