Covington Roofing and Sheet Metal has enjoyed a century of business and has expanded into companies for property management, real estate, and construction, but it all began in 1923 with family patriarch George A. Covington.
“He started the business with one truck, a wood-fired asphalt kettle and three employees,” reads an account of the company’s history.
“My grandpa and his son, Jack, did all kinds of roofing,” said third-generation owner George E. Covington, Sr. “They had a metal shop and made awnings, tin pails, and just about anything they could get out of sheet metal.”
As years went by, the company’s reputation grew and soon, the Covingtons were traveling across Arkansas for jobs.
In 1936, George Sr.’s father, George W. Covington, joined with the company, the same year it roofed the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.
“I remember going all over the state with my dad to check roofs,” Covington said. “I have been roofing buildings since I was old enough to climb a ladder.”
In 1970, Covington’s father approached him about running the company and eventually taking it over.
“A lot of our employees had reached the age of retirement and Dad came to me one night and said he didn’t want to do it anymore, he wanted to retire,” Covington remembers. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, it’s now or never.’”
Covington was newly married and a student at the University of Central Arkansas at the time. After discussing it with his wife, Covington made the decision to take over the family business. He became president in 1978.
Under his leadership, the company expanded its fleet of equipment and number of employees as its footprint extended across the region into neighboring states, thanks to numerous projects with companies such as Levi Strauss and Tyson Foods.
“People think we mostly work just in Conway, but that is only a piece of our business,” Covington said. “We go all over the place.”
George E. Covington Jr. took over as president of Covington Roofing and has continued to expand its business for over 25 years. Some of its most recent projects include the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and UAMS Radiation Oncology Center in Little Rock.
Covington Roofing and Sheet Metal has also grown to include Covington Properties and Covington Construction, all of which now fall under the umbrella of Covington Companies and are run by members of the Covington family.
Covington Properties was established in 1983 as Covington became more involved in downtown Conway and its revitalization.
The first property he purchased was the Fast Foto building on Harkrider Street. Soon after that, he built Cambridge Square and continued on from there. Today, Covington Companies has more than 1.8 million square feet of lease space in Conway, and specializes in commercial development, industrial property, retail space, office space, and loft apartments.
It is recognized for its revitalization of a host of buildings across downtown including Covington Towers, Mid-Town Center, The Old Gin, United Center, and more.
Covington Construction was established in 1993 as Covington’s love for remodeling buildings grew. Jason Covington now runs the company. Covington Construction has helped revitalize buildings across downtown and the city, which fits the company’s motto of, “Changing the face of Conway.”
In 2016, Covington Real Estate Group was established. Covington’s daughter, Stephanie Covington, serves as the principal broker along with his two sons Jason and George Jr as executive broker and agent.
As Covington Roofing and Sheet Metal celebrates 100 years, its impact is still felt today as much as back in 1923.
Just love stories of Conway and the hard work that makes a successful business. Kudos to the Covington’s !