From a young age, Cody Crawford knew he wanted to be in the construction sector. Throughout high school and college, he worked for his father’s friend, who was an entrepreneur. Crawford “really admired the guy and his story and how he built his business.”
He knew he wanted to do the same.
Now 46 years old, he is the head of the company he has founded, CR Crawford ConstructionOne of the largest construction companies whose headquarters is in Arkansas. Since its creation in 2006, the company has increased to 95 employees, has revenues of $ 200 million and operates everywhere in the United States.
The company’s portfolio includes practically all imaginable sectors, including health care, warehouses, education, multifamilial projects, office buildings, retail, restaurants and banks. The major projects include a more dollar project for the implementation of Simmons Foods Benton County County and a current multifamilial project for Blue Crane, Tom and Steuart Walton’s Real Estate Development Company.
Crawford obtained a baccalaureate in construction management with a minor in finance and real estate in 2001 from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. After university, he worked for system contracting corp. In his hometown of El Dorado, then Dave Grundfest Co. de Little Rock before moving to the northwest of Arkansas to open the office of Rogers de Bell-Corley Construction.
In 2006, after developing relationships in the region and saw the opportunity, he launched CR Crawford, at 27, with certain partners.
“I was young and naive and I decided that it was probably the right time to give him a gunshot, so I did it,” he said.
During the first year, operating out of its house in Fayetteville, the company brought in about 30 million dollars in income. Due to this success, in 2010, he was appointed in the class of the under 40s of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.
Now, as a visionary director, Crawford focuses on the strategic growth of the company, the establishment of customer relations and the satisfaction of customer needs.
Crawford expects the company “to take a significant step in the next five years, increasing by 50%or even double,” he said. “I don’t want to say that it is located in the stone, but I have the impression that we have enough irons in the fire and enough things that seem to happen.”
The previous projects took place in a range of $ 20 million at $ 30 million, but Crawford said that it “begins to see more opportunities from 80 to 100 million dollars in projects. at the upper level.
In 2021, John Teeter was appointed CEO of the company and Crawford attributed to him the daily success of the organization.
“I am no longer a dreamer and a guy from the case, dreaming in the direction of the company,” said Crawford. “With a leadership role, John is as important as I or anyone in this company. I just recognized very early on that he is very capable and probably had a very strong future in the world of construction of Arkansas, and I continued it. »»
Crawford’s strength is to recognize the talent to fill a void in which it is not good or that the company “does not have much power. But we have the right people in the good seats here now, “he said. “It has really gelled in the past two to three years.”
Crawford attributes its ability to establish good relationships for its success.
“It is philosophy that guides me and it gave me a lot of way in life,” he said. “Just connect with good people and have a good nose for whom is a good person and either make them work for you, or these are the type of customers you want to work.”
Being a general entrepreneur is a very difficult business, said Crawford.
“The expectation is to create projects in time, subbudget and build them perfect. This can be difficult because you know your goal is to keep them happy. We work very hard.
Crawford is also involved in development through various real estate transactions, including the development of hunting properties for a recreational type across the country, such as a duck lodge in Forrest City.
On the board of directors of the Armor Bank, Crawford has just turned outside the Game & Fish Foundation Board. He and his wife, Joni, have three children.