Forty Under 40: Warren Wheat

Warren Wheat started his own construction company less than three years ago, and his vision is firmly in place.

“I plan to one day compete with the big guys,” said Wheat, referencing a few titans of the state’s construction industry. “That’s a tall order, and they are all great companies, but I would certainly like to be in that echelon one day.”

Wheat graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, where he ran cross country, in 2000 with a business management degree.

A Texarkana native, he found his way to the construction industry three years later as a carpenter for Baldwin & Shell.

To advance his career, he spent his evenings pursuing a degree in construction management, which he earned from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in 2005.

That led to added responsibilities in Northwest Arkansas, where Wheat managed more than $100 million in construction projects from 2006 to 2012 for Washington Regional Medical Center and Springdale Public Schools. 

Wheat’s own company later renovated the corporate offices for Acumen Brands. The makeover of the old post office in downtown Fayetteville for Acumen’s Country Outfitter store earned Wheat an award in 2014 from the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

Wheat says he still has great working relationships with WRMC and Springdale schools, and company revenue is projected to double this year.

Wheat, who is married with three children, is a church deacon and serves on boards for the Endeavor Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.