Do It Right… The First Time

D. R. Reynolds Company
Written by Robert Hoshowsky

D. R. Reynolds Company, Inc. provides valuable services including general contractor works, prefabricated metal building erections, custom fabrication, machinery installation, and specialized concrete projects to its clients throughout the Southeast. The company keeps growing through a commitment to high-quality craftsmanship and customer service, and it recently celebrated thirty-one successful years in business.
~
In the past year alone, D. R. Reynolds Company has increased its number of full-time employees from sixty-two to seventy-five, purchased additional cranes, expanded its offices and training areas, and made other changes to meet future needs of the business and serve its many clients better. “With the increased workload taking shape within our company, it is important to hire the ones that are ready to take their next step from a job to a career,” says Goosie Kennedy, who started with the business after graduating from Appalachian State University in 2009 with a degree in construction management.

Like many here, Kennedy worked his way up through the company, serving with D. R. Reynolds’ concrete, metal building, millwright and shop crews, and in roles including estimator, sales, and now project manager. As the business is relatively small, project managers handle many alternate objectives in addition to project management including their own sales, estimating and product procurement.

“We look for men and women who are ready to work hard and represent themselves and our company in a positive manner on and off the job,” says Kennedy of the company, which has recently hired staff for its concrete division. It is currently constructing a very intricate lumber drying kiln in Richfield, North Carolina and will perform all work on site from concrete to piping to ensure operation this winter.

Hiring metal building professional erectors to handle projects and create trusses for works such as the new, 24,000-square-foot, Trinity Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) in Statesville, North Carolina.

The company also has its own in-house fabricators. These certified welders work in the fabrication shop and also as journeymen with the millwright division installing equipment, substructure, catwalks, and conveyors. “All new hires are made at D. R. Reynolds in an effort to have the most efficient and the most intriguing construction company to hire as a general contractor and to work for as an employee,” states Kennedy.

With the addition of extra personnel and a higher workload, the D. R. Reynolds Company has also undergone an office renovation to accommodate additional project managers, project developers, estimators, and the corporate office manager. As the company grows, its need for training has increased, resulting in D. R. Reynolds building an ultramodern training room, outfitted with Wi-Fi connectivity, LED lighting, and a sixty-five-inch television for instructional videos. The new training room allows the business to educate staff about current and upcoming projects and safety in the workplace and is a place to discuss projects with clients.

Headquartered in the town of Star – known as the North Carolina’s geographic center – the company was created by Danny Reynolds back in September of 1987. D. R. Reynolds recently got back to its roots and purchased equipment for its crane and rigging operations. This included a 110-ton crane and two 50-ton cranes that have proven to be extremely valuable and versatile since they were acquired. It has an impressive array of machinery to handle projects for all clients, and its fleet includes 40-ton, 30-ton, 24-ton, and 15-ton cranes.

The new cranes represent a significant investment, one which was not taken lightly. “This purchase comes after many late nights thinking about the next steps for the D. R. Reynolds Company and deciphering ways on how to continue to grow our company,” says Kennedy. “The cranes fit many forms and needs, and with many at our fingertips, we have the ability to set many sizeable pieces of equipment and building frames under tight deadlines. These cranes and their uniquely skilled operators have made a huge impact on how we operate as a company.”

With annual revenue projected to rise, the business is experiencing an economic boom. The lumber market is almost doubling in sales, and the D. R. Reynolds Company can be hired to handle equipment installs, upgrades, and custom fabrication for the industrial market.

This type of workload has forced many companies to scrounge for labor. While being careful not to overextend itself, D. R. Reynolds has been able to fit its crews with great support personnel to offer high-quality work and ensure quality control methods are not being overlooked at the end of a job.

D. R. Reynolds is honored to play an integral role in many outstanding projects and to work for great clients. The company has won a number of awards over the years, the most recent being the Varco Pruden Award for best government building – the fourth time the company has received the award. In 2017 alone, the company was awarded for the Harrisburg Fire Station #3 in Harrisburg, North Carolina; the Cool Springs Volunteer Fire Department in Statesville, North Carolina; and a commercial and retail building for Industrial Products Conveyors and Drives (IPCD) in Richfield, North Carolina.

