Spotlight On: Walker Mathews Jr., President, R.C. Mathews Contractor
August 2025 — Walker Mathews Jr., president of R.C Mathews Contractor, sat down with Invest: to discuss the company’s growth in recent years, regional trends in zoning, and how R.C. Mathews is leveraging technologies to enhance project efficiency and improve the customer experience. “We aim to build buildings that will withstand the test of time for generations to come and provide value to our community,” Mathews said.
Could you provide a brief overview of R.C. Mathews and its proposition in the Tennessee area?
R.C. Mathews Contractor is proud to be a fourth-generation family business that has been serving our clients in Tennessee for the last 84 years. The past five years have been a huge growth period for us, allowing us to expand into new markets like public work while still providing that unmatched construction experience to our existing clients.
This past year, we were awarded some fantastic projects in Middle Tennessee like the Roxy Theater, Cheekwood Garage and The Covenant School to name a few. We have also seen some markets have a harder time getting projects started, primarily in the multifamily sector. Those projects have been more challenging to get started due to interest rates, equity, and some of the volatility around material prices. Alternatively, we have seen a good trajectory in our public and non-profit work. We have multiple contracts underway this year, some of which include renovations to the State Capital, Tennessee Tower, and a new Metro Parks project at Centennial. Nashville and the Middle Tennessee region are doing quite well, and overall, I believe that we are in a really good spot.
How are rising material costs, labor shortages, and interest rate fluctuations shaping project timelines, risk management, and capital planning for builders and developers?
All of these challenges have made it more difficult to get projects to the starting line. To mitigate this, we are having real-time conversations with our clients on how material price changes impact our budgets and working with them to make the best decisions for the project.
For the clients that we build for, we take a much more selective approach on the type and quantity of projects that we take on to ensure that we have the teams and resources to be able to commit to it.
Which sectors are showing the strongest momentum in the current development cycle?
We have seen a strong backlog in the institutional, hospitality, non-profit and public sectors. Our team is working on some exciting projects for the city that will be great additions to the community. For the non-profit work, there is always a fundraising component, so I am hopeful the philanthropic community will rally around some great Tennessee institutions like TPAC, Cheekwood, Roxy Theater, Goodwill, Belmont, Trevecca and The Covenant School.
What is your assessment of demand for high-performance and sustainable buildings, and how is client interest in energy efficiency evolving?
LEED and sustainability has almost become table stakes for a lot of our projects and what we look to provide to our clients. As Building and Energy codes require more efficiency in buildings, we expand those parameters and seek to provide clients with better envelope and water tight buildings that will withstand the test of time. Since all of our projects are in this area, we can evaluate the performance of our buildings over a longer time horizon to truly provide better long term performance.
How is your team leveraging technology like Building Information Modeling and Virtual Design and Construction?
We have fully embraced technology, specifically Virtual Design and Construction here internally. We have a full team of virtual design experts. Our firm leads all the Building Information Model coordination for our projects in-house, as well as all our self-perform concrete modeling. We compile our drawings into one buildable set that we submit to the entire design and construction team for review. Our VDC group is also doing drone flights, laser scanning, and early test fit site analysis for our clients.
As Nashville continues to densify and redevelop its urban core, what infrastructure or regulatory challenges need to be addressed to ensure smart growth?
Nashville has grown tremendously over the last decade, and R.C. Mathews is proud to have been headquartered in downtown Nashville since 1941. We love working in Middle Tennessee to ensure that Nashville is being built well and built for the future. We work closely with entities such as historic zoning commission, stormwater and city planning departments to ensure that our projects meet their requirements and align with what is best for the city. One challenge can be the turnaround times for permit planning and review, and we are excited to be working with the city on a pilot program that will help improve the process for all involved.
The “Choose How You Move” transit referendum by Mayor O’Connell was a great first step in connecting the city and investing in our infrastructure to really allow and accommodate the growth that we are experiencing.
How are regional trends in zoning, permitting, and sustainability requirements affecting the pace and complexity of construction projects?
Our region has experienced a strong demand for development, but the regulatory environment, staff shortages, and evolving requirements are slowing the pace and increasing the complexity of construction projects. Developers and contractors must be strategically patient, well-advised, and prepared for multi-layered approval processes on the front and back end of builds that often extend beyond typical timelines. Ali Gorrell in our office leads all of our permitting and code relationships as an in-house permit expediter. Her role has been instrumental in ensuring our projects move along as efficiently as possible.
With national competition increasingly entering the Nashville market, what are the differentiators that allow local firms like R.C. Mathews to stay competitive?
The competition has been healthy for the market and has helped us improve our service offering to our clients. As a locally grown, Nashville based firm, the services and quality of construction that we provide are second to none in the market. That is primarily through our team and our relationships. There is a lot of consistency and continuity amongst our team, with a company-wide average tenure of over 10 years, and we have consistently been ranked as one of the largest homegrown Nashville builders. I believe that we have the right team and resources to perform on large, complex work, but also fully embrace being local and nimble to be able to tailor our offerings to each client. The increasing competition here has only made us better, and we have really been able to hone in how we best serve our clients.
What steps are you taking to strengthen company culture and workforce development, especially as labor dynamics shift and generational expectations change?
We have been voted a top workplace for the past five years by our employees. We use that as a good benchmark score to ensure the things that we are trying to do are moving us in the right direction. For me, I think it is just about being authentic and providing an authentic work environment in which all of our employees can succeed. I believe the key is to find people that align with our core values and be true to those on a day-to-day basis. That creates a culture where everyone wants to come and work at a place that is doing great things for the city.
What are you seeing in terms of private sector versus public sector activity, and are there shifts in where capital is flowing for new developments?
From my position, it seems as though the public sector and non-profit world are picking up a significant portion of our pipeline. The private sector is more sensitive to headwinds, like interest rates and equity markets, and that seems to be a harder area to navigate right now.
What are your strategic priorities for R.C. Mathews over the next three to five years, and how are you preparing the company for long-term resilience?
We have spent the last couple years getting our internal processes right and building a great culture. This year was all about getting the right people on the bus and in the right seats. I anticipate the next two to three years to be about bringing on more great people that align with our values and want to help us grow within the market as well as leveraging all the work that we have done from a process and tools standpoint to better serve our clients and provide that unmatched experience.
For more information, visit:
