Morelock-Ross posts 70 percent growth

Morelock-Ross Group of Cos.

Address: 722 W. Olive, Springfield, MO 65806

Top executives: Wayne D. Morelock and Kenneth E. Ross

2003 revenues: $36.7 million

2004 revenues: $49.8 million

2005 revenues: $63 million

3-year growth: 72 percent

Employees: 90 full time, 200 part time

A record 1,268 homes were built in 2005 in Greene County. In fact, the area housing record was broken twice in the last three years.

Few firms, if any, in southwest Missouri took advantage of the recent building explosion more effectively than Morelock-Ross Group of Cos. Morelock-Ross built 165 homes in 2005, more than any other area builder on SBJ’s 2006 listing of the Springfield area’s top single-family home builders, which are ranked by the value of homes built in 2005.

Morelock-Ross’ size and track record earned it a lot of jobs over the last three years – so many that its sales grew about 70 percent from $36.7 million in 2003 to $49.8 million in 2004 and $63 million in 2005.

“In our attempt to capture our share of the market, the market has expanded,” said President Wayne Morelock, who established Morelock-Ross with partner Kenny Ross in 1982 as a commercial construction company.

“We set out to make a living for our families and help enhance the community that we live in,” he said. “(Our growth) is just a testament to the American dream.”

Ross said the company’s reputation is responsible for its success.

“We get good repeat business and good referrals by doing what we say we’re going to do and providing a quality product,” Ross said.

The ever-expanding world of Morelock-Ross – comprised of Morelock-Ross Builders, Morelock-Ross Properties, Morelock-Ross Management, PMR, HMR and Burrito Concepts LLC – is still a major player in commercial construction. It has served as general contractor for a number of multimillion-dollar projects in the last year, including the 14,000-square-foot headquarters for Marisol International at 2424 W. Kingsley, a 170,000-square-foot addition for Loren Cook Co. at 2707 N. Barnes and a 45,000-square-foot facility for Springfield Striping & Sealing at 3809 E. Energy Place.

Morelock-Ross builds 12 to 15 commercial projects yearly, placing the company among the Top 10 largest commercial general contractors in the Springfield area, according to the 2006 SBJ Book of Lists.

Morelock said his company has earned dividends by aggressively seeking new investments. Morelock-Ross may expand its construction endeavors into the booming northwest part of Arkansas in the future.

Mexican food, however, has been its most recent addition. Morelock-Ross started opening Qdoba Mexican Grills in 2004 through its Burrito Concepts division, which operates eight Qdobas in Springfield, Fayetteville, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Stillwater, Okla., with expected revenues of about $8 million in 2006.

The addition of Qdoba restaurants resulted in additional employees for the Morelock-Ross Group, with the number of full-time employees increasing from 52 to 90 in the last two years.

Burrito Concepts was the brainchild of Morelock-Ross Chief Financial Officer Randy Allen, who joined the company in 2003 after spending 19 years developing Wendy’s and Panera Bread restaurants for Sam Hamra’s Hamra Enterprises.

“It’s turned out to be really good synergy between a construction company and our restaurant operations,” Allen said.

Morelock said the marriage of a construction company and restaurant operator isn’t nearly as strange as it may seem. Morelock-Ross built all three Springfield Qdobas – 900 E. Battlefield Road, 4127 S Kansas Expressway and 2631 E. Sunshine St. – and serves as landlord for the Kansas Expressway location.

“The restaurant business is not just about serving food,” Morelock said. “It’s also about real estate.”

Morelock-Ross is expanding its property management division into a new 1,200-square-foot building next door to its headquarters at 722 W. Olive, Ross said. The building should be finished in the next two months.