Business Spotlight – Charles Construction Services

Company Name: Charles Construction Services

Employee Name and Role: Ryan Smith, Owner

By Sarah Mayle

How long have you worked here, what do you do, and what do you enjoy about working here?

As the owner of Hume Supply, a general contractor in Lima, Ryan Smith was familiar with Charles Construction Services, a company he competed with, respected and admired. When the opportunity arose to purchase Charles Construction about three years ago, Smith was excited to merge the companies into something greater and invest in the Findlay community.

Smith attended Case Western Reserve where he earned two degrees – civil engineering and business management with a concentration in entrepreneurship. He grew up working in his aunt and uncle’s manufacturing plant and knew that one day, he wanted to own a business of his own.

Ryan Smith, owner of Charles Construction

“As a young kid I would spend the summers and weekends – pretty much all of my idle time that I wasn’t playing sports – working in their manufacturing plant,” he said. “I learned a lot about general business practices that have helped me to get where I am today.”

Smith spends a lot of time on the job because he truly enjoys so much of what he does. First on his list is helping customers through the creation of a successful plan, navigating decisions, and problem solving through challenges. Smith enjoys the process, guiding a project from start to finish and maximizing efficiency with the utmost quality for the customer.

Charles Construction built Bluffton University’s Knowlton Science Center, which opened in 2023. The 20,000 square foot, $10 million facility houses student labs, faculty offices and space for student collaboration.

“To put it in perspective of what kind of a project it was for them, it took the university about 15 years to raise funds to build that project and they fell a little short of what they were hoping for,” Smith said. “We worked with them and redesigned the building to accommodate their budget. I felt like it was a very good success.”

Most might consider erecting a “big, beautiful new building” as the most glamorous work, but Smith also loves restoring old buildings, having the ability to not only maintain a piece of history, but bring life into it. Before his time with Charles, Smith said the company renovated The Gathering in downtown Findlay, which was a blacksmith shop early in its timeline. As legend has it, crews found horseshoes, whips and anvils in the early part of the construction process.

In his own experience, Smith worked with local business owners to renovate the Dumont Building in Ottawa, a 122-year-old hotel. They modernized all three floors with a restaurant and brewery on the first floor, co-working spaces on the second floor, and offices on the third.

“I love when developers, property owners, or business owners have an interest in that, because I think of the history,” he said. “There is creativity and risk. But when you take an old building that probably could have been easier to tear down, and you renovate it, you give new life to that building. You can take something that was of no use and then bring back that existing brick, turn it into something beautiful to last for generations into the future. It is a pretty cool thing to take on that challenge.”

A revitalized building is transformed, taking on a new, positive feel that Smith enjoys bringing to the customer.

“When you walk into a dark, old, dilapidated building you feel differently, and when you walk into a renovated building, a building that has a lot of natural light coming in and has new finishes, you naturally feel good,” Smith said. “There is some psychology that, I believe, goes into working in a facility that has been renovated. It’s clean, comfortable.”

There is legacy in construction, the satisfaction that you can build something that will be used and enjoyed for generations.

“As I think about things that we do, and as I drive past projects with my family, I think, when I’m long gone, my kids will be able to look at that and say, ‘My Dad built that,’ or ‘My Dad was part of that.’ I really enjoy that about my work.”

About the Company

What is produced / created / services offered by the company? What makes you stand out?

Charles Construction Services is a General Contractor serving the education, healthcare, industrial, and commercial markets with numerous completed projects throughout 24 counties in Northwest and Central Ohio. About 50 people are employed by Charles, with offices in Lima, Findlay and Ottawa.

Charles offers a comprehensive range of services, including design-build, site evaluation, pre-construction, construction management and pre-engineered metal buildings. As a leading contractor in Northwest Ohio, the company can also offer several additional services using cutting edge technology, such as site development, concrete, structural steel erection and carpentry. With this comprehensive approach, Charles can maximize control over the quality and timeline of projects.

What makes Charles stand out is their exceptional expertise and proven track record, now utilizing the strengths of two companies merged into one. They are a local company that understands the community. And, Smith highlighted that at Charles, they take great care to provide exceptional customer service, taking as much time as is needed to thoroughly understand the customer’s needs, answer every question, and then switch gears if the necessity arises.

“A lot of times (other contractors) will try to just do things a way they already know, but sometimes you need to really listen to a person and come up with a new way to service them,” Smith said. “Sometimes customers don’t even know quite what they need to ask until the project progresses, and they see it in a different way. It’s hard for people to visualize a project on a piece of paper, and when they can physically see it, they may want to make changes.

“We are all about stopping, adjusting and accommodating the best we can. That’s one of the reasons we’re different – we are always willing to adapt.”

What is your founding story?

Smith purchased Charles Construction in 2021 and in January 2024 was able to successfully merge his company, Hume Supply of Lima, and Charles into one, combining the strengths and expertise of both companies.

Charles Construction began in 1983. Smith said he would “never forget” when he learned while speaking with former owner and founder Chuck Wenner, that there used to be something of an unspoken, undefined boundary dividing the territories of their two companies. Wenner shared he mostly avoided projects “much past Bluffton,” so as not to compete with Hume, while Smith rarely pursued projects north of Bluffton. For Smith, it was the perfect merger at the right time.

“I always looked up to what Charles had done prior to my ownership,” Smith said, noting Charles’ extensive portfolio and projects in 24 Ohio counties. “It was a large and successful company, a great opportunity for me to purchase an existing company. Throughout my career, I have worked with some businesses in the Findlay area, and anytime I have visited, I see a very positive, welcoming community. I am excited to now be able to serve the Findlay market.”

In its 42 years of business, Charles Construction built more than 15 million square feet of industrial, institutional, commercial, and medical space. Smith said some notable Charles projects of the past include the Findlay Family YMCA, Owens Community College, and the Hancock Hotel. More recently under his ownership, Smith cited the Liberty-Benton School District’s field house, high school renovation, elementary / middle school, and bus garage in Findlay; the Wilson Football Factory in Ada; Randall Bearings in Lima; and the Lima Senior Career Tech Building.

Charles is currently building the $12 million Lima Aquatic Park, a unique project slated to open in late May or early June that Smith is excited to administer for the Lima community. There will be an outdoor activity pool, an indoor lap pool with a staging area and seating for 150 people, a “Sprayground” shallow play area, water slide, beach and deck area, a pool house, and a party room with concession area.

“This one is pretty neat,” he said. “The lap pool is an all-glass building and the roof and sidewall will open up. People will be able to swim all year. To my knowledge it is the first open air structure in the State of Ohio. It will be a neat thing for the city for generations.”

What are the core values that define your company’s culture?

Smith said he was careful to avoid major changes when he took over Charles Construction, and he has been able to retain most employees in the change.

“I bought an existing business that was managed a certain way for two generations, so I only wanted to make a few positive changes,” Smith said. “I respect their experience, and I was very pleased with the culture that was already here. The people are great – I think we share the same values, that we’re family-oriented and hard-working.”

He has found a welcoming community in Findlay and a positive business environment where everyone works together under accountability. Charles is the kind of business that, if a parent wants to make it to their kid’s baseball game or take their child to the doctor, they want to work around it. Smith enjoys investing in his employees.

“If we can invest in our employees in different ways and we have the continuous mindset that we can improve every day and everybody has that same feel, then naturally, the company will eventually get better, too.”

If there were one take-away you would want people to have about your company, what would it be?

“On our wall we have the words, ‘Building the future.’ We’re not just building buildings, we’re building relationships. And it’s those relationships and those projects that improve our communities, creating a legacy for generations to come. We want to remember that in everything we do.”

To Learn More:

charlesinc.com, or follow them on Facebook

For Job Opportunities:

https://form.jotform.com/241216196539157