VP Spotlight – A 40 Year Family Legacy
This month one of our Vendors, Varco-Pruden buildings hightlighted us in their VP Builder Spotlight program. Read the article below to discover a little bit more about our company and our partnership with Varco-Pruden.
FOR OVER FORTY YEARS A COOPER FAMILY LEGACY CONTINUES Founded in 1967 by James W. “Tommy” Cooper , Cooper Construction Company Inc. has completed over 1600 projects in a style that is progressive, professional and personal. Cooper Construction is more than just a business for its owners. As a company established by a family with strong moral & ethical values, and continually owned and operated by their family, the owners are passionate about Cooper Construction.
The family legacy continues. After graduating from East Carolina University with a management degree in 1974, Thomas L. (Tom) Cooper joined the company, and upon the retirement of his father in 1985, succeeded to the presidency of the company. In 1976, after attending Brevard College, J. Michael (Mike) Cooper, Executive Vice President/Secretary, joined the company. Tom and Mike Cooper became the sole stockholders of Cooper Construction Company Inc. in 1997, one year after they moved to a new operations center in Hendersonville, NC.
Cooper Construction became a third generation family business when Mike’s oldest daughter Kelly Ford, an Elon University graduate, joined the company in 2003 followed by her husband Trey, a NC State University graduate, in 2004. The third generation’s involvement continued to grow as Tom’s youngest son Zach joined the company upon his graduation from Clemson University in the spring of 2008. In its first four decades, this third generation firm has built a reputation, organization and staff second to none in western North Carolina. The company is positioning itself for the future with Zach Cooper (Tom’s son) and Trey Ford (Mike’s son-in-law) transitioning to leadership roles.
Cooper Construction Company has been a true partner and actively participates in programs and product with VP for over 30 years. Mike has served on the Regional Advisory Board, Presidents Advisory Council, and the Executive Presidents Advisory Council.
Recently Mike Cooper shared his thoughts. “When we first made the decision to become a VP builder in the early 80s, it was because the projects we seemed to be getting more of at the time were becoming more complex, and less of a box building. VP’s custom concept approach to the pre-engineered building industry at that time was more appropriate for the direction our company was headed. That decision has proven to be invaluable to us over the years. Also the philosophy of going to market through a builder network, and building a strong relationship with that builder, as opposed to direct selling has been the right approach for us as a builder with VP”.
Cooper Construction Company is currently constructing a fast track project for Barry Callebaut USA, LLC, a 3 million dollar, 24,000 square foot, 36’ eave height warehouse for chocolate storage. This project's four month completion schedule, allows the existing receiving warehouse to be relocated into this new facility in time for three new manufacturing lines to be installed in the existing facility. The new warehouse is being designed to maintain a constant 69 degree temperature, year round. VP has been instrumental in helping Cooper Construction with this schedule by phasing the building delivery in three phases. This mutual effort is exactly the kind teamwork required to build and maintain a profitable relationship VP and the VP Builder network.