Originally published in Inside Boonsboro Magazine – 2018
The Coleman family has been in the construction business in Central Virginia for at least five generations. Coleman-Adams Construction, Inc. evolved from Coleman Construction Company, where Buzzy Coleman and his friend Vince Adams worked for Buzzy’s father and great uncle. A few years after Buzzy’s father passed away, he left the company and started Coleman-Adams with Adams in 1971. Buzzy and Vince were aggressive and hard-working entrepreneurs. They established their Mission Statement as “to build a high quality construction project, competitively, with skill and integrity that will satisfy both the customer and ourselves”.
Today, after 47 years of business, the Coleman-Adams Team still maintains and safeguards that same Mission Statement. As a result, Coleman-Adams has earned a high percentage of Repeat Business from its customers, which means that the company effectively handles the details and challenges of commercial and industrial construction. It also means that they deliver high quality, on time and on budget, again and again. Integrity is also extremely important to Coleman-Adams. According to Clif Coleman, Buzzy’s son and president of the company since 1998, “We do what we say we’re going to do. If you don’t have strong integrity, then it really doesn’t matter what else you have.”
Safety is of utmost importance as well, and Coleman-Adams employs a full time Safety Manager to help ensure that the company’s employees, customers and subcontractors return home safely to their families each night. The company conducts pre-employment as well as random drug testing, and all work is done to OSHA standards at a minimum—their own safety policies even exceed OSHA requirements in several areas.
In 1974 the company earned a franchise from Butler Manufacturing Company, the world leader in pre-engineered building systems. Coleman-Adams has consistently been one of the top builders in Butler’s worldwide network. The best pre-engineered roof system in the industry is Butler’s MR-24, introduced in 1969 and specified more often than any other roof system. Its design is virtually unchanged since its introduction, and there are more than two billion square feet installed worldwide. The MR-24 can be used on new buildings as well as on re-roof projects. Coleman-Adams has many customers for whom they installed Butler MR-24 over 40 years ago that have never had to call them back for a roof leak.
Coleman-Adams’ project resume includes commercial, industrial, municipal, educational, and historical renovation projects. A full-service firm, they have designers, estimators, project managers and superintendents who work closely with each customer to ensure the balance of quality, functionality, aesthetics and cost. The company strongly believes that lasting quality is always the customer’s best value.
According to Clif, the key to the firm’s success has been its team of top-notch construction professionals, the majority of whom have been with the company for 25-30 years or more. He says, “We are very fortunate and grateful to have had so many excellent people join our team and make working at Coleman-Adams their career. Just like our customers, without them, we would be nothing!” The company actively seeks younger people to replace those who are retiring and also promotes from within whenever possible. There will continue to be opportunities for dedicated professionals to join the Coleman-Adams Team and be a part of its long history of customer and employee success.
“Our strongest assets are our excellent team and the Butler buildings that we offer to our customers”, Clif says. “Along with our solid reputation, these are the primary reasons that people call on us.”
