At the Greenhouse Ministries ribbon-cutting ceremony in January, the organization’s Board President Jon Troutt led the crowd in a prayer.

He said, “This building is made of bricks and mortar and all sorts of stuff. We’re here because of what this building can do. This building is an example of hope. It’s an example of future and light.”

He’s exactly right.

Simply put, Dow Smith Company designs and builds churches, medical facilities and commercial buildings. While we know these buildings are just “stuff,” we design and build them to be alive, filled with energy, activity, and purpose. A key part of any project—big or small—is making sure that our clients have the right building for their mission.

In the case of Greenhouse Ministries, we’re talking about a two-story, 25,000-square-foot building across the street from their current building in downtown Murfreesboro. And as Mr. Trout said, it’s just bricks and mortar—but those bricks and mortar are helping Greenhouse Ministries change lives.

At Dow Smith Company, we understand the critical role the right building can play in achieving your goals.

“Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door and see all the people”

We truly love building churches, and we understand that every dollar spent on the construction of the facility is a dollar that won’t be spent on ministry, mission, or staff. With this in mind, we help pastors, elders and congregations ensure that every dollar spent on their building is spent wisely.

“Working with churches really is a calling,” says DSC President Dow Smith. “You can’t fake it. You’ve got to be able to go beyond a smooth, slick PowerPoint presentation. You’ve got to be able to understand how churches work and don’t work. It involves patience. There’s a lot of experience there and it’s a passion that we have.”

As churches grow, we’re excited to work with them to expand. But that, too, comes back to mission. A bigger building should better serve the needs of the current congregation as well as future parishioners.

As New Vision Baptist Church has turned to Dow Smith Company to help them expand over the years, Executive Pastor Greg Freeman says he has always felt very comfortable with Dow Smith Company, particularly because of Superintendent Joel Tellez.

“As a church, we have different times and different hours,” Freeman says. “I know the work they did with us was more difficult than a new build. They were exceedingly responsive to our needs. He was very attentive to minimizing the impact to the ministry and the staff. He cleaned up regularly. I think that’s just what he does and how he operates.”

“Healthy, wealthy, and wise”

Healthcare design and construction is complex and highly-specialized. Our process begins early to determine needs, budget, and timeline.

We are well-versed in the requirements and standards necessary to build facilities patients are comfortable in and owners are proud of. And we understand that doctors, nurses, and practitioners need to continue to serve patients without disruption to their daily schedule.

We’re currently at work on a new facility for Murfreesboro Medical Clinic (MMC) that will be constructed on the corner of Shores Road and Birchtree Drive off Veterans Parkway. The three-story, 75,000-square-foot steel-framed structure will have composite metal decking, a pre-cast façade and medal stud interior framing. The multi-specialty medical practice will include an out-patient procedure suite.

“Most of our physicians and employees live and work here,” MMC CEO Joey Peay says. “I want MMC to provide the most amazing care we can because we’re caring for my family, my friends, my neighbors. I want to be able to, without hesitation, recommend our care to anybody with whom I come into contact.”

To achieve that goal, Peay says MMC needs to continue to expand beyond its main campus on Garrison Drive. Dow Smith Company’s first project with MMC was back in 2008: a 1,400-square-foot build-out on Lascassas Pike that is still in use. Next, Dow Smith Company did a complete tenant build-out for MMC’s two-story, 17,000-square-foot space at The Fountains. MMC’s first big expansion, which was completed in the fall of 2019, was a 30,000-square-foot building on Shelbyville Pike that offers gastroenterology, gynecology, internal and family medicine, pediatrics, lab services and radiology services. The new building off Veterans Parkway will be more than twice the size of the one on Shelbyville Pike.

By the time the new MMC facility opens, Peay will have worked with Dow Smith Company for more than 15 years.

“What I have found in Dow Smith Company is a group of individuals who are my friends and at the end of the day, I trust them,” Peay says. “It’s great to have relationships, especially in building, with people you know and trust. You know they’re going to do quality work. That’s a given. But then to be able to look each other in the eye at the end of the project and know that we can move on to the next project.”

“And one to grow on”

We have designed and built many commercial projects throughout Middle Tennessee including:

• retail stores
• law firms
• financial institutions
• restaurants
• business parks
• gym facilities
• tenant improvements

Last year, Dow Smith worked with long-time industry partner and well-respected site/utility contractor Moody Excavating, LLC on their new 3,000-square-foot wood-framed structure with brick façade in Christiana, Tennessee. Moody provides mass grading activities and utility infrastructure for subdivisions for local residential developers and small commercial jobs.

Project Manager Aaron Fisher and Superintendent Nate Pfeifer worked diligently with the Moodys and county officials to maximize the building’s size while maintaining the budget and meeting the owner’s needs.

The building isn’t just a place of business. It’s home to a family’s legacy. That’s why Rusty Moody and his sons, Jeremy and Jeff, were so precise on every detail. From floor plans to finishes, they wanted to get it exactly right. The building, located on Forbus Drive in Christiana, has a welcoming lobby, plenty of office space, a spacious kitchen and a comfortable conference room with a wall that is decorated with a mural and pictures that tell the company’s history. It also has a second floor—so that Moody’s can continue to grow.

“It was humbling,” Jeremy says. “Dow Smith Company’s guidance on helping us choose and optimize the building space really allowed us to design the space that we have here.”