2008 Economic Impact Awards Finalist, Contractors: DeWitt & Associates

DeWitt’s work for clients such as St. John’s Hospitals, Springfield Public Schools and Missouri State University brought in revenues of $83 million in 2007 – up 13 percent from the $73.5 million achieved in 2006.

The firm’s area employment rose 39 percent in the same period, to 160 from 115.

Honed in on health care

Health care construction is DeWitt’s No. 1 niche.

“We’ve averaged about $40 million a year in health care for the last five or six years,” Hackleman says.

While the health care sector has slowed somewhat – DeWitt completed its work on St. John’s new $101 million patient tower and a $40 million facility for Joplin’s Freeman Hospital earlier this year – Hackleman looks for health care projects to resurge in 2009.

“The owners themselves are just kind of catching their breath,” he says, “but they know they’ve got to do facilities to meet the expanding demand for their business.”

In anticipation of serving aging baby boomers, health care clients are “talking beds, surgery rooms, outpatient facilities – whatever they can do to handle the volume that’s five to 10 years out,” Hackleman says.

Hackleman says health care is a challenging sector to build in, because it changes so rapidly.

“It’s new processes, new facilities; we’re always learning what’s state-of-the-art and what’s new,” Hackleman adds.

Other sectors

But DeWitt & Associates’ talent for adapting to client needs goes beyond health care.

With owners such as MSU, the challenge lies in the need to address a broad spectrum of projects – from parking garages to JQH Arena to the cutting-edge Jordan Valley Innovation Center.

MSU Architect Doug Sampson says university projects go to the lowest, best bid, and historically that bid has often come from DeWitt.

“They offer us, obviously, exceptional value on their bids,” Sampson says of the firm’s success in garnering MSU projects.

Sampson added that he finds DeWitt’s project managers to be responsive, willing and unafraid of addressing any problems that arise.

“They don’t shy away from it; they just tackle it head on and help get through it,” he says.

Hackleman says he expects moderate revenue growth this year, adding that the southwest Missouri commercial construction market continues to be strong.

While high-risk speculation is out, money is still cheap for creditable borrowers, and local demand for commercial contractors is high. Hackleman notes that Springfield is currently home to some of the largest projects he’s seen in his 40 years in the marketplace, while ongoing school construction in the region and Branson development also are hotbeds of activity.

DeWitt recently completed a 400,000-square-foot warehouse facility for Kraft Foods at Springfield Underground, and “we’ve just landed the third phase of the Innovation Center,” Hackleman says.

Meanwhile, DeWitt is beginning work for the $9.8 million terminal building at the new Branson Airport, a project slated for completion in March 2009.

DeWitt & Associates

Address: 1256 S. Barnes Ave., Springfield, MO 65804

Web: www.dewitt-associates.com

Employees: 160

2007 Revenues: $83 million

Information accurate at the time of the honor.