July 12, 2016

Work Ethic Brings Pride in Getting Job Done Well


– The Commercial Appeal –

Reed Dennis, President of Mid America Construction Co.

Company: Mid-America Construction, a division of Boyle Investment Co. founded in 1971, has built more than 6 million square feet of office space, warehouses, shopping centers, medical office space, hotel expansions and other projects.

Date of birth: August 6, 1960

Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

Education: Studied civil engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and accounting and business at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo.

Personal: Married to Michele Nichols in 1985; two children – son Preston, a junior at Memphis University School, and daughter Ellen, a freshman at Hutchison School.

Civic involvement: Member of the building and grounds committee for Hutchison School.

First job: First construction-related job – project engineer in 1983 in Irving, Texas, on a 17-story office building in Las Colinas for Texas Commerce Bank.

Most recent job: Vice president of Mid-America Construction from March 2000 to March of this year when he became president upon the retirement of William L. Wehrum. Started as a construction project manager with Mid America in 1988, responsible for taking bids on various projects, awarding subcontracts and purchase orders for materials, scheduling and making sure projects, were constructed on time and within the budget.

Career highlights: Involved in high profile projects, including the U.S. postal Service Southern Regional headquarters, Thomas & Betts worldwide headquarters at Southwind, West Clinic, Semmes-Murphey Clinic, Helena Chemical corporate headquarters at Schilling Farms, Morgan Keegan’s East Memphis Office and Marsh Center.

Most satisfying career moment: “Being made president of Mid-America Construction Co.”

Career advice: “Strive to be the best you can every day of your life, and at the end of the day, ask yourself if you performed to the best of your ability.”

Comments: I have been fortunate to have had extremely capable people around me who require little to no direct supervision on a daily basis. They are all professionals who know and perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

Person I most admire: “I have four. My dad for instilling the work ethic I have. My mother for raising three boys who all turned out to be successful. My wife, Michelle for putting up with me and still managing to work, attend soccer games and run the house, and, President George W. Bush, who has the most difficult and thankless job in the world today.”

Hobbies: Hunting, especially duck hunting, fishing and training my two yellow Labrador retrievers.

Last Book read: Guns, Freedom and Terrorism by Wayne LaPierre.

Favorite film: Saving Private Ryan

Favorite vacation spot: Sanibel/Captiva Island, Fla.

Change I would like to see: ‘I would like to see a change in the workforce in the construction industry. In the last 10 years there has been a noticeable difference in the attitude among many in the business. There appears to be a lack of pride in one’s workmanship. It’s difficult to find people who take pride in a job well done.”