Royce Cornelison still respects the value of a promise and a handshake. He runs his company, P&C Construction, Inc., on a stalwart set of core values – honesty, integrity, the highest quality work performed at a fair price, and a closer walk with his Lord.
For those who know P&C Construction, this comes as no surprise. These principles are guideposts for working and for everyday living, and Cornelison has held them dear for many years. “My grandfather passed a philosophy down to my mother, and she passed it along to me,” he explains. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right. My parents taught me to be honest and straight with people. They might not always like what you tell them, but you don’t have to look over your shoulder. I like to look people in the eye and for them to do the same with me. There is still a lot to be said for a handshake and a warm greeting.”
Royce, and then-partner Skeeter Pritchett, founded P&C Construction in 1993, and from two the enterprise has grown to employ more than 40 people. Licensed in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, and soon in Georgia, the company completes projects from the ground up and does tenant build-outs, metal-building erection, renovation, and a variety of other jobs. A partial client list includes the U.S. government through the General Services Administration, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as Regions and SunTrust banks.
Last year, P&C Construction was listed among the top 5,000 companies in America in terms of growth, according to INC.com, and was ranked second in the Chattanooga area. Recently, word was received that the company will again be among the INC.com top 5,000 in 2008.
One of the primary ingredients for success at P&C is the caliber of those who work there, people dedicated to the highest standards of quality, bringing a project home on schedule and on budget.
“I had to learn the hard way many years ago, through mistakes, that you can’t do everything,” Royce remembers. “You have got to surround yourself with talented and caring individuals. My oldest son, Nicholas, is the senior project manager here, and he didn’t get that position just because he is my son. He is a hard worker and is knowledgeable about this business. Many of the clients we have now are relationships he has brought in and maintained.”
Other key employees include estimators and project managers, Michael Brown, Gary Gaylor, and Chase Steele; controller, Chris Brown; and safety and human resources director, David Williams. Royce is quick to add that a number of others contribute to the growth and prosperity of the company and the satisfaction of its clients on a daily basis.
P&C’s basic core values are responsible for building more than physical structures. “One way to look at it is that probably 85 percent of our work is with repeat clients,” Royce comments, “and that speaks for itself. We are honest and fair with people and try to maintain a good rapport with our customers, subcontractors, and suppliers. There are some people out there who believe that price is not the only thing that drives a bargain. If you make your customer happy and treat them well, they will do business with you again.”
The P&C management team sees a steady moral compass throughout the workforce as a positive influence on performance, including a commitment to a drug-free work environment and a level of trust which facilitates work with government agencies, financial institutions, and other companies. In spite of challenging economic times throughout the economy, Cornelison expects slow to moderate growth in the coming years, and he continues to be optimistic about the future. “So far, thanks to the Lord, we haven’t felt the pinch as much as some others,” he says. “We expect the fruit of our labor to pay off over time.”
For Royce Cornelison, the labor is one of joy and of faith. Along with running P&C Construction, he also serves as the pastor of Flat Rock Holiness Church in Flat Rock, Alabama, just a few miles down the road from his home in Bryant. As pastor for more than six years, he has led worship services, performed marriages and funerals, visited hospitals, and counseled and consoled. For Cornelison, it is indeed the highest of callings.
“I have always had a strong religious background,” he says. “Faith in God is a part of life that ties into moral and ethical beliefs and how to treat people. Construction is a full-time job, and pastoring is a full-time job, too. Doing both can be taxing. Pastorship ties up a lot of time, but it is my life and my joy caring about people.”
Married to his wife, Gloria, for 30 years, Royce is the father of sons Nicholas and 16-year-old Jordan, who works with P&C as well, and he is a grandfather of two. The loss of a third son, Seth Nathaniel, who died in infancy 25 years ago, provides a keen sense of empathy for those who are dealing with difficult times. “When there are times of sadness, you can hardly put words together to express it,” Royce relates, “but when the times are joyful, that joy is hard to beat.”
P&C Construction and Royce Cornelison are dedicated to building – relationships, lives, and structures. And all of these are guaranteed to be solid.