Western Builders

Western Builders (Western) is a commercial contractor based in Amarillo, Texas. The company has served repeat clients throughout the Southwest since 1955, and has traveled for projects from California to Georgia, but the majority of Western’s work is within Texas where the company is known for high-quality work on projects ranging from schools to hospitals to retail outlets. One of the largest volume builders in its region, Western’s reputation for on-time and under-budget delivery attracted the attention of Mid-Cities Community Church, a Christian center of worship that calls Midland, Texas, home.

The church has kick-started a building project that will serve as the organization’s youth center, and an excellent example of Western’s prowess. Western is managing the operation, which includes a 17,000-square foot renovation of existing facilities and 50,000 square feet of new construction. The new center will serve as a multi-use facility for young congregation members from babies to high school seniors. The floor plan includes a new 8,500 square-foot nursery, classrooms, common areas, a kitchen, a performance stage and a gymnasium area.

A True Team Player

Raymond Boynton is the current senior project manager for the Mid-Cities Community Church endeavor, and he has helped oversee the involvement of the client in the project, which is projected to be a yearlong effort. “We broke ground in January 2012, and we’ll be done in December 2012,” he estimates.

Creating an atmosphere of responsibility and trust, Western has worked closely with the church, which is encouraging its congregation members to embrace the project through community involvement. When the foundation was laid in the spring, hundreds of prayer stones, written on by church members, were buried in the concrete with messages of hope and faith. Senior pastor Daniel Stephens calls the stones “a reminder of not only what God has done for us, but what he is going to do.”

In addition to a foundation of prayer stones, the church is heavily involved in the decision-making process for the project. “Together, we selected our team,” says Boynton. Western is self-performing much of the labor, but has subbed out some of the labor to specialists. “We did all the foundations and the slab on grade,” he explains. “We’ll do all the rough carpentry and some of the finish carpentry, hang the doors, finish hardware, and millwork.”

The entire project is being documented by the congregation. Every two weeks, Mid-Cities Community Church posts regular updates on Vimeo, an Internet video website, detailing the construction progress, which is accompanied by relevant lessons in faith and any changes in operation due to construction. The series is called “Beyond the Fence,” and often features interviews with crew members. On the church’s website members and interested parties can check out a live camera feed of the site that shows the builders and equipment hard at work.

Building with Excellence

Western has proven the perfect partner for this complex project because the company has been in business for over 55 years, and Western has enjoyed such longevity because it has built a series of positive relationships with its clients. “Eighty percent of what we do is with repeat customers,” Boynton says. Western typically performs negotiated work, and when the company needs subcontractors its hires are held to the same standards as its 80-plus full-time employees, some of which have been with the company for 35 years. “We build our supers from the ground up,” Boynton explains. “We’re all local; we all understand a mutual culture of ethics.”

The culture of Western is of fairness and integrity and these qualities are what drew Boynton to the company 26 years ago. “We pay our subs whether or not we get paid by the owner,” Boynton adds. Because Western treats its subs well, the company rarely runs into issues and Boynton has found that finding the right manpower for the job has improved the business’ numbers.

As with any project, Western has experienced a few road bumps along the way with the Mid-Cities Community Church site, which involves a 30-foot steel structure. And it took some time to get the plans just right. “At this point, it’s flat, no grade problems, it’s simple in that respect,” reveals Boynton. “The biggest obstacle is the structural steel, and we’re on the last sequence.” With that out of the way, Western is on schedule and the church can expect to be filling its new classrooms by 2013.

Investing in Relationships

Western has experienced some slowdown resulting from the country’s recent economic issues, but the Mid-Cities Community Church project and a handful of separate endeavors are part of a turnaround. Consumer confidence is on the rise and Boynton sees unlimited potential for Western, especially “If we can get the people with the money to make some commitments,” he says. The company holds a solid rapport with its clients and Western’s reputation has carried it through tough times.

Western remains a commercial construction industry leader in the region because the company maximizes organization, creates and maintains cost efficiency, and consistently delivers projects, regardless of size, on time and under budget. “One of our mottoes is to schedule the work and then work the schedule,” emphasizes Boynton.

Timeliness is only one piece of Western’s business philosophy that grants its clients well-managed, high-quality construction projects. The company facilitates an atmosphere of integrity to foster client confidence. Working off its integral can-do attitude, Western Builders will continue delivering superior service to customers before, during and after construction.