For the ninth consecutive year, Dow Smith Company has been named a Certified Best Christian Workplace by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. This certification is based entirely on a survey of our employees.
Dow Smith Company has been certified by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute longer than any other business in the state.
We recently completed work on 1 of 19 Cocktails and Raw Bar. The new bar and restaurant, located at 103 N. Maple Street in Murfreesboro, is open now. 1 of 19 is owned by Shawn and Christy Hackinson, the owners of the popular downtown Murfreesboro restaurant The Alley on Main. The Alley on Main is known for its steak, seafood, and scratch-made pasta dishes.
When the Hackinsons decided to open a cocktail bar around the corner from The Alley on Main, they knew exactly who to call.
This is typically the first question owners ask our team–and understandably so. Constructing a new building or renovating your current facility is a massive investment and one you hope accommodates both your present and future needs. While we would love to be able to give a quick answer to this question, unfortunately, there isn’t a simple one-size-fits-all answer.
Members have had dreams for Epworth United Methodist Church ever since the congregation opened its doors in 1909. Both new and longtime members of the historical church on Arno Road in Franklin, Tennessee willingly give their talent, time and treasure to each other and to their community. “You aren’t going to find any better people anywhere else. We’re driven by our mission to know Jesus and make him known, and we’re all one from that standpoint,” says Epworth UMC Building Committee Co-Chair Chuck Hawkins.
The Dow Smith Company team has completed a new office build-out for Franklin Synergy Bank (FSB) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Formerly known as Midsouth Bank, FSB now occupies a unit located at 310 West Main Street in downtown Murfreesboro. Completed in Fall 2018, the project involved creating a floor plan that could accommodate the bank’s current and future needs in the available space. By the time the project was finished, we were able to provide FSB with a unique, full-service bank branch.
The process of constructing a building or orchestrating a fit-up is complicated. Requiring multiple people and even more hours, there are opportunities for projects to lose momentum or focus. At Dow Smith Company, it is our mission to ensure our customers are treated fairly and receive the quality building they deserve, on schedule and on budget. No matter the size or complexity of a project, our team has standards by which we manage our clients’ projects. These rules guide us so that we can better serve our clients. At the end of the day, we’re proud of a job well-done and a project well-managed.
One little-known aspect of commercial construction is the estimating process – one that is typically associated with the assumption that the contractor overcharges the client for material and labor costs. The estimating and project coordination team at Dow Smith Company makes it their mission to ensure each of our clients receives a quality result, all while staying on schedule and, most importantly, on budget. In order to avoid costly change orders and mistakes Estimator and Project Coordinators Dana Mitchell and Andrea Fall and Partner and Design-Builder Joey Rhyne are involved with every project from schematic budget to close-out.
Dow Smith Company is pleased to announce the recent completion of Fortress Square, a retail shopping center in the heart of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Construction of Phase 1 of the 17,000-square-foot plaza was begun in February 2018 and was completed in just seven months. The Dow Smith team worked closely with Fortress Square owner Steve Beaty of Beaty Properties, LLC and shopping center real estate agent John Harney to complete their project on time and on budget.
The estimating team’s expertise was recently put to the test with a large commercial medical project. We will soon begin construction on a new 28,000-square-foot, two-story medical office building for Murfreesboro Medical Clinic (MMC) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Both Andrea and Dana were instrumental in the estimating and management of the MMC project. The project scope and size made it a more complicated job than most, but it’s been a success so far thanks to the efforts of the entire Dow Smith team.
There are many factors that influence the cost of construction. Some are obvious: land acquisition, permits and construction costs. Then there are the future costs or life-cycle costs to consider: maintenance, repair, replacement—the cost of keeping the facility and its systems up and running. One of the most effective ways to control construction costs is to establish early involvement on behalf of the owner AND the contractor.
First, let’s be truthful and realistic: there simply is no cheap, easy solution to commercial construction. By definition, building a facility for business operations is going to cost money, regardless of the delivery system you choose. But, hear me now: the #1 way to reduce commercial construction costs is to stay away from the lowest bidder.
310 West Main, a commanding brick building constructed in 1925, has become a local landmark and is a highly regarded presence in Murfreesboro’s central business district. Now given a new life after extensive renovation, the structure reflects the people within: solid, respected, and committed to the community. Today, the 310 West Main building is home to one of Murfreesboro’s most celebrated law firms, McCarter/East (McE Law). Owned by Brock East, the firm is well known for its practice, which includes legal services in criminal defense, family law, construction law, business law, personal injury, and other specialties.
It comes as no shock to the average person that a ripple effect of recent technological advances and the growth of the Internet economy has been a tectonic shift in the labor force. The number of jobs that require sitting behind a desk in a cubicle – or anywhere a computer might be – has risen dramatically over the past 20 years. This shift has transformed our educational system into one that funnels students towards a different set of opportunities. While some of those opportunities offer new and exciting prospects for our economy, the trend has accelerated at the cost of marginalizing vocational and skills-based training – especially in the construction trades.
The Dow Smith team recently completed a new addition at Murfreesboro First United Methodist Church (FUMC). Since moving into their current location more than 15 years ago, the congregation has experienced immense growth and fellowship in their community. Sitting on 20 acres at 265 West Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the church saw the need to make their campus accessible for all parishioners. FUMC’s Executive Director Fred Halfpap states that the church created a new master plan to identify “what we wanted to see in the future and what the church needed. We wanted to correct some of the things we didn’t get to do when we built [our original location].”
As I’ve said a few times now, my winning Business Person Of The Year really means that WE won Business Of The Year. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better place to work in Rutherford County, Tennessee, and maybe the world. But that’s not because of me…that’s because of you.
Don’t make a million-dollar mistake. In construction, even minor errors can be costly. And they add up quickly if you’re not careful. We know you’re excited to start building, but rushing to the ground-breaking ceremony before you’re ready will catch up with you later. It’s critical in any project to get all of your ducks in a row.
For growing businesses, the decision to renovate or build a new facility is a significant strategic move. While economic uncertainties often lead to hesitation, a closer look at current economic trends and projections for 2026 and 2027 reveals a compelling window of opportunity for forward-thinking companies to invest in their physical infrastructure.