Generations Construction is a family-run, full-service construction company based in Joplin, Missouri, specializing in residential remodeling and renovation, new construction, and commercial remodeling services. Generations’ professionals work closely with clients from start to finish to get the job done just as envisioned, and on schedule and within budget.
Generations project superintendent throughout the JHN preservation project is Charles David (CD) Beaver. CD has a wealth of experience in the construction business, starting out at the ripe old age of 13 installing tile during the summer for his dad’s company, Ritchey-Beaver Ceramics. Now, his father is working with him as part of Generations’ four-person crew on site at JHN.
CD recalls Generations launch into the historic remodeling business, “We were working on multiple projects and started remodeling several buildings. That’s when I saw the connection between remodeling to a standard that reflected the building’s integrity.” He used that same philosophy when remodeling and restoring the Spiva Center for the Arts and the College Press building in Joplin. “Those projects were a turning point for our company,” he says. “It gave us a better appreciation of historic structures and the needed craftsmanship to restore historic buildings.”
CD and his crew have a mission to oversee the entire restoration process—get the right tools and right people for the specific job and to keep the project moving forward. He says each day presents challenges, but at the end of the day, being able to solve them is very satisfying. The JHN restoration project is one that is shaping up to be not only unique for the Joplin community but also for Generations Construction. CD says, “The challenging part of my job is determining what the structure actually looked like when it was originally built.” He adds, “I have been impressed with the wide array of amazing specialty sub-contractors who are working on the various aspects of the restoration process. They bring so much to the project with their expertise, craftsmanship, and professional skills. We really have an impressive team.”
Interesting fact:
After high school, CD went to commercial diving school in Houston to learn how to do underwater construction on dams and bridges. This job took him across the country, working in several states including Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.