New owner revamps Tontitown construction business with efficiency focus

Although he’s just 29, construction company owner Trent Hanna already knows a vital business rule — efficiency is the key to running a smooth operation.

“Consider our invoice processing system,” he elaborated. “The moment an invoice enters our system, we initiate the payment process for the supplier or trade partner. With detailed task instructions, we’ve seen a drastic reduction in errors and delays, ensuring that paperwork flows seamlessly into our system.”

A dedicated list of operating procedures is the most critical thing Hanna has implemented since becoming the sole owner of SSI of Northwest Arkansas, a commercial general contractor on Jean Mary Avenue in Tontitown. The company focuses most of its work on design-build projects up to $20 million. Hanna closed a deal in October 2023 to buy the company from Leo Anhalt of Fort Smith.

Reflecting on the transition, Hanna expressed deep respect for Anhalt, now 84.

“Leo has an impressive resume, and it’s a blessing to be able to take this business that he’s created and carry on his legacy,” Hanna said.

Anhalt started the business in Fort Smith in 1969 as Structural Systems Inc. A few years later, he spotted additional opportunities in Northwest Arkansas and established a Springdale office.

In 1984, Anhalt split the offices into two separate entities—Fort Smith-based SSI and SSI of Northwest Arkansas—while maintaining ownership of both.

In January 2023, Hanna bought a 20% ownership interest in SSI of Northwest Arkansas when he joined the company as vice president and managing partner, intending to buy the company outright by the end of the year.

Through no fault of Anhalt, Hanna said that management of the Northwest Arkansas operation was lax over the past decade to the point that the business’ survival was sometimes in doubt.

“Previous management of this office was just not very good,” Hanna said. “Leo was very much [focused on] SSI in Fort Smith and still is, but he was relatively hands-off up here.”

Hanna said he aims to restore and enhance the company’s reputation in the market. He declined to disclose specific financial figures from last year since most of the company’s profits went to Anhalt to complete the buyout.

“The buyout wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have as good of a year as we did last year,” he said. “It was our best year in 10 years. I want to maintain that momentum to grow this thing to the capacity it should be. This office has been in Northwest Arkansas since the early ’70s. People have forgotten about it over the past 20 years or thought we closed. That’s not the case. My goal is to grow the brand to get the recognition it deserves.”

FROM ARCHITECT TO BUILDER
A West Fork native, Hanna has a career background in construction project management, but that wasn’t initially his intention.

As he was getting ready to graduate from the University of Arkansas with an architecture degree in 2019, Hanna revealed some startling news to his fiancé-now-wife.

“I told her I didn’t want to design this stuff; I wanted to build it,” he recalled. “She looked at me like I was a complete idiot.”

Hanna cut his teeth as a superintendent and project manager for Pick-It Construction of Fayetteville, starting down the path toward becoming a contractor.

“I wanted to do my own thing,” he explained. “If you work for other companies and see things that you’d like to do differently or situations you’d handle differently, at the end of the day, you can’t do anything about it until you’re a contractor.”

Hanna worked for several regional companies, including as a project manager for Commerce Construction Co. in Springdale. That’s where his on-the-job skills began to mature.

“The management there is phenomenal,” he said. “If I can make our office mirror any office, it will probably be Commerce Construction.”

Hanna said a mutual connection put him in touch with Anhalt two years ago.

“We met, talked and both liked each other,” he recalled.

Regarding his ownership style, Hanna said his leadership promises a blend of respect for the company’s past and a forward-thinking approach to business development.

“I like Leo,” he said. “Now, granted, he’s 84 years old, so there’s things he does that I won’t do. There’s a younger mentality that I will try to bring to the company.”

DESIGN-BUILD APPROACH
Hanna said SSI of Northwest Arkansas has nine employees and is “actively growing.” The company recently completed a $4.6 million fire station for the city of Tontitown and is currently building a 7,500-square-foot driver training facility for PAM Transport Inc.

Under Hanna’s leadership, the company will continue to specialize in the design-build approach, streamlining the process by involving the contractor from the outset.

Traditionally, construction projects follow the design-bid-build method, where the project owner starts with a vision, engages a designer to draft the project, and then seeks competitive bids from contractors. While that method ensures competitive pricing, it can be time-consuming and disconnected from the project’s budget constraints.

“Hiring the contractor first can tailor the project to the owner’s budget from the beginning,” Hanna explained. He said the design-build method often reduces design time and eliminates the need for a bidding process, potentially saving weeks or even months in the preconstruction phase, ultimately reducing costs for the owner.

SSI of Northwest Arkansas takes that approach further by involving tradespeople in the design phase.

“The workers who install the HVAC ductwork or plumbing lines provide input during design discussions, ensuring practical and efficient solutions,” he said. “These are the guys doing the work daily, so their input makes design-build a success.”

Hanna said that running a construction company presents numerous challenges, with labor being a significant issue.

“While our crews aren’t necessarily licensed in the specific trades, we require skilled carpentry occasionally,” he said. “Finding people who want to work hard is getting more difficult.”

He also highlighted the impact of subcontractor shortages.

“Many of the subcontractors are passing on work right now because they’re just too busy, and if we can’t get a trade partner to work with us on a project, then sometimes it means that we have to pass on a project,” he said. “The last thing our office wants to do is commit to a project that we can’t perform to our fullest. I’d rather be honest with someone and tell them we’re too busy than try the job and give that owner a bad experience with us.”

To address the labor shortage, Hanna has expanded the company’s network of trade partners, focusing on building solid relationships with new companies.

“Construction is about relationships,” he explained. “Meeting and working with new companies increases our pool of available partners, ensuring we can take on more projects and maintain our high standards.”