Role is ‘More than Bricks & Mortar’ for Evans General Contractors
Evans General Contractors on economic development: ‘We’re all working for the same goal’ In 2004, German automotive supplier Feuer Powertrain hired an American salesman to help the company enter the American automotive market.
Company salesman Larry Eberhart worked from a home office in Michigan until the company won enough business in the United States to establish a production facility. Alongside the company CEO and a consultant, Eberhart participated in a multi-year site selection and ramp up process that culminated in Feuer opening a $140 million production facility in Tunica County, Mississippi in 2016.
“I was literally employee No. 1 for a brand new greenfield facility,” Eberhart recalls. “I had to figure out on my own: Who do I hire first? Where do I find employees—and how do we train them? How do I develop a benefit plan? What about insurance? There was no manual for that.”
Today, Eberhart draws on that experience for his role as Business Development Manager, North America for Evans General Contractors.
The firm has three American offices – Atlanta, Greenville, and Savannah – and one in Friedrichshafen, Germany, that offer design/build and general contracting services to a variety of clients including manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, and they specialize in helping overseas firms looking to invest in the U.S. for the first time.
“The scope is much larger than the bricks and mortar of the building,” Eberhart adds. “It’s about answering, ‘What do we do once the building is finished?’”
READ MORE AT UPSTATE ALLIANCE: Role is ‘More than Bricks & Mortor’ for Evans General Contractors.
