This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So here we go with our 106th installment visiting with Scott Ferry, owner of Ferry Construction Services, which provides excellence in quality and an individualized client experience through the consulting and construction process. We strive to apply a Christ-like culture to deliver projects from concept to completion.
Describe what type of construction you do. Commercial construction in the hospitality, religious, government, and tenant build-out markets.
How did you get started? I started Ferry Construction Services because I felt a call to ministry. It became clear to me over more than a year that my ministry was construction and I was supposed to use my construction knowledge to guide and lead churches through the construction process.
What is your background? Before college, I gained my construction knowledge and experience from my Dad. After that I attended the University of Florida and graduated with a degree in Building Construction. I then immediately went to work for WELBRO Building Corporation, which is a large commercial general contractor specializing in hospitality construction.
Who is your mentor? When I started my first construction project after college I was partnered with a gentleman name Bruce Hauke. He invested in me and was a great mentor. My biggest supporter has always been my wife Amy. She continually provides encouragement and has supported me all the way through college, my first job out of college, and now in our businesses.
Describe your customers. We have two different types of customers. The first is church leaders who need us to understand their ministry and guide them through the construction process, while protecting them from the pitfalls of construction along the way. The second is experienced business clients who are building or adding on to an existing business. These customers understand what they want and they want us to perform the construction with as little or as much input as the client wants to provide.
What impacts your working environment? The one that affects us the most is economic. Businesses and churches are more prone to pursue renovations or new projects when the economy is doing well.
Name three things you wish you knew when you started. I feel that I gained the experience I needed to start my business from my previous employer and life experiences. I wouldn’t change anything because the mistakes and struggles I went through have taught me how to be a better entrepreneur.
What do you enjoy about your business? I love the freedom of running my own business, and the ability to create opportunities that can impact people’s lives in a positive way.