Forty Under 40: Max Avery

Max Avery earned a general contractor’s license after overseeing several construction projects and being frustrated with the quality of work and the communication he received.

He established Bolding Construction in June 2018. It has 50 employees, and revenue is more than $1 million. In March, Avery acquired Professional Flooring Installation, and it has 20 employees. Avery also co-founded TriState Career Center in Arkoma, Okla., and the center offers a commercial driver’s license training program and forklift certification. The center has three employees and a capacity of 30 students.

From 2009 to May 2015, he worked for firearms manufacturer Knesek Guns Inc. in Van Buren and was senior vice president. Between 2015 and 2016, he worked for Cox Communications Inc. as an account executive. He left Cox to work for merchant services processor Guardian Payment Systems in Fort Smith, and he remains a consultant for the company.

He recently co-founded Crusade Equity Partners, a multifamily real estate investment group, and Arcane Motors, a tuning service for exotic cars.

“I like what I do. But for me, it’s not that I love construction, it’s that I love business,” Avery said. “You could put me in a place of any industry, and I’m going to be just as happy with it. I like the puzzle of trying to figure out what it takes to make it big.”

The Alma native hopes to expand his construction business into multiple states, including Texas and Oklahoma, have the flooring company complete more regional projects and grow the technical school to include more locations.