Canant Construction Inc.

With experience, knowledge, professionalism and craftsmanship, Canant Construction Inc. (CCI) is dedicated to providing quality concrete construction solutions. Located in Perryville, Arkansas, CCI remains on the cutting edge of all types of concrete, including pervious, structural, flatwork, colored, stamped, lightweight and heavyweight.

Getting started

Founded by Nick Canant in 2001, CCI grew from Canant’s passion for the industry. While earning a bachelor’s degree in construction management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Canant gained industry experience by working commercial concrete at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport parking deck and framing houses. At 20 years old, Canant was already leading crews and building structural projects start to finish. “I started looking for a job in the upscale commercial market as an assistant superintendent,” Canant recalls. “I think the industry wasn’t very receptive to the fact that I was only 21 years old at the time, so that’s when I decided to start my own company, CCI.”

After becoming licensed as a residential contractor in 2001 and a commercial contractor in 2002, Canant began working as a subcontractor for many of the general contractors for whom his associates from college were working. “I started out constructing concrete foundations, vertical concrete and flatwork, as well as wood and steel framing,” says Canant. “After a few years I stopped framing and solely focused on concrete. I really love concrete and the challenges and ever changing aspects of the methods and materials.”

Today CCI is one of the larger concrete contractors in the state of Arkansas. Known for its quality flatwork, CCI has earned major retail and heavy industrial clients. While the company still performs some residential work, approximately 99 percent of its market share consists of commercial and industrial clients. CCI is has obtained every flatwork certification possible through the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and is the only certified installer of pervious concrete in the state of Arkansas.

His company’s ability to stand out in the industry is something that Canant is proud of. Canant says, “We get a lot of special projects that no one else will do; I love the challenge.” After 15 years in the business, the quality and management provided by CCI still remains unmatched in the company’s market. “We treat every job like it’s the most important job,” says Canant. “That’s what it takes to gain repeat business in this industry.”

Involvement in the industry and community

Canant is currently the chairman for the pervious concrete committee for the Arkansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association (ARMCA). As a company that is concerned with green building and sustainability, CCI is working to educate the industry and the market on the sustainable benefits of pervious concrete, such as pollution control and stormwater management. “It started to gain a foothold in the industry several years ago but nobody knew how to do it around here so the market dried up,” Canant explains. “It’s been a long journey over the past six years bringing it back, but my company is heavily focused on education and innovation.”

While Canant runs the office and special projects aspect of the business, his best friend of 33 years, J.B. House, is the chief operations officer in the field. “He’s been with me since I started,” says Canant. “We make a great team because we’ve known each other our whole lives.” The two met as children and both attended the same college for identical degrees.

Canant is also involved in Concrete Cares, a national cancer awareness organization that raises funds for finishers affected by cancer. The organization also allows concrete industries to identify a local unifying project. This group pulls contractors, concrete suppliers, concrete companies and anyone involved in the industry together to work on these projects, which include decorative concrete to raise awareness. “We are about to start construction on our own commercial retail center in Conway, Arkansas, that brings together many of the aspects of our business; the environmentally protective pervious concrete as well as the symbolic pink ribbon in the parking area,” says Canant.

The strong reputation that CCI has earned has led to some high-profile jobs. The company recently completed a project for a major home improvement chain in Puerto Rico where CCI worked in conjunction with a repeat client, a general contractor based in Georgia. The team spent three weeks in Puerto Rico successfully completing a 120,000-square-foot slab at the retail outlet. “It was a really challenging job that taught me a lot and helped me learn about where we needed to go to really be on the next level.” says Canant.

With the economy growing in Arkansas, Canant sees his company maintaining steady growth in the next couple of years. “There will be a lot of specialty work,” he notes. “We look forward to continuing to be the leader in regard to quality.” With experience, knowledge and a commitment to customer satisfaction, Canant Construction Inc. continues to set the bar for excellence in concrete contracting in Arkansas.