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Orion has much to be proud of: 25 successful years, many award-winning projects,
a top-notch list of clients...but we are most proud of our employees. 85% of our
employees have been with us for over 10 years. We think that says a lot about our
dedication to creating a work environment where they are allowed to grow, learn new
skills, and develop lasting work and personal relationships with a sense of
self-satisfaction. Orion works hard to not allow economic factors to affect our
workforce. The result, we feel, are employees who are as dedicated to Orion and
our clients as we are to them.
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A moment with Richard Cooper Chairman and CEO
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Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Hopefully traveling around the country in my RV. Assuming the stock market ever stabilizes,
I intend to retire in the next 5 years or so. I may find that I miss construction too much,
but I am also looking forward to not having to adhere to a timetable, and be able to change
my plans on a whim.
Which project that you have been associated with has taught you the most about yourself?
One of the first projects that I ever worked on, Tennessee Dressed Beef, taught me that the
values that I was taught growing up, honesty and integrity, are as valid in the business world
as they were when I was in school. On that project, I found that if I was always truthful and
gave my honest opinion, things would always work out in the end. I live by those values to
this day.
Which project that you have been associated with has taught you the most about construction?
I think constucting the Maxwell House Hotel probably taught me more about construction than
any other. That was in the 1970's and the first really big project I had ever managed. The
fact that it was a high rise building and also ground up gave me a look at all phases of
construction. Working with the corporate owner from out of town and the developer that put
the project together taught me a lot about the project development side as well.
Who has most influenced your career path?
Jim West was part owner of Culbert Construction Company. This was the only company I ever
worked for besides Orion and the TN Dept. of Transportation. He convinced me that I should
leave public service and go into private business. But Jim was also the father of my best
friend growing up, and I looked to him as both a parent and a boss.
Share one of your favorite memories about Orion and/or its employees.
My favorite story is about Martin Roberts, on of our founding partners. Martin passed away
in 2002, and we all miss him greatly. Martin was very much into playing the part of
corporate America. Not too much foolishness - all business. one day Martin was standing
in the doorway to the accounting department. I'm not really sure what he was doing but he
must have been fidgeting while talking to our payroll clerk, because he got his thumb
caught in the door jamb. I understand that when he saw me coming down the hall, he finally
ripped the skin off his thumb before I caught him in this embarassing situation. Of course
our Payroll Clerk got so tickled when this happened that she just had to tell me what happened.
Many of us, including Martin, have shared this story through the years. Whenever I think of
Martin, I remember this story.
What is your idea of an ideal weekend?
My ideal weekend is to take off about 4 pm on Friday afternoon and head to Kentucky Lake
with my wife, Gayle, and some of our kids and grandkids. We have an RV and a boat that we
keep at Birdsong marina there. I think having a weekend get-away with water activities has
brought our family much closer together. And I always know that I can be on top of any
business issues while I'm there via email and cell phone.
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Betsy Ball joined Orion 14 years ago after being interviewed at the Green Hills Mall in her white
Clinique lab coat. The rest, as they say, is history.
Please share a favorite memory of your time at Orion.:
"...has to be the Law School proposal...total chaos. Randall was helping me put together brochures, the copy
room was totally trashed with paper all over the floor, and Martin Roberts using very "un-Martin Roberts-like"
language was telling me the organizational charts WOULD be in the brochures. When the brochures were ready,
Martin then asked me to drive them to Campus Planning in his new Volvo! Yes, me driving him in his new car...yeah,
ok, no problem. I needed a valium by the time I left the office. Webb called me at home that night to tell me
they got the job. Whew!"
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Betsy left make-up in Green Hills
for mark-ups at Orion.
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Eddie & Ronnie show off the results of
their latest hunting trip.
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Eddie Deaton has been with Orion for 22 years and in the construction industry for 35. Eddie credits his father,
who was a carpenter, and a project superintendent at another firm with influencing his career choice. "He helped
push me out of the nest, so to speak, to start me running jobs...so here I am!"
"Orion is a great company to work for; they really care about their employees. I hope to be able to work long
enough to retire with Orion...I appreciate this company and all of its workers, and especially the owners for
putting up with me for all these years."
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David Lovell says what keeps him at Orion after 22 years is the atmosphere, "It's like family." His projects have
kept him busy at Vanderbilt's Medical Center for the past few years and when asked: Where do you see yourself 5 years
from now?, he replies "VUMC."
He enjoys telling the story of how he was working on one of Jeff Taylor's jobs downtown, when Jeff had to ask an employee
of a subcontractor to go home for breaking the rules. "That was all well and good, but when the employee left, he
evidently didn't have a ride so we think he helped himself to Jeff's company truck. Actually, that's what I
thought...for some reason Jeff thought I had taken it and done something as a joke. The police found the truck
abandoned in another part of Nashville a short time later."
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David and his wife, Gloria,
at an Orion Christmas party.
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Tina's smile and personality have been
lighting up Orion's offices for 10 years.
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Tina Hall, assistant controller, says "...to work in accounting, either you love it or
hate it...I am really proud of Orion and the work they have done. The three R's (Richard,
Rick, & Randall) are great and wonderful guys to work for..."
When asked: After 10 years, what keeps you at Orion; "It's a fun atmosphere, family oriented,
and I have great co-workers."
Tina enjoys aerobics and spending time off with family and friends.
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Marty Greenberg credits Martin Roberts, Jr., and Richard Cooper as the two who have
most influenced his career path. He joined Orion three years after its inception. Even with
10 years of experience "under his belt," Marty feels he has learned much, about himself and
construction, throughout his years with Orion and continues to look at each new project as a
new learning opportunity.
Marty's vision of the ideal weekend includes hiking, camping, sleeping on the ground, and
cooking in camp. Recently, during a trip to the mountains in North Carolina, Marty came
face-to-face with a bear...a memory certainly not to be forgotten soon.
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Marty, Rick, Randall, Webb, & J
(holding the camera) enjoy weekend
hiking & camping trips together.
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Win a Prize!!
Somewhere within our website, we have hidden a blue hard hat.
If you find the hard hat, click on it...you will be prompted to send us your name and address, at which time you
will be entered into a Grand Prize Drawing to be held later this year! In addition, the first 15 entries will also
receive an Orion 25th Anniversary ball cap with sun shade! Please, only one entry per person.
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