As builders and craftsmen, our team is dedicated to providing the greatest value for every project in both cost and quality. Our team has the experience and strength in pre-construction to implement inventive solutions and approach technical challenges with moxie. Our clients have long-term vision for supporting and developing their communities and a respect for the skills we bring to our craft.
OUR HISTORY
Quality Craftsmanship, Collaborative Construction
What Does QUAD stand for?
Our name and logo represent a dedication to collaboration and our respect for the important relationship between the roles involved in every project. Just as a quadrant has four quarters, so does construction have four parties — Owner, Architect, Contractor and the Community. QUAD Construction emphasizes how our work embraces and impacts communities through change and growth.
Our Firm History
2023
We rolled out our new brand this year: QUAD Construction. After owning the company for 10 years, Matt Thomas believed that our company name no longer reflected who we are today. QUAD Construction represents our team in its entirety, not any singular individuals. While we still believe in the square that has anchored our legacy for the past three decades, our new name and meaning focuses on how our company today appreciates and works with four pillars: Owner, Architect, Contractor and our Community. We cherish our legacy and love the rich history we helped develop in Oklahoma. QUAD Construction is proud to pay homage to Smith & Pickel while also bringing a new vision and motto to our company.
2013
Matt Thomas became the sole owner and president of Smith & Pickel Construction after being mentored for almost a decade by his predecessors. Although the transition was successful, the company faced challenges during this time. Chesapeake was our organization’s prime client for years prior to 2013, but after wrapping up work with the client in 2014, the company faced challenges due to isolation from the market. The company worked with Aubrey McClendon from 2014, until his passing in 2016, which sparked a need to diversify the business to provide a more sustainable work-life for all employees.
The need to diversify our workload originated with an internal audit which identified the company’s challenges, which were: branding, image, experience, and people. Whereas the company’s brand has maintained its original integrity and quality, the audience has evolved. The audit also revealed a need to diversify the company’s experience: diversity of architect partnerships, diversity of market sectors, and diversity of funding types (public and private balance) were all imperative to this shift. We decided to get competitive.
2000 - 2014
The Chesapeake Era
CHESAPEAKE! Our story of our history with Chesapeake could be described as nothing less than an adventure. We started our first project in 2000 with construction of a single office building, the first of what would quickly become a sprawling 110 acre campus and home to over 5000 Chesapeake employees. Constructed over approximately 13 years, the 1 million square foot campus consisted of 17 new buildings, 5 parking garages, 4 corporate restaurants, a fitness center, day care, data center, and a central plant. Off campus renovations consisted of roughly another 1 million square feet of office spaces around town. Numerous field offices were also constructed throughout Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.
1993
In 1990, Ron Yordi, original founder, added both Sam Smith & James Pickel to the ownership, and renamed the company Yordi, Smith & Pickel. In 1993, Smith & Pickel bought out Yordi due to health problems, and changed the name to Smith & Pickel. From 1993 – 2013, there was a long tenure of working actively at the SSM Hospital campus, while maintaining other clientele, until our era with Chesapeake, and Matt Thomas joined the team.
1984
In the 1980s, due to Yordi’s reputation for quality and integrity, the company shifted to more negotiated work (construction management delivery method). Projects were acquired through word of mouth and reputation. Yordi hired Sam Smith out of college, and later on Yordi acquired a small construction company that James Pickel was working for, and that’s when Pickel came on board.
1976
Yordi Construction was founded by Ron Yordi and began the legacy that is today QUAD Construction. Built upon the principles of quality & integrity, Yordi had bought a portion of what was then the construction division of a company named Atlas, and they started their foundation doing senior/elderly housing projects, such as Epworth Villa.