Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25

• SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL PROGRESS 2019 28 In August 2015 Cody Ritter and KC Merry left the larger construction firms they were with and started BASE Construction. “We were blue collar guys working for local general contractors in the area. We just took the opportunity to start something of our own,” says Ritter. Since then the company has built proj- ects totaling over $35 million. “We’ve grown pretty quickly,” says Ritter. “It’s kind of like the great American dream.” Coming from larger companies made the founders want to simplify and streamline the entire construction process. It was also important to them to make it more personal. Even though the company is processing a huge volume of work, Cody stresses that clients can still expect to deal with the same team every time. “We’re not a huge company, we’re not multiple offices or a staff of 200 people,” says Ritter. “The pre-construc- tion phase will always be me. I’m the guy that’s going to meet you and I’ll be the guy you see every time. We’re not passing you off to another branch office and you never hear from us again.” In its nearly four years of existence BASE Construction has already expe- rienced a high volume of repeat busi- ness and referrals. “We’re fortunate to have so many return clients and we’re certain that personal touch is the reason. A lot of our owners are happy and recommend us to others. Word of mouth has been huge for us.” The company recently completed work on the 32,000 square foot Zimmerman Wilhoit office building. Another client called looking for the company to tackle a different project and mentioned he liked the look of the building and wondered if he could get a tour. Ritter contacted the owner of the Zimmerman Wilhoit property and facilitated a meeting between the two. BASE Construction got the job and the owner told Ritter that was the reason. Between the company’s eight field superintendents, there are more than 293 combined years of experience. It’s that knowledge and experience that allows BASE Construction to work on a broad range of projects. “We do civil projects, we do healthcare, we can really do it all,” says Ritter. Notable Projects BASE Construction builds all the elec- trical substations for Show Me Power in Marshfield and has completed several projects for the Assemblies of God headquarters. The company also just completed a ten-acre addition to the veterans’ cemetery on Evans Road near Springfield Lake and the Summit Preparatory School’s new building. BASE Construction recently completed The Kitchen’s new shelter at Glenstone and Chestnut Expressway and the latest First Watch Café on East Sunshine. The company continues to work on numerous projects for Lakeland Behavioral Health. Though Ritter takes BASE Construction’s southwest Missouri roots and connections seriously, the company is mobile and has just started work for a current client on an $11 million project out of the area. “We run hard and lean and we’re very competitive,” says Ritter. “We have a lot of owners that are just really happy with our work and continue to come back to us. That’s what’s grown us.” BASE Construction: Streamlining and Personalizing the Construction Process BASE Construction • 620 W Republic Road Springfield MO 65807 • base-cm.com • 417-351-2380 “We’re fortunate to have so many return clients and we’re certain that personal touch is the reason.” — Cody Ritter L - R Standing: Terry Kovacich, Josh Daugherty, Crystal Miller Seated: Karen Dillon, KC Merry, Cody Ritter. Not shown: Trenton Bergmann ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT