Multi-Craft Contractors

Diversity is key for northwest Arkansas company

By Dana C. Crisson

As its name implies, Multi-Craft Contractors utilizes a diverse workforce of more than 300 professional craftspeople with three decades of fabricating experience to provide its clients the best in comprehensive service.

No other company in the northwest Arkansas region offers as many different fields of service, with divisions including mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fabrication, telecom, skyline services and industrial resources including cranes and other equipment.

“We are unique in that we offer a total turn-key solution within the industry, to multiple commercial and industrial markets,” says CFO Hex Bisbee. “We take an idea and develop, expand, construct, implement, install, activate and execute it. We go from concept to completion, all the way to the final handshake.

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Multi-Craft actually started in the late 1960s as ABC Plumbing Co., a name that was originally chosen because it would be the first business listing in the telephone book. By the time two brothers, John and Vance Elder, had purchased it in 1974, the company had changed its name and its focus, moving more toward industrial work.

“By catering to industry, the company owners removed the seasonality of the work, and the work load became more stable,” says company President Rick Barrows, who worked for the Elders. Barrows bought the company shortly after John Elder retired in 1983. Dennis Kelly and Jim LeFevre joined Barrows as partners.

The company began to grow steadily. It added an electrical contracting division and began accepting more electrical, mechanical and fabrication work.

“Having all the resources we need under one roof helps with the coordination process,” Barrows says. “The company owns three cranes – a 75 ton, 60 ton and 40 ton – so we are able to control our assets, both human and equipment, and are able to use them when and where they are needed.

“Our commitment to quality and our commitment to treat our customers right are the driving forces behind our growth. We have dramatically invested in our ability to serve our customers.”

Multi-Craft was elected Contractor for the Year for 2006 for its diversity of service, quality of work and performance in extreme conditions.

More than 300 craftspeople are employed at the home office in Springdale, Ark. The firm’s second office, opened in Springfield, Mo., in 1997, has an additional 50 employees.

“One of our clients, Kraft Foods, encouraged us to come to Springfield and set up an office,” Barrows says. “Our Springfield market is growing nicely. We have a strong fabrication presence there.”

Although its primary client base is northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri, the company works all across the nation on a temporary basis.

“Our priorities change with every phone call and every new job,” Barrows says. “We are somewhat like a large service company, responding to what our customers need. Our jobs range from $5 million to $50 million.”

He says that training can be a significant challenge to the entire construction industry.

“I am concerned about the future workforce because a lot of skilled positions are in the hands of people in their mid-50s,” he adds. “To address that issue, we have strengthened our in-house training program to give workers the training they need. We want each person who works for us to feel like he or she works for the best division in the company, but to also realize that it takes all the divisions together to make the company a success.”

“We have a unique company with a real family atmosphere and a great sense of pride in the accomplishments we have made. As Multi-Craft continues to grow, we are keeping an eye on the future and embracing new technology. We are trying to set the curve rather than follow it.”