15 Years of Serving the Construction Market
A History of Southwest Construction Services
Charlie Stewart & Tim Underwood founded Southwest Construction Services in 1993 with a simple vision: to provide unparalleled service and loyalty to the construction trade.
The company’s humble beginnings were by design, with the belief that growing the business should only come from hard work, keeping promises, and always going above and beyond to solve problems.
Southwest Construction Services, Inc. started as Southwest Sealers Inc., when the company provided sealant services for its first customer, Cap Form. At the time, the company had one offering: horizontal joint sealants or parking lots. The first job for American Freightways in Grand Prairie spawned several other opportunities.
In 1994, the company graduated from “two guys and a red truck” and officially opened its first corporate office. Its first in-house job was for Syntex in Terrell, TX. At that time, the owners feared Terrell may be too far away to execute well, but they delivered, and today perform jobs across the country.
By 1997, the business had grown and loyal customers were now requesting the company get into concrete saw cutting. Without hesitation – being true to the vision – the company expanded the business of Concrete Sawing for roads & street to control cracking then seal it.
At this same time, Tim stepped out of silent ownership into a full-time active role within the organization. This was a big step forward in the formation of the corporation to satisfy an ever-expanding customer base across a broader geography.
“We always said “yes”, we never said “no”,” said Charlie Stewart. “Because we are problem solvers, no new challenge has ever created fear for us, only opportunity to do good work, and do it with excellence.”
Customers went on to encourage Southwest Construction Services to
evolve into a full-blown waterproofing company. That move spawned
the need for a more relevant name, and so the company renamed to
Southwest Saw and Sealant.
The company experienced its most rapid growth through customer referrals during 1998-2001. At this time, the company launched yet another key service, concrete restoration.
In 1999, a conscious, concerted effort was made to growth the business. Now with 50 employees, the company hired estimators and salesmen to improve the responsiveness and support of its general contractor customers. This expanded team and full arsenal of service was the catalyst for the current company name, Southwest Construction Services (SCS).
SCS began the new millennium by introducing revolutionary estimating system and approach to bidding that has resulted in unrivaled consistency and predictability for estimates and quotations. With a commitment to service, performance, and an investment in human resources and tools, SCS more than doubled to 120 employees in 2000.
The company continued to strategically add the services customers needed and wanted, and cemented its reputation as “the go-to-guys” for all concrete repair & remedial construction
Between 2000 and 2003, the company expanded its vision to include complete demolition, including implosions and surgical demolitions to create a differentiated offer. The company merged with Lloyd Demolition as a reaction to customer requests to add demolition, dirt work, and asbestos remediation. The company then sold Lloyd Demolition back to its previous ownership in 2003 as it continued to refine its offering.
By 2003, customers of SCS could be found throughout the state of Texas, as well as other states, including: California, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Washington, and more. 2005 saw the opening of a formal office in Houston, as well as continued increases in number of employees and trucks to service its increased book of orders.
Just last year, the company added yet another exciting service, its new concrete pour back division (Concrete Preservations, Inc.) to service customer’s ongoing needs in a growing market.
In addition, the company implemented internal quality and performance surveys to grade internal performance for continuous performance.
“We are grateful for our customers and the friendships and loyalties that continue to propel our business,” said Tim Underwood. “Our dedication to solving problems and taking care of our customers, combined with predictable, fair pricing, has become the hallmark of our craft and trade.”
Throughout the expansion, SCS continues to remain humbly committed and dedicated to outstanding service and customer experiences. Today, with 200+ employees and 100+ trucks, the company continues to expand by doing one excellent project after another.
SCS now bids more than 100 jobs per month while remaining focused on growing the core business by providing its customers with the answers they are seeking and the service they have come to know and trust from SCS. The company is expanding the same way it always has, by adding quality people that are dependable and care about the customer, and training and motivating those people to solve problem and perform to their maximum potential on a daily basis.