RAPID CITY, S.D. — What started with a hard hat, a $2-an-hour job, and a determination to do things right has grown into one of the Black Hills’ most enduring construction companies. Scull Construction, now marking 40 years in Rapid City, credits its longevity to grit, loyal talented employees, and a simple guiding principle: do what you say you’re going to do.
Founder Jim Scull recalls his earliest lessons came from family. His father, a carpenter, taught him the trades, while a childhood spent playing in a family band forced him into crowds and taught him how to connect with people. After graduating from Stevens High School, Scull’s father handed him a hard hat and a construction job — his first exposure to commercial building.
But the company’s foundation wasn’t laid until 1985, after Jim Scull’s brother Bob moved back to Rapid City and Scull Construction Service was formed. With a few employees and an ndustry veteran, Superintendent Roger Op, Scull Construction began bidding small jobs across Rapid City.
The early years were lean. Employees wore multiple hats — laborer, superintendent, safety officer — all at once. A single computer was shared in the office, and fax machines were just becoming standard. But Scull reinvested every dollar into the company, building credibility one project at a time.
Key partnerships helped fuel growth. “He didn’t work for me, we worked together,” Scull said of Op, whose expertise and discipline raised standards across job sites. Later, partnerships with Danny Wagner and then Andy Scull, Jim’s son, ushered in periods of expansion and modernization.
Today, Scull Construction employs hundreds and operates in three main areas: commercial general contracting, site development and utilities, and residential land development. The company has also invested in apprenticeship programs for carpentry, concrete and equipment operation, certified through the Department of Labor.
Much has changed since the days of tennis shoes and no hard hats on job sites. Scull Construction now employs dedicated safety staff, embraces construction management at risk (CMAR) project delivery, and emphasizes customer collaboration from planning to completion.
Through it all, leaders say, the company’s culture has been defined by consistency, loyalty and relationships. Many employees who started in the early 1990s remain in leadership today. “It’s people that build things,” Scull said. “I can buy all the equipment in the world, but unless you have quality people who believe in you and you believe in them, nothing else gets done.”
As Scull Construction enters its fifth decade, its reputation in Rapid City and across a five-state region rests not only on the buildings it has completed, but also on the relationships it has built. “You can make a business, and that’s not a legacy,” Scull said. “We wanted to build a legacy — loyalty, trust, honesty, professionalism. That’s what we stand for.”
