Holyfield Construction

Chris Holyfield’s roots in the building industry stretch back to 1974 when his father, Joe, founded Holyfield Construction in Monroe, La. Chris came on board with the company officially in 1998, but he’s been there “helping his dad since age 9.” From cleaning jobsites to the role he’s in now as company vice president, Chris has continually applied a hands-on approach to the family-run general contractor.

With three-dozen employees, Holyfield Construction services its primary region – “a two-and-a-half hour radius of Monroe” – as a residential, commercial and institutional general contractor, strategically expanding its offerings for nearly 40 years.

Many Skills in Many Sectors

“We do a little bit of everything,” says Chris. “We are a diverse company.” Holyfield Construction has its own design staff and a team of architects, and the company self-performs a lot of the work on the projects it manages in order “to maintain the quality associated with the Holyfield name,” says Chris. In-house capabilities include trim, carpentry, cabinetry, steel fabrication, decorative iron and some concrete work.

All of Holyfield Construction’s skill sets are imperative, considering the types of detail-oriented work the company performs, and its commitment to customer satisfaction. “We’ve done a fair number of luxury homes in our area,” explains Chris. On those jobs, Holyfield will design and build the staircases, complete with steel handrails and decorative iron. “Some really beautiful houses” are the end result, says Chris. Across a wide range of projects – varied in size and sector – Holyfield Construction maintains a balance between in-house trades and the management of subcontractors for framing, concrete, mechanical/electrical, roofing, brick and stucco. “We stick with high-quality subs,” says Chris. “We have a set group of guys that we use.”

Although the majority of work is completed in Monroe and West Monroe, Holyfield Construction has completed projects in Texarkana and Jackson, as well. The company has built large luxury homes, offices, banks, restaurants, storage facilities, shopping centers and medical clinics. Size is not a prerequisite for Holyfield Construction, and the company does what it takes to keep active in a challenging economy, while keeping its customers satisfied, which means taking on smaller remodels and piecemeal jobs during the tough times. “Even if it’s putting a fence in,” says Chris, whose primary concerns are assuring his staff has work and that the work is done right the first time.

Continued Projects and Evolution

Recently completed by Holyfield Construction is an 18,000-square foot shopping center along Restaurant Row in West Monroe, which features a Buffalo Wild Wings. Currently, the company is working on a 60,000-square foot state-of-the-art storage facility in Texarkana. Next up is a Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic; a 20,000-square foot luxury office park; another storage facility; and a small shopping center nearby Holyfield Construction headquarters in Monroe.

As vice president, Chris keeps control of the company’s finances and a careful eye turned to the bottom line in order to keep Holyfield Construction running smoothly and fully staffed. “Every invoice that comes through this company I approve and look through before handing it off to project managers,” says Chris. “We stay on top of our numbers.”

As far as plans for the company, he says, “We don’t want to get too big or too small; we just enjoy where we’re at.” Maintaining a manageable size means more top-down hands-on attention to every project, and the ability to assure all employees stay current on equipment, techniques and trends. Constant evolution is a core element of the company’s operational philosophy, and Holyfield Construction embraces new building materials, systems and technology. In that vein, the company has taken on the design-build approach to building, which presents customers with a seamless experience by integrating the design and construction process. Having an in-house design studio allows Holyfield Construction to deliver in this way and reinforce the company’s commitment to progressive, proactive building.

Quality for Continued Satisfaction

The period of 2012-2013 has seen an influx of work for Holyfield and Chris says the outlook for the near future is good; Chris and his father Joe, who still serves as company president, also rely on the skills of fellow team partners Bobbi Hoag in design and Burl and Jesse Masters in the field. Joe is an expert at garnering work and assisting with the design portion of the preconstruction process, and once the work comes in and is fully designed, says Chris, “The project is handed over to me and my team and we get the opportunity at that point to start fulfilling someone’s dream.”

Holyfield’s success is attributed to what it deems its “key employees,” plus their continual quality control, detailed estimating, cost accounting, scheduling and project management. In everything it does, the company focuses on quality, customer satisfaction and value.

While they keep constantly dialed into Holyfield Construction’s business day-to-day, Chris and Joe also make time for the community. Joe works with the United Way, Habitat for Humanity and ARCO, an organization whose mission is to empower people with developmental disabilities. “He’s been very instrumental in the economic development of Monroe and the surrounding areas,” says Chris proudly.

His father’s influence runs deep, and Chris is also highly involved with community service. “I’m on the board with the Boy Scouts and YMCA,” he says. “We also do a lot of work for the Catholic Church and the local schools.” How to succeed in business wasn’t the only thing Chris learned from his dad. As Holyfield Construction Inc. continues to serve the greater Monroe area over the years, the community and the company’s many customers will continue to benefit.