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Morgan Construction marks 25 years

By: Brian Lazenby
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Jeff Morgan

At 23-years-old, Jeff Morgan had just graduated from college and was making $6 an hour when Pioneer Bank loaned him $120,000 on a handshake.

He then launched Morgan Construction Co. which just turned 25 and is expected to generate about $90 million in revenue this year.

“(Pioneer Bank officials) had known me for most of my teenage years as a diligent working teenager who visited the bank every Friday afternoon and put my check in,” he said. “They saw enough there to take a risk on me, and they put me in business.”

Mr. Morgan, 48, is a humble man who shuns both accolades and publicity, but two men who have worked for him for nearly 40 combined years feel the credit is warranted.

Phillip Higginbotham, vice president of estimating, is a 15-year employee of Morgan Construction. He called Mr. Morgan an inspirational leader.

“The success of this company is primarily related to the leadership of Jeff Morgan,” Mr. Higginbotham said. “He inspires people to be successful, and it is easy to follow that type of leadership.”

Walter Ford, vice president of operations, has worked for Morgan Construction for 23 years. He too lauds Mr. Morgan’s leadership.

“He leads by example,” Mr. Ford said. “He’s the first to get here and the last to leave.”

But Mr. Morgan credits his success to his employees.

“It all comes back to the people. There is no substitute for good people,” Mr. Morgan said. “The bottom line is all these people are really, really good. I could go away and this place wouldn’t miss a beat.”

Morgan Construction Co. has about 50 employees with many of them now working on a 780,000 -square-foot regional lifestyle center in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The 104-acre site will house a Super Wal-Mart, Dillard, JCPenney and other stores.

Mr. Morgan acknowledges that the company has come along way since it began building spec-houses and small construction jobs.

Morgan Construction has since built a number of fast food restaurants, over 100 grocery stores, hotels and major shopping centers.

“We have been fortunate and blessed to have great customers. Some of them we have been doing work with us for 20 years,” he said.

In Morgan Construction’s 25 years, they have weathered economic downturns before. Officials said there is every reason to believe they will come out of the current situation as strong or stronger than they entered it.

Mr. Ford said the company’s core values all but ensure success.

“We know everyone can buy bricks and mortar at the same price,” Mr. Ford said. “We try to do the work harder and do the project better than everyone else.”

Mr. Morgan said it is the customers that make the future bright for Morgan Construction.

“We have a great core business with solid customers,” he said. “We do not set absolute growth targets. We grow as the demands of our customers grow.”

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