Indianapolis Dynamic Duo

S. M. Wilson and Rollins Construction Company partner for success

By Craig Workman

In October 2007, S. M. Wilson & Co. acquired Indianapolis-based Rollins Construction Company, LLC. Rollins now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of S. M. Wilson. At approximately the same time thecompanies were finalizing their affiliation, a major new construction contract was secured with one of Rollins’ long-time customers. As a result, the Wilson/Rollins team is now building an $89 million addition to a hospital in Indianapolis.

While the timing of these events could not have been more beneficial, the real story begins more than two years ago.

Garry Rollins, former president with Rollins, was looking for a business partnership to help take his company to a higher level. For the past 30 years, he had developed excellent relationships with his customers, including a high percentage of repeat business from his clients, including the Community Health Network of Indiana. His employee turnover was low, his reputation was superb, and the company enjoyed revenues of between $12 million and $16 million annually.

As Rollins analyzed the long-term prospects and direction of his business, he felt greater opportunities could occur if he aligned his company with a larger, yet like-minded contractor. For more than a year, Rollins looked at various potential partners and business relationships, including S. M. Wilson.

“S. M. Wilson seemed to be a very good fit with our business because of its ethics, honesty, reputation, employee retention, and level of repeat business from customers,” Rollins said. “What’s more, it had the expertise and process capabilities already in place for the larger projects that my firm could not handle. And because 90 percent of my firm’s business comes from the healthcare field, it was important to me that S. M. Wilson also had significant experience in healthcare construction.”

Companies in Synchronicity

During the early discussions between the two companies, S. M. Wilson shared its long-term business plan, its “Road Map,” with Rollins. “I was very impressed by the Road Map, because it addressed the same issues I was trying to address for my own business,” Rollins said. “This showed me that S. M. Wilson treats its people and customers with great respect, and that the culture between our two companies was going to be a good match. That really stood out in my mind.”

The decision was made for S. M. Wilson to acquire Rollins in mid-2007. While the details and formal agreements were being worked out, Community Health Network announced plans for its $89 million renovation and expansion of Community Hospital South, in Indianapolis.

“My company was not qualified to take on such a large project, and the client told me so,” Rollins said. “But when I informed them of my affiliation and pending agreement with S. M. Wilson, they agreed to take a closer look.”

Rollins brought a group of Community executives to St. Louis to meet S. M. Wilson and learn more about its employees and expertise. As part of the visit, S. M. Wilson introduced the Community delegation to its long-time client, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, whose representatives showed Community the leading-edge work S. M. Wilson has performed during the years.

In November 2007, Community selected the Wilson/Rollins team to provide pre-construction and construction management services for the project. “This opportunity put the team and our partnership to an immediate test,” Rollins said. “This was exactly the type of project on which both companies had envisioned working together.”

The 155,000-square-foot project will create a five-story patient tower, an expansion of the central plant, and renovation of more than 103,000 square feet of the existing hospital’s facilities.

The new patient tower will house cardiopulmonary services, medical and surgical beds, administration space, and a new main lobby. Also included will be a new 34,500-square-foot surgery suite and administrative space. The hospital’s central plant will receive an 8,048-square-foot addition to accommodate the need for additional services to support both the expanded and renovated facilities.

Extensive renovations and upgrades also will be made to more than 103,000 square feet of existing hospital facilities covering four floors. These areas will include the intensive care, surgical, dietary services, pharmacy department, medical and behavioral health, labor and delivery, outpatients services, and administrative offices.

“This was like a match made in heaven for our team,” Rollins said. “The timing, the scope of the project, and the new team in place could not have been better for us.”

Subsequently, Community also has awarded the construction of its new data center to the Wilson/ Rollins team.

“We’re off to a great start with our relationship with S. M. Wilson,” Rollins said. “There is a real synergy here, because the sum of our relationship is greater than the parts.”