Explore communities in the growing Greater Manhattan area, and you’re sure to notice recently built or restored offices, schools, athletic facilities and more. In Manhattan, you can’t miss the new Kansas State University Volleyball Arena and Olympic Training Facility. In Wamego, the Columbian Theatre, Museum & Art Center and its majestic metallic eagle grace the main thoroughfare. In St. Marys, the 66,400 square-foot Romanesque Immaculata church is visible for miles.
All these improvements have BHS Construction Inc. in common. The company constructed, renovated, planned or managed these projects — and many more — in part or in total. As BHS has worked to provide the area with needed construction services, the area has also provided the workforce BHS has needed to grow.
It’s safe to say that BHS Construction Inc. and Greater Manhattan have helped build each other.
Wayne Sloan went to work for RM Baril General Contractors Inc., the parent company of Baril-Rogers, as a young man. He remembers growing up in a much smaller version of Manhattan. In 1965, the year Baril-Rogers was established, Manhattan’s population was under 30,000, and the area population was around 85,000. The small-town atmosphere plus the amenities and economic vitality offered by K-State and Fort Riley helped the community maintain its high quality of life. Sloan’s dad always took him to social events, and he knew all the local members of the business community before he finished high school.
The relationships Sloan formed turned out to be helpful in building his business. Baril-Rogers morphed into BHS Construction in 1982 when Sloan took over as president, by which time Manhattan’s population hovered around 35,000 and the area’s population had ballooned to more than 108,000. Continued growth brought new construction, and the company whose initial project was working as a subcontractor for an addition to a local sporting goods store became a trusted partner in helping the area build for the future. In its first year, BHS Construction did about $800,000 worth of work.
Sloan applied the importance of relationships to the management of his company, which he ran singlehandedly for 20 years.
“We hardly bid anything — people came to us to do jobs, and we negotiated,” Sloan said.
Early on, BHS Construction refurbished the Columbian Theatre in Wamego and built St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Manhattan. Those special jobs put BHS on the map.
“The client was always right, and I took care of the relationships we had, and it helped us build our business,” Sloan said.
The arrival of revered football coach Bill Snyder in 1989 and the success he brought to K-State helped spur major growth in Manhattan in the 1990s. Again, Sloan was thankful for the relationships fostered by his dad.
“I got to meet a lot of people in the community and get their thoughts on how to grow it and make it better,” Sloan said.
BHS now employs more than 70 people and expects to do $65-70 million in business in 2023.
A potential problem emerged when Sloan realized his company was full of people his own age. Hiring Patrick Schutter in 2003 turned out to be a crucial step in ensuring continued success for years to come.
Schutter is now president, and Sloan is chair of the board. In Sloan’s words, Schutter was able to “help the company explode” by establishing new relationships with K-State and Manhattan Area Technical College and bringing in more young talent. Schutter and Sloan brought on Levi Schneider, Rex Adams and Zach Sloan to work at BHS. This new generation now leads the company. Although growing pains were part of the process, Sloan worked hard to ensure a smooth handoff.
“When I was in my 50s, I read an article about succession planning, and it gave some stages. If you start 10 years ahead, there’s a 95% chance the company will succeed; if you wait until 5 years, it goes down, and if you try to do it in 1 or 2 years, there’s an 80% chance of failure. So, I started planning for this,” Sloan said.
Providing Schutter with learning opportunities was part of the succession plan. Meeting with a group of peer companies helped him see how others operate and learn empathy, Sloan said. When Schutter talks, empathy and understanding of the importance of community shines through.
Schutter grew up in Emporia, Kansas, and started doing construction in 4-H with woodworking. He came to Manhattan to complete his education, graduated from K-State and never left the area because he found it a great place to live. In BHS Construction, he found a fit because everyone cared about the customers.
“We mainly work in the region, so we work where we live. Working for our neighbors and having that sense of community is what attracted me the most,” he said.
As BHS has helped build Greater Manhattan, the area has also produced the kind of people BHS wants to hire. According to Schutter, visitors often talk about how genuinely nice people are.
“The people you find here are hard-working, and they care about each other. It’s a sought-after and rare thing to have good people to work with. You can’t teach that! It has made businesses in this area successful,” Schutter said.
BHS has found success in hiring from K-State and MATC. Schutter said young talent is energetic to “conquer the world.” Conquering the world includes not only completing jobs, but also continuing to advance in the company. For example, BHS provides skilled craft training and classes for blueprint reading and estimating to employees.
“Most of our folks stick around for a long time, so it’s worth training them. We want to make sure people have the ability to excel as much as they want to. We may even nudge them a little bit. It’s how we see being supportive of our staff,” Schutter said.
Support extends to fostering employees’ interests in giving back to the community. BHS encourages staff involvement in nonprofits and provides robust in-kind support and donations. In 2022, BHS gave over $300,000 in sponsorships and donations to more than 60 organizations. The company also provided maintenance or help with small projects for the local Boys & Girls Club, the Crisis Center, and Good Shepherd Homecare & Hospice.
Schutter is personally involved in the Flint Hills Area Builders Association and the City of Manhattan Code Appeals Board, and he made a video in support of a local mental health agency fundraiser to help those in need.
Schutter is clearly devoted to both his company and the area.
“It’s a great work and family environment. You can choose from the larger city atmosphere of Manhattan proper or any of the small communities if that’s your preference. It’s a wonderful place to live, work and grow,” Schutter said.
BHS’s impressive project portfolio includes commercial, K-12 and higher education, healthcare and religious projects, as well as historic renovation and fraternity and sorority houses. Services run the gamut from preconstruction through postconstruction and facility maintenance, and BHS can employ design-build, construction manager at risk or design-bid-build approaches to fit client needs.
Schutter has a difficult time choosing a favorite project, but he says they all have something interesting or important that make them fun. Church projects such as the St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center in Manhattan or the Immaculata in St. Marys offer the special meaning of helping people worship. Projects at K-State are exciting because the facilities are nationally known. K-12 projects for area school districts make an impact on learning environments and change kids’ lives for years to come. Commercial projects are meaningful because they support the growth of other peoples’ businesses.
On the basis of long history, great workforce and excellent relationships, BHS and Greater Manhattan are likely to continue growing — together.
“Forming friendships and relationships with those customers and supporting them in their business growth is special,” Schutter said. “It makes people feel different when they come to work in a great facility.”
