Third generation takes over Smoot Construction Co.

The third generation is taking over the reins of Smoot Construction Co. of Columbus. 

Company Chairman Lewis Smoot Sr. announced that Lewis Smoot Jr. will become chairman, chief executive and president of the 75-year-old construction firm.

“For more than seven decades, Smoot Construction Company has built a legacy of excellence and a reputation for hard work and high standards,” said Smoot Sr.

“With Lewis Jr. at the helm, we ensure that our third generation of family leadership is strong, and uniquely positioned to forge employee and client relationships that span decades to come.”

Founded by Sherman Smoot in 1946, Smoot has grown to one of central Ohio's largest construction firms, with offices also in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., and a staff of about 250. 

The firm's projects include several Ohio State University buildings including the Student Union; Chalmers Library at Kenyon College; and the Goodale Parking facility. Joint-venture projects – including many with Turner Construction Co. – include the new Hilton hotel tower and Lower.com stadium in Columbus, and the National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C. 

Lewis Smoot Jr., 63, said his top goal will be to continue the principles that long have guided the firm, which the company defines as CHIPP (Character, Humility, Integrity, Pride and Performance).

"We've always been a family business," he said. "We have employees who are third-generation themselves. It’s been that way since I came out of the Navy in 1980 and joined the force in the field. ... I'm not the only one who has been here 40 years. Some have been here longer."

Smoot said his first job with the firm was as a laborer on a job at Columbus State Institute. Over the years, he rose to senior vice president, overseeing water/wastewater projects, business strategy, information technology, budgeting, safety, diversity and inclusion, and business and client development.

Smoot takes over the firm during a pandemic that has contributed to deep labor and material challenges for contractors.

"It has created issues," he said. "Those will all be resolved soon but in the meantime, it’s just getting back to that state of normal."

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker