CF Evans

Travelers on I-26 through South Carolina's Orangeburg County can't miss the signature elegance of a gleaming, two-story building flanked by stately palm trees and a fountain out front. More impressive is the story of the firm headquartered there—C.F. Evans.

The company has thrived amid six decades of change in the construction industry. It has been led by a father—and then a son—who have upheld the values of integrity, craftsmanship and the importance of treating workers like family.

"The business culture we have here is the same one that was started by my dad, C.F. Evans," says president Johnny Evans. "He knew that if you hire and supervise talented folks and treat them well, they will take pride in their accomplishments and deliver a great product to the client."

The firm was established in the years after World War II when an ambitious army veteran named Clarence Felder Evans joined up with his cousin, Fred Evans, to learn as much as possible about construction.

"We learned by doing, Fred and I," says C.F. Evans of their venture, Evans Construction. A model house built in the late 1940s in Cameron, South Carolina, marked a significant turning point in the company's fortunes. A "baby boom" and a relocation surge created by the Savannah River Project led to a flurry of requests to build homes and schools in Orangeburg, Holly Hill, Aiken and other South Carolina communities.

Those years were challenging as well as busy, and C.F. Evans relied on the patience and support of his wife, Virginia, and their children Johnny, Edith Ann, Janet and Wanda. "My wife and children have had a lot to do with my success," he says. Johnny says the same of his wife, Kristen, and their children Brett, Kyle, Drew and Emily. "No matter how important the job, family comes first," emphasizes Johnny. "Over the years, Kristen has been my rock, and she also gives great advice."

As a boy, Johnny learned the construction business from the ground up. "He was just knee-high, but he would come out to the job with me, hitting a wood block with a toy hammer and making friends with the fellows on the site," laughs C.F. Evans.

In 1959, the Evans cousins had decided to dissolve their business relationship while parting as friends, and the firm was renamed C.F. Evans & Company, Inc. Sixteen years later, in 1975, Johnny Evans graduated from Clemson University and began working for his father in many different capacities before becoming C.F. Evans president in 1995. "In the early years, Dad and I sat at the kitchen table and prepared project estimates at night," says Johnny of his hands-on approach.

In recent decades, C.F. Evans has maintained its reputation for excellence while growing impressively in both size and scope. With approximately 125 employees currently located on-site or at company headquarters, the firm has completed projects across the southeastern U.S. and excels in a wide variety of specialties—multi-family and student housing, senior living communities, industrial and commercial ventures and a special projects division.

Although technically retired, C.F. Evans still comes to work at least one day each week. "I'm very happy to see the fruits of my labors—not just with the business, but in the lives of my children and grandchildren. They are all good people, and that makes me proud."

Lessons Passed from Father to Son

C.F. Evans president Johnny Evans shares the lessons in leadership he learned from his father and company founder C.F. Evans:

• Don't worry about getting the credit. The company's success is not about me, but about our talented folks.
• Listen well and take care of details.
• Empower the project team to share freely and support one another.
• Provide training and opportunities that encourage people to excel and advance.
• Family comes first, for yourself and your employees.