Welcome to Miles Construction & Development

Construction is just in my blood I guess. My great aunt told me how my great grandfather, John Becker, left Germany in 1876 for a new life in America. As a stone mason, he sailed with a shipment of stone from Belgium (a gift to the Church) and helped build a cathedral in Galveston, Texas. When that project was over, he joined a team in Austin to construct the State Capital Building. Once completed, he went to the Llano stone yards, jumped on a train loaded with stone and headed North, hoping the load of rock would lead to the next masonry project. The train stopped in Waco for two weeks. Most of the masons gave up on the train and headed back to the hill country. Eventually, the train headed to Paris, Texas where my great grandfather worked on the County Courthouse. My family stayed and settled in Paris, where I was born, raised, and worked for eighteen years. Other family members have been in construction as well, creating buildings and working for NASA building what would become the space program of my generation. Adventure is in my blood and I don’t sit behind a desk for too long.

Who would think building a fort in the woods as a kid could change your career path? My buddy and I “borrowed” a board from a neighborhood construction site. We assumed it was trash since it had been used as a form board and had concrete on it. As we carried our board down the street a gentleman stepped out of his house and asked where we were going with “his” board. We explained that we were going to use it to build the greatest fort in all of Texas. When we returned to our fort the next day, we found more boards, nails, and a few scrap pieces of plywood, compliments of Mr. Harrison. With his help, we did build a great fort! Twenty years later and shortly after graduating from Texas A&M with a BS degree in construction science, I found myself helping run Harrison, Walker and Harper Construction Company (HWH) in Paris, Texas. When Mr. Harrison and Mr. Walker retired, Mr. Harper and I continued to grow the company with the help of a bunch of “old school” construction superintendents. At its current age of 115 years, HWH claims to be one of the oldest general contractors in Texas. Although a great company, I found that my management job required way too much of my time. The 80-hour work weeks and overwhelming responsibility for up to 300 workers took their toll on me. After a valiant effort and a few years later, I left to begin my own endeavor…Miles Construction and Development. With limited funding and an unstable economy I bought an advertising company, and moved to Austin before finding my home in College Station, Texas. I worked with some great companies along the way that gave me priceless insight into what makes construction companies successful, where they struggle, and how to be competitive in changing markets. These experiences have helped me develop my business model for Miles Construction & Development.

Our simple business plan. I had experience running a large construction company with the traditional estimator/project manager/superintendent operational approach. I watched how the burden of too many employees can choke a company during slow times. I saw the finger pointing and blame game when things went wrong…always the estimator who bid too cheap, the project manager who didn’t purchase well, or the superintendent who didn’t manage his resources well. In my 30-plus years of construction, I have worked at every job. I started as a high school student, laying sewer lines in a ditch. Over time and with a lot of work, I climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, working for great companies led by great men such as Ross Perot and Sam Walton. I built for Campbell Soup, Texas Instruments, and Kimberly-Clark; I constructed schools, hospitals, churches, and office buildings. I have done it all and experienced a lot. A good friend once said, “With your experience you will be the next Brown & Root or Trammel Crowe.” I explained that I had no desire to grow a large construction company. I ran a large construction company and it almost killed me.

My business plan is to keep my company small. With my experience, I can be the estimator, project manager, and superintendent. The company needs to be manageable so we can give each project the personal attention and efficiency it deserves. I want the man running your project to be the man who signs the checks. That way I can personally manage your job and hold myself responsible for the successful completion of your project. Any finger pointing would be at myself. I like it that way, and I believe our customers appreciate our method as well. When necessary, we will have a superintendent or two to help, but we will not have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed. We can be extremely competitive in the market place, and we employ the best craftsmen available to do the work. I have strived for years to attract and maintain the best of the best in their respective trades. I take care of them and they take care of me. We like to take the entire project from land acquisition to occupancy or sold. Because of this, your project is high quality, on time, and under budget. Pretty simple. I like it that way.