Walton Construction celebrates its first decade

It was 10 years ago this November when Walton Construction broke ground for a grocery store, now a Dillon's, at the corner of Battlefield Road and Kansas Expressway. Since that time, the company's client list has grown to include Bass Pro Shops, Silver Dollar City and the Springfield/Branson Regional Airport.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the city of Springfield announced that it would contract with Walton Construction Company on the $7.3 million recreational ice facility in Jordan Valley Park . Construction will begin in the next couple of weeks.

"The company built an ice-skating rink in Kansas City, so they have some experience and expertise in this field," said Benjamin Alexander, Jordan Valley Park project manager for the city of Springfield. "This is an exciting project for the community."

Walton Construction, which has offices in Springfield, Kansas City and Phoenix, employs more than 400 people. The company's monthly revenues exceed $25 million, with yearly earnings exceeding $300 million.

A majority of the subcontractors the company uses are based in Springfield, and almost 98 percent of the revenues created by the Springfield office stay in the Springfield area.

Greg Walton, the owner of the company, has his office at the company headquarters in Kansas City.

Rick Quint became the senior vice president/division manager when the Springfield branch opened in May of 1994. He was working for a Phoenix-based developer when Walton asked him to head up the Springfield office.

Quint said the firm attracts national clients like Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart for a number of reasons.

"We're licensed in 36 states and have a nearly unlimited bonding capacity," he said. "This means that no matter what happens with the company, we will fulfill our contracts, making sure all work is completed."

The company designs facilities and builds them as well.

"About 50 percent of our work is design-build," he said. This is determined by the number of projects and is not in terms of dollars, he said.

"We also look at the schedule to see when workers and the necessary materials are available," he said. "The estimated completion date comes from that information."

Past clients also include the Landers Theatre, the Dixie Stampede in Branson and First Card/ First USA.

Walton Construction installed an orchestra pit and remodeled the bathrooms and the lobby of the Landers Theatre.

The work on the historic building was completed during the summer of 1999.

The Dixie Stampede restaurant was built by Walton Construction employees and subcontractors. The business opened its doors five years ago.

The company built the Red Gold Heritage Hall, a new music theater, at Silver Dollar City. The theater was completed in March in time for the beginning of the season.

Walton's work on the multimillion dollar expansion of First USA in Springfield was finished in September of 1999.

Current projects include improvements to the Springfield/Branson Regional Airport.

"We've started work on the airport this past spring and should finish sometime next summer," Quint said.

"We're adding a baggage claim area and remodeling an old one, and adding an intermodal facility a place where people can catch the bus or van to their hotel without having to go outside. We're also adding a parking lot, new entrance canopies and sidewalks to the front of the building, and remodeling the branch of Great Southern Travel that's located inside the airport," he said.

Quint said he thinks it's the company's reputation that has enabled it to continue to grow.

"We have some great superintendents and subcontractors and it shows," he said. "Word of mouth is the best salesman in this business."

Bruce Johnson, one of five project superintendents in the Springfield office, said the word is spreading that Walton Construction Company listens to its subcontractors.

"While we're gaining a reputation for getting projects done on time, the subcontractors want to come work for us because they know we'll listen to their ideas. They want to work for us," Johnson said.

In addition to developing construction projects, Greg Walton owns the two Applebee's restaurants in Springfield, the one in Branson and one in Nixa that is scheduled to open Nov. 13.

The restaurants are a part of his franchise, called Ozark Apples.

Walton hired Greg McGhee, who is the vice president and managing partner of Ozarks Apples, to oversee the Applebee's locations in Missouri.

Walton owns additional restaurants in Kansas and Arkansas. McGhee said the Nixa restaurant will have 43 fewer seats than the ones in Springfield because Nixa is a smaller town.

"Applebee's has a prototype called STAR (small town Applebee's restaurants) that enables us to go into smaller towns," he said. "The people of Nixa are excited about us being there. They keep asking when we're going to open."