Benna Bland

The REEDER Vice President’s natural entrepreneurship has led to a myriad of new business connections that have directly correlated to REEDER’s continued growth and reputation.

On a hot, June summer night at the Fort Worth Zoo, we gathered with some of Fort Worth’s top leaders under the age of 40. Cole Reeder, with a broom as his “prop,” showcased how he started from the bottom.

“I was the guy sweeping out our job sites since I was a kid. We always said, ‘A clean job site is a safe job site’ and 20 years later we say the same thing. I will never tell someone to perform a task that I won’t do myself. The company was founded on a blue-collar work ethic – not a merger, marketing campaign or fancy sales guy.” Reeder said. “Grit, hard work, and sweat was part of our foundation. My brother, father and I all share a story about our ‘broom.’ We might not have college degrees, but there are a few calluses.”

Cole is deserving of this honor because he exemplifies what it means to be a leader, father, son, brother, and friend. He leads by example, with an exemplary work ethic to achieve the highest standards, and understands teamwork is more than a concept.

Anyone who meets him knows Cole is genuine and leads with loyalty, commitment, integrity, accountability, and a passion for excellence. He genuinely cares for the welfare of the people on his team through word and action. In turn, this results in team members being passionate about their work and seeking each other’s success. Because of this life philosophy, there is no one more deserving of this honor than Cole Reeder.

Learn more about Cole Reeder:

Education: Cole graduated from Weatherford High School in 2002 with a scholarship to play baseball at Grayson County College. He played for Grayson one year, playing in the Division One College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He rounded out his education with athletic scholarships to East Texas State and St. Edwards University in Austin before starting his career at REEDER.

Philanthropic Involvement: Cole has been an active member of his community church The Gathering, where he contributes with his finances and his time. He and his wife, Katie, have been involved in children’s ministry and teaching for seven years. In addition, Cole supports numerous organizations that serve a variety of needs including but not limited to; Leader Xchange, a Fort Worth based Christian Businessmen’s Group; Food for the Poor; The Pregnancy Help Center of Fort Worth; Carry the Load; and The River Tree Academy.

Business Success: Beginning as field superintendent in 2006, Cole worked his way up to Executive Vice President by 2012. His executive role is to manage the Pre-Construction and Development Department for Reeder General, working closely with staff, sub-contractors, vendors, architects, and owners. Cole has been instrumental in implementing conceptual and fixed estimating and costs analysis systems, due diligence, and constructability models, many of which are proprietary tools of the trade. With his ground up knowledge of the commercial construction industry, Cole has also been instrumental in mentoring, business development, key account management, and contract negotiation. His leadership has been integral in growing our revenues to more than $100 million and creating a company that made the honor roll of Fort Worth Inc.’s, 45 Best Companies to Work for in 2022.

What kind of difference have they made in their industry: Cole’s sphere of influence is seen daily by his employees, trade partners, architects, owners. Everyone Cole meets leaves a better person for being in his presence. His ability to hire for “quality” and “culture” has created a high-level collaborative team that consistently outperforms expectations. Cole learned from his father that there is a difference between being a manager and being a leader. A leader hires the right people and gives them the freedom to excel with a minimum of supervision. He has the humility and wisdom to seek differing opinions and listen to the expertise of persons on his team before making decisions. Through his leadership, REEDER has developed a name in the industry that extends beyond a brand and resonates as a “family” you can trust, not only to get the job done but do it with the utmost integrity.

For media inquiries please contact marketing@reedergeneral.com.