Open office: Lehman-Roberts paves a future on Cooper in Midtown

Memphis Business Journal
Jacob Steimer

After decades headquartered on Wilson Street in Soulsville, road construction firm Lehman-Roberts Co. moved to Midtown's Cooper Street in September.

The company purchased the 85,000-square-foot building at 670 Cooper St. for $2.3 million in early 2018 and spent about $3.5 million renovating it.

Lehman-Roberts — along with its sister company Memphis Stone & Gravel Co. — employ about 50 people in the building and another 260 in the field. It still operates a metal fabrication shop and equipment maintenance facility at 1111 Wilson St.

The new building includes an open-office floor plan and a training room that seats 100 people.

In 2017, Pat Nelson succeeded Rick Moore as president of Lehman-Roberts. Shortly before the switch, Nelson told MBJ about his respect for the company's past and his vision for its future. As part of that conversation, he said he plans to branch the company into industries that are — unlike road paving — profitable during the winter.

Lehman-Roberts’ office, by the numbers

• Size: 85,000 square feet

• Employees: 50 in the office, another 260 in the field

• Renovation cost: $3.5 million

• Property purchase cost: $2.3 million