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Construction Management-Design Firm Six Years Old and Growing

Posted on: Monday, 18 July 2005, 03:01 CDT

CLINTON - Shane Ormon says that growing up as a Methodist minister's son and living in a lot of different places helped prepare him for the construction business.

"It made me adaptable," he says. "I make friends easily and that helps in this business. It's definitely a people business."

He's been in construction more than 20 years and started his own business, Shane Ormon Construction Management & Design Inc., in 1999 to realize a long-held dream. He worked with Law's Construction, Rouse Construction and spent 14 years with Peoples Construction Company working in project management, estimating and design.

"I had gone as far as I could with Peoples Construction, and with their support and a lot of faith. I took a leap and started my own company," he said. "I have no regrets about it."

Things are going well for the company located in Clinton. Last September, Ormon took the big step of building his own office and hiring two construction supervisors. In the future he hopes to hire it project manager.

"I want to grow and get to the $10-million range for gross sales per year. I've set that goal," he said. "I've done half that amount the last two years."

Construction management was new terminology when he formed his company, and Ormon knew from his experience that it was something he could do. His company also does turnkey jobs, including design. It works with architects and engineers in the area to get jobs processed.

"It's a lot like cost plus for general contractors and brings the whole thing together," he said. "It works well to have construction managers, especially for out-of-town clients."

Ormon took a class in mechanical drawing at Clinton High School and became interested in architecture. After graduation, he went to architecture school for two years before transferring to the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering. He says he's glad he shifted more to the construction end.

"I truly feel that the Lord led me to this. I like what I do. I don't want to sit around at a desk all day," he said. "I'm happy to go to work every day, and that's a blessing."

With his background in drawing, Ormon can save time for clients by providing preliminary plans for projects. He meets with clients to determine what they want and then develops rough plans with pricing. If the client can't afford the proposed plan, he gives them other options. After a preliminary plan is chosen, he works with an architect for any project over 5,000 square feet.

He says it's rewarding to see a landmark building that he was responsible for constructed; to be able to drive by it and feel pride. The $2.5-million YMCA building in Clinton is one of those. Based on a relationship with the YMCA director, Ormon designed and built the new facility.

He was the general contractor for the recently completed 17,000- square-foot Homeland Security Building near the airport in Pearl. He is finishing the 10,000-square-foot medical clinic for Dr. Wayne Woo in Flowood and is working on construction of the Clinton Family Care clinic. Other current projects are an office, warehouse, taxidermy clinic and a Mexican restaurant.

The company is finishing its largest project to date, the 58,000-square-foot retail center, Trace Station, on U.S. 51 in Ridgeland. Tenants are opening there now.

But, as with most endeavors, there are headaches along with rewards. "I try not to harp on them, but it's things like leaks we can't find and subcontractors who don't show up when they say they will," Ormon said. "Not getting paid promptly is another headache of this business."

Another frustration are prices that are constantly changing, especially the rising cost of fuel. "Fuel costs affect everything we do, and those increases are passed on to consumers," he said. "If nothing else, deliveries of materials to job sites are affected."

Ormon says costs have increased for concrete, steel, lumber, dirt and other materials in recent years and those increases are factored into construction costs.

When not working, he likes to hunt and fish, but mostly spends time with his wife, Theresa, and their children, Grae, Rivers and Collins, who are busy with many activities. Ormon's parents, Rev. Jim and Chellie Ormon, are retiring in June and will move to Starkville to be near the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Copyright Mississippi Business Journal Jun 13, 2005

Source: Mississippi Business Journal, The

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