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Carden Company, Inc.
350 Wilson Pike Circle
Brentwood, TN 37027

Phone: (615) 371-0910
Fax: (615) 371-1208

By Diane Fender

Staff writer

As the Cool Springs area continues to grow, the Carden Company Inc. continues to be involved in the growth process.

Carden Company Inc. is a construction firm providing the community with retail buildings, restaurants, office buildings, and more.

Carden Company Inc. built the Rooms to Go building, which President Gary Carden describes as a "fun building." The design and architecture are unique in that building, he adds.

Merchants Restaurant was an old office building that Carden converted into a restaurant.

The focus of the construction work for the Carden Company is in Middle Tennessee and "Cool Springs has been a very good market for us," says Carden. "Cool Springs is the most active construction area in Middle Tennessee."

In addition to Rooms To Go and Merchants, the most recent projects by Carden Company in Williamson County are Gateway Country Store, Outback Steakhouse, Pro Golf Discount, Prism Music Inc. and currently under construction is the Gary Force ACURA which will be completed in March.

Gary Force ACURA is located in Westgate Commons and Carden says this is a special project for him for several reasons. The building, he says, is a very unique facility. Carden adds that he has a good working relationship with the owner. Carden built the Gary Force ACURA in Nashville and has enjoyed watching that business grow.

Carden says he concentrates on building in the Middle Tennessee area and "in order to do that you need to be prepared to do many different types of construction."

Challenge is part of the job at times and Carden says he welcomes it. Gateway Country Store is situated on a lot with mature trees that the City of Brentwood did not want destroyed. "We worked with the Brentwood Planning Department, an experienced urban forester and a natural resource planner, as well as a consulting civil engineer" to save the trees on the site.

"It was a challenge to take care of the trees" on a small construction site, says Carden. "It was fun and I am proud to be able to do that."

Ground was recently broken for Academy Sports and Outdoors on Mallory Lane, between Burger King and Five and Diner. This building is just getting started, Carden says, and it will be a retail sporting goods store.

"The construction industry is moving toward better, more sophisticated management. This includes expanded financial management, expanded safety management and emphasis on quality assurance construction. I see the industry as more management intensive and with a greater emphasis on marketing and sales," says Carden.

Carden says he sees this trend affecting construction based on the reliance on computers for more detailed information, such as bid solicitation and added communication between parties. Construction companies now operate on tighter margins possible because of instant access to financial information.

This management style is a current trend in the construction industry in general is more management intensive in its personnel training, Carden explains.

In the past, the owner demands were not at the level they are now. Quality, timeliness of completion, price and a good working relationship with the owners, Carden says, are the most important goals in his business.

The team concept is the management style that is the basis for the Carden Company, he states. The team concept "fits very comfortably for our company and it fits very comfortably for the industry." 

"It takes more than a person to build a building," he adds. "Our employees enjoy the camaraderie of a team approach."

The three concepts which best describe Carden Company Inc., are the conscious decision to build in Tennessee, to look for solutions to construction problems and teamwork for maximum effectiveness.

"Construction has become so complex that everyone must work together to build a successful project," according to Carden.

This month, Carden Company will observe its 22nd anniversary. "Our 22-year history of building a wide variety of projects gives us a solid foundation on which to build future projects," said Gary Carden, president.

"Our mission... is to exceed our customer’s expectations," Carden says.

This is an active business, says Carden, and an active market. "I enjoy the opportunity to build the buildings we build. I hope the market continues to give us the opportunity to continue."