River Cities Business Journal: Business Profile

River Cities Business Journal

KINGMAN - Thomas R. “Toby” Orr probably never imagined what his business would be like today when he started out a small operation working out of his garage 25 years ago.

“For about four years we worked out of my garage and I had one employee,” Orr said. “Now we're moving into a new building next door and I have about 4o employees and a lot of sub-contractors.”

Orr, whose company does commercial construction only, is a keen observer of the growth of the population and the economy in Mohave County.

For the most part, commercial construction doesn't follow the whims of the economy. It can take a few years to design and build,” Orr said. “We had a big housing boom a couple years back and at that time I wasn't really that busy.

“People move here and first they buy a house. Then they have to have the businesses to serve them. I'm in a position to see the whole market.”

And that market is constantly evolving.

“We work countywide and over the years I've seen different areas take the lead in growth,” Orr said. “A few years ago it was Lake Havasu City and then it was Mohave Valley and now it's Kingman's turn.”

According to Orr the biggest boom in commercial construction right now is in Kingman, but that doesn't mean the rest of the county isn't continuing to build commercial properties.

His firm recently finished building an auto dealer facility in Bullhead City and has numerous projects going on around the county.

“Right now I have 25 contracts or bookings. Some are in the their inception and some people have already moved in,” Orr said. “Some are portions of other contracts.

”We have a healthy backlog.”

Certain industries are growing faster than others and therefore require more construction at this time, he said.

“Medical is booming. Anything related to medical is booming,” Orr said. “We've done a lot of car dealerships ... and banks.”

A lifelong Mohave County resident, Orr has seen a lot of changes in the county and a lot of changes have come along that affect the way he does business.

“Excluding mechanical and electrical we used to sub-contract everything, “Orr said. “The only thing we sub-contract now is concrete.

“Another change is the jurisdictions. The cities and the county have become much more restrictive. In the old days you could go in with three sets of drawings and get your permit the same day. Now it takes months.”

He also confesses to missing the way the county used to be when it was more rural.

“It's sad to see some of the pristine desert overrun by growth,” Orr said, “but, that's the price of progress.

“Mohave County is on the map. We weren't on the map, but we are now.”

He also admits to placing little time in soliciting business.

“Fortunately, we have been around long enough where people usually come to us,” Orr said.

And the last thing he does is speculate about future growth.

“It's hard to figure out trends. I don't spend a lot of time forecasting the future,” Orr said. “We're prepared to (increase in size) if the growth comes.

“We're here, good, bad or indifferent. We're just grinding out jobs. We're builders. We stick to what we do best.”

In the end, he attributes the success of his company to the people who work there and their ability to do their individual jobs.

“I have a good staff,” Orr said. “We have some really conscientious people. They do a good job.”

You can contact T.R. Orr, Inc., at (928) 757-1174 or at their offices in Kingman at 3975 N. Bank St., by e-mail at toby@tr-orr.com or on the Web at www.tr-orr.com.