American DBE Magazine

Smoot Construction Moves Ahead Under 3rd Generation of Leadership

Lewis Smoot Jr. assumed leadership of Smoot Construction, Inc. in 2021, succeeding his father Lewis Smoot, Sr. as CEO and President of the company.

Photo courtesy of Smoot Construction

Smoot Construction has built a solid reputation for quality and character during the 75 years since its founding in 1946 by Sherman R. Smoot. This legacy continues as the company enters its third generation of leadership under Lewis Smoot Jr. the son of former President and CEO Lewis Smoot Sr., and grandson of founder Sherman. Lewis Jr. plans to lead the company in the same manner as his predecessors, focusing on the company core principles that long have guided the firm, which the company defines as CHIPP—Character, Humility, Integrity, Pride and Performance.

Sherman Smoot started the company with other family members in 1946 in West Virginia, and after moving to Columbus, Ohio, grew the company to be a respected masonry contracting firm in the Central Ohio region. Lewis Smoot, Sr. joined the company in 1958 after service in the U.S. Army and became the second-generation leader of the company in 1974. Lewis Sr. grew the company from a masonry contracting firm to be one of the largest African American-owned general contracting and construction management firms in the country over more than 40 years of leadership of the company.

Smoot has completed an extensive array of projects as both a prime contractor and a joint venture partner with other major construction firms like Turner Construction, AECOM Hunt, Gilbane Building Company and others. The projects include culturally significant and important projects including several Ohio State University buildings including the student union; the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control towers in Columbus and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lewis Smoot Sr., Chairman, Emeritus of Smoot Construction

Photo courtesy of Smoot Construction

Lewis Jr. assumed leadership of the company after a 41-year career of working his way through the ranks. He joined the company after serving in the U.S. Navy and started his career working in the field as a laborer working with the masons. Over the years he held several positions and said the experience gave him a thorough knowledge of the company and the people under his leadership. “We have people who have worked here for 40 years like I have, and we have second and third generation family members,” Lewis Jr. said. “Smoot is a family business; and that is not just the immediate family with fiduciary responsibility for the business, but we also consider our employees as family,” Lewis Jr. said.

As the company moves forward under his leadership, Lewis Jr.’s goal is to build upon the solid foundation laid by Sherman and Lewis Sr. while taking advantage of new opportunities that fit within the company’s capabilities. Smoot Construction continues to be a major player in the Central Ohio construction market having recently partnered with Turner Construction to build a Major League Soccer stadium for the Columbus Crew team. Smoot partnered with Turner Construction and Walsh Construction and is building an addition to the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University; and is partnered with Turner Construction to complete the Columbus Hilton Downtown Expansion Project.

Although Smoot completes work in several segments of the commercial construction industry including aviation, government, healthcare, K-12 education, higher education and institutional, Lewis Jr. views the Water and Wastewater segment as an area for potential growth in the future. He recognizes that many government agencies are facing deteriorating and outdated water and wastewater systems that need improvement; and is also aware that the recently passed infrastructure bill has significant funding to address this area. “The water/wastewater work is going to be around after our children are retired. Because there has never been the upkeep that needed to be there. So now some of the sewer systems and water lines are now 50, 60 and 100 years old and beginning to collapse; and now there is this huge rush of money that must go into maintaining it.”

A rendering of the 28-story Columbus Hilton Downtown Hotel Expansion project currently under construction by a Turner Construction and Smoot Construction joint venture in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite leading the company to pursue new areas of opportunity and guiding the company through industry transition related to technology, workforce challenges and innovative procurement methods, Lewis Jr. believes Smoot Construction’s long standing business strategies are what will propel the company into the future. These strategies include maintaining a conservative business approach based on slow but consistent growth, doing business withreliable business partners with a history of success, and maintaining impeccable relationships with employees and business partners. These traits have carried the company through previous generations and are the hallmark of the company’s success.

“We value our relationships and are loyal to the people that we have done business with over the years,” Lewis Jr. said. “We still use the same bonding company that gave my grandfather his first bond many years ago.” The company also maintains a long history with business partners and clients like The Ohio State University, the City of Columbus and Turner Construction. “Loyalty was important to my grandfather and my father, and it is important to me as well,” Lewis Jr. said.

Lewis Jr. also plans to continue the company’s history of mentoring other minority and diverse business firms through business opportunities. He knows that a significant reason for the company’s success is that other companies and business partners have helped Smoot Construction succeed over the years, so it’s a duty of the company to give back to help others succeed. “We are not afraid to teach anybody anything that we do,” he said. “It’s really extremely important to teach the next generation. We know that if it wasn’t for the larger companies that mentored us along the way, we wouldn’t be where we are today, so we always want to reach back and help other companies that want to help themselves,” Lewis Jr. said.

The company’s mentorship primarily happens on projects where Smoot partners with minority and diverse firms to complete major projects. “We have an internal obligation to work with other minority businesses regardless of others regard for it. We’re a minority company and clients can use our percentage, but that is not where it stops for us. It stops with us making sure we hit our internal numbers, based upon the type of projects we have and the availability in the marketplace,” Lewis Jr. said.

Smoot Construction partnered with Turner Construction to build the 430,000-square-foot Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium for the Columbus Crew Soccer Club. The 20,000-seat stadium opened in July 2021.

Photo courtesy of Nova Crystallis

As Smoot Construction moves forward into the next generation of leadership, at 63, Lewis Jr. is already thinking about the fourth generation of company leadership. His vision for the future is to have his son enter the leadership ranks of the company and for Smoot Construction to continue to help other companies grow and succeed. He believes there are three challenges for companies seeking to grow in the industry: banking, bonding and business opportunities and believes Smoot can help other diverse firms understand and navigate these challenges going forward. “It comes down to understanding what it takes to operate a business at the next level, there are some challenges to overcome as you add more zeros to the checkbook. I think we can help other minority firms make the transition,” he said.

Lewis Jr. is proud of the legacy Smoot Construction has built over 75 years and recognizes the importance of navigating the company through industry changes while keeping the company’s core principals intact and preparing his son to assume leadership in the future. Lewis Jr. said, “The company has changed from my grandfather to my dad – and changed from my dad to me. It will change again from me to my son, and he’s being indoctrinated to the fact that you just have to keep being relevant in what you are doing and how you are doing it, as he changes the company too.”