Dr. Joel D. Cooper

Brentwood, Tennessee

Dr. Joel D. Cooper

A tight fit and a tight budget – it was a match made for Carden Company.

An impersonal one-size-fits-all box in a strip mall was definitely not for him. Dr. Cooper found a great piece of real estate, but it was expensive. To make things more complicated, the site was triangular. But Carden Company’s experience gave Dr. Cooper confidence, peace of mind – and a great building.

Dr. Cooper’s site near the corner of Moore’s Lane and Franklin Road south of Brent­wood had a lot going for it: It’s easy to find, it has excellent access to major arteries, and it’s tucked into a steep hillside for a nicely wooded backdrop with no room for further buildings.

But ideal sites come with a price tag. Fortunately, Dr. Cooper had a clear vision of what he wanted, and a builder who could create the reality on a reasonable budget.

Even with the best planning and budgeting, most building projects encounter some impediments. With the triangular site, the building area was tight, and meeting city codes for setbacks, parking and signage was tricky. But owner Joel Cooper said, “When the city would throw us a curveball, Rad York (Carden’s project manager) would always have a plan B and a plan C. The only add-ons (to the budget) were for unexpected issues that couldn’t be budgeted for. There again, there was always a plan to make it work out with the least amount of pain.”

Not only did Carden Company experience and know-how make the project less stressful; it even gave Dr. Cooper an understanding of best building practices.

“I felt like his [Rad’s] experience made such a difference. He actually taught me things about basic contracting. So not only do they have back-up plans, but they educate you,” said Dr. Cooper. “Which is really good for guys like me who are really new to the process. It added a level of comfort to a potentially very upsetting pro­cess.”

Dr. Cooper got his comfortable, inviting dentist office with a game room for children and a relaxing home environment. He also developed a valued relationship. “If you can walk away from a finished building and still be on speaking terms with your builder, you’ve had a successful project. But I’m not just on speaking terms; I con­sider those guys friends in a lot of ways. For Carden, it was a small project, but they treated it like it was the most important thing they were doing.”

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