P&C Construction
* Started: In Bryant, Alabama in 1993 by Royce Cornelison and Skeeter Pritchett, who retired in 2008. Company moved to Trenton, Georgia in 1994 and to Chattanooga in late 1994.* Partners: Royce and Nick Cornelison* Headquarters: 2500 East 18th Street in Chattanooga* Staff: About 50 employees, plus hundreds more contract workers.* Projects: The company has built nearly $500 million of projects in 22 states* Website: pc-const.com
When Royce Cornelison and Skeeter Pritchett started P&C Construction in 1993, the pair established a goal of developing lasting relationships with their clients by being straightforward and committed to doing what they say they will do.
Over the past 25 years, that approach has helped P&C Construction benefit from frequent repeat business from such diverse customers as Hobby Lobby, Chattem and Regions Bank. Pritchett left P&C a decade ago in 2008, but Cornelison and his sons have continued to grow the firm, which began in Bryant, Alabama, but soon moved first to Trenton, Georgia, and then to Chattanooga.
"I just wanted to have a good, reputable business and try to always be fair and honest with people," Cornelison says. "It was rough the first few years, but we made it work. There have been opportunities for growth beyond our comfort zone and we have chosen to restrain, in order to offer the level of service our customers have come to know and expect."
P&C has completed nearly $500 million of projects in 22 states over the past quarter century. The firm has grown to employ about 50 company employees, plus 700 to 900 subcontractor employees at any one time. The company averages about 400 projects a year, ranging from retail, to manufacturing to schools, to commercial offices, and even a few residential projects.
In Chattanooga, P&C has built such signature facilities as the new Playcore headquarters, the Passage expansion of the Tennessee Aquarium and industrial facilities for M&M Mars and Chattem, among others.
"I've worked for four different contractors and seen many more through my career, and what sets them apart is their integrity and commitment to do what they say," says Bill Webb, one of the company's project superintendents.
The company is certified by TMSDC- TN Minority Supplier Development Council and is also a member of AIA, AGC of East Tennessee, BBB and the Homebuilders Association of Greater Chattanooga.