(September 21, 2009) - "For the students, it's more than a building, it's a place to learn." So says the Web site of Oak Contracting, a Towson-based construction management and general contracting firm. The firm has many high-profile projects to its credit, including the State House in Annapolis, but it's the schools the firm has built – 83 throughout the company's 38-year history – for which it is most proud.

“Primarily we build schools,” said Doug Eder, president of Oak Contracting. “When you build a school, it's a building that's designed and constructed to last for 50 years. Parents go to it, then your children go to it. It becomes the focal point of the community.”

That philosophy – that a construction project is more than just a building – has helped Oak Contracting succeed since its founding in 1971. And for Eder, who took over as president in 2004, that philosophy has helped him to guide the firm into the future. “The older I get, the more technology changes and the infrastructure of the building changes, but it's always still a school,” said Eder. “I know it sounds corny, but it's a great thing to be a part of.”

Eder's ascent to the top of Oak Contracting was, at first, an unintentional one. When he got out of the Marine Corps, Eder found a job driving a truck for a local construction company, and he thought he'd drive the “open road” for his career. But when his mentor and coworker, Herb Frantz, taught him how to estimate project budgets and then gave him a job as an estimator at the construction company, his career path changed.

Eder moved on to become the chief estimator at Oak Contracting in 1989, and 20 years later, he's president of the company and a part-owner. Thomas L. Grey, the company's founder, selected Eder as his successor when he retired in 2004. Rather than simply give him a new title, Grey also worked out a deal with Eder and two of his long-time colleagues – Gary Murphy, now vice president, and David Rosas, now CFO – to buy the company over several years.

Eder now oversees a staff of 42 and works every day to instill the company's more-than-just-a building mission. “It's about students, nurses, worshippers, shoppers, executives, scientists, athletes and patients. The level of detail and our watchful eye is always focused on who will be walking the halls, taking a meeting or helping others,” explained Eder. “We know that when we deliver a building on time, it helps people to keep their lives in order and be productive.”

Immediate growth plans for the company are, with the poor economic climate in mind, slow and steady. Plans include expanding its school construction in Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, as well as seeking out higher education and healthcare facility construction opportunities. “We're fortunate to build schools. For the foreseeable future, we are going to do what we do, which is build schools, and not try to reinvent the company,” said Eder. “We want to come out of this economy strong, intact and ready to move on to new challenges.”

Doug's Favorite Quote: "I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man with no feet."