CPOW Productions Ltd 'always busy' in Fort Smith

Work has been very busy for Fort Smith’s Colter Freund. For a contractor, that’s a good problem to have. 

“My biggest issue is keeping my mouth shut,” he said with a laugh. ‘Sometimes I'll agree to do something knowing that I don't have the time, but I'll agree to do it and then I gotta do it.”

Freund has been operating CPOW Productions in Fort Smith, his hometown, for about six years. 

The company offers a range of services. About 95 per cent of those relate to construction, Freund said. The other five per cent, he added, pertain to his “hobbies,” such as drone operating and music production. 

Business is good, he assured, despite ample competition in a town of fewer than 2,500 people. 

“It’s a little town and there's so, so many contractors in town,” he said. “You would think we'd all be fighting for all the work, but we need more [contractors]. It's crazy.”

Freund grew up around construction. His father was a carpenter, and he was building his own skateboard ramps before he was a teenager.  He also worked at his grandfather’s lumber yard until he was about 18, when he got his first real construction job. 

"I was always around construction in one way or another,” he said. 

He was inspired to go into business for himself by his grandfather. 

“My grandpa’s a businessman,” he said. “He’s always kind of encouraged me."

Freund enjoys running his own enterprise. He encouraged anyone else who is considering launching a business to “go for it,” whether it’s the construction sector or another industry. 

“It’s not as intimidating as it seems,” he said.

Of course, it helps doing business in Fort Smith, according to Freund. It’s a tight-knit community where people support each other’s efforts — so much so that he barely needs to advertise his services. 

“Oh definitely, I feel the support of the community,” he said. “I’ve never really advertised too much and I'm always busy.”