Kennedy and staff at the company are proud of these works and the company’s many other accomplishments. “All these projects have unique features, and the owners have given their new place of business an advantage over the rest when it comes to space, comfort, maintenance, and quality construction,” says Kennedy. “IPCD is even more uniquely special, because they not only allowed us to build their building, but it works both ways, as they are a vendor for our industrial component needs as well.”

Currently, the company has several works under construction. These include a 91,400-square-foot, two-story project in Concord, North Carolina for DCF Properties. The majority of the lower 45,700-square-foot level will be home to the Mustang Museum of America. The museum will be the first of its kind for Ford Mustang lovers and is dedicated to the celebration, preservation, education, and display of Ford Mustangs built throughout the decades.

Within the first story will be a 3,740-square-foot corporate display area that can be rented by the public and features a catering kitchen and bathrooms. The remainder of the first story and the entire second story will be utilized as warehouse space for Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts. The building is in a prime location, just half a mile from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In this pre-engineered building with a standing seam roof, bar joist and concrete floor construction holds the mezzanine in place for the second level, while precast architectural concrete walls form the exterior of the building, and panels are enhanced with floor-to-ceiling windows for a glow of exterior light for the space. LED lights will be used within the space, along with Mitsubishi HVAC mini split units, making the project one of the largest Mitsubishi system projects on the market today, with over fifty units. Completion is expected by this winter.

D. R. Reynolds is working on other unique projects, such as the renovation and construction of a state-of-the-art sawmill in Moultrie, Georgia for which it is teaming up with USNR Equipment Manufacturing, Mid South Engineering, Wayne Brothers Inc., and JENNMAR Civil Construction. The project will see the creation of a new concrete slab and concrete walls, a bridge crane, an elaborate structural steel grid, and custom equipment designed for the projected productivity of this growing location.

The project is set to be operational this December. “The Moultrie project has seen many changes, and with over one year of design work, it has taken the D. R. Reynolds team hundreds of hours to detail the required elements of this build,” states Kennedy.

The company recently completed the Cool Springs Fire Department project in Statesville, North Carolina, for which it received numerous accolades recognizing the 24,000-square-foot project’s architectural design and construction. D. R. Reynolds has also completed several design-build projects including works for Draper Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) in Eden, North Carolina; Pooletown VFD, in Rowan County, North Carolina; Center Rural VFD in Norwood, North Carolina; and Level Cross VFD in Randleman, North Carolina. “These projects aren’t built without specialty subcontractors along the way. Companies like Rick Wagner Enterprises and ECSS of Lexington are always vital to our success as a general contractor,” states Kennedy.

Among the company’s ongoing projects are design-build fire departments which incorporate not only fire department services, but also emergency medical services, rescue services, and sheriff’s departments. By housing all major emergency services under one roof in central locations, counties and residents spend fewer tax dollars. “Counties that have taken this method of building have seen significant savings in their ongoing construction costs and have been able to enhance their projects further with better equipment and training props with the money saved,” says Kennedy. The company first built a similar combination station for Odell Fire and Rescue in Davidson, North Carolina in 2009, which won the first of many professional architectural awards for the D. R. Reynolds Company.

D. R. Reynolds is committed to clients and its staff and is focused on quality, classroom training for its employees, and a willingness to take on challenging new projects. The company does not specialize solely in one avenue of construction, as it knows diversification makes the business stronger.

The business has never lost sight of its staff as it has grown, and maintains a strong, family-oriented workplace. “D. R. Reynolds will always care more about the employee and the client we work for than the money made,” states Kennedy. “Safety and customer satisfaction will always be at the forefront of how we operate. We aren’t the builder for all, but when D. R. Reynolds is chosen to construct a project, big or small, you will get the ultimate satisfaction at the end of the project. Our motto still today is, ‘Do it right, the first time.’”

AUTHOR

CURRENT EDITION

Hands-On Learning for Future Success

Read Our Current Issue

PAST EDITIONS

Cladding and Exteriors

February 2024

A Concrete Foundation

December 2023

Elegant and Eco-Friendly

November 2023

From Beautiful Bridges to Breathtaking Buildings

October 2023

More Past Editions

Featured Articles