W.H. Stovall
Nearly a Century of Quality Construction
Jerry Baker, W.H. Stovall president Since 1927, W.H. Stovall has provided high-quality fabrication, distribution, and installation of engineered building products in the Richmond area and beyond. For three generations, the company was led by the Stovall family until transitioning ownership in 2022.
Jerry Baker became president of W.H. Stovall in September of 2022, but his relationship with the company started years earlier. “I was working for a general contractor in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Howard Shockey, which began in 1896, also another company that had been around for generations,” Jerry says. “I was asked in 2009 if I would relocate to Richmond to establish an office and grow the business in the central Virginia region. As any general contractor will tell you, their success is based on having excellent trade partners or subcontractors. We need those specialty trades and the craftspeople associated with them to build the buildings that we live, work, and play in.”
When Jerry was working on a middle school project, he reached out to Bruce Cann, then owner of W.H. Stovall. “I was impressed with the company and their attention to detail. We hired them to do the metal panels for Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and that was the beginning of a great relationship,” Jerry says.
Bruce retired in 2022 and sold W.H. Stovall to River City Enterprises who then reached out to Jerry to see if he was interested in joining the company as president. Today, Jerry oversees W.H. Stovall as they provide engineered products that include aluminum composite metal panels, insulated metal panels, storefronts, curtain walls, skylights, and glass and glazing.
W.H. Stovall worked on the Carvana building that features a car elevator with intricate glasswork. “We get involved in the project early and because of our expertise and the technology we utilize, we can help our clients develop a comprehensive building envelope that performs in conjunction with the energy model for the building,” Jerry says. “The building actually gets tremendous value with regards to sustainability and the carbon footprint because we can design, manufacture, and install a building envelope that helps the HVAC and electrical systems of the building operate to their maximum efficiency.”
W.H. Stovall connected with TowneBank during the ownership transition and Jerry says it’s been a great relationship. “When Bruce was creating his retirement plan, he was looking for good leadership, but also responsibility. He wanted to make sure that the new ownership didn’t create any gaps in the financial strength that Stovall had built. TowneBank was a very integral part of making the transition of ownership seamless. Shareema Williams, senior vice president and commercial banker, has been phenomenal to work with. She is a trusted colleague, a great person who will give some good solid advice and also look ahead. TowneBank has certainly been there for us and given us confidence in helping us make strategic decisions about our three-to-five-year plan. We are huge fans of TowneBank.”
Jerry sums up what is most rewarding to him about his work. “The folks on our team are such a great group of individuals. I’d be remiss if I did not mention Joe Hicks, Director of Operations, Jack Eaton, Director of Preconstruction, and Brenda Maxson, Director of Administration as well as the teams they support on a daily basis. They are committed to doing the right thing and giving one hundred percent. In my mind, there’s something satisfying about being able to work with people you like, who are very good at what they do, and are continuing the legacy the Stovalls have built up over almost a century. That’s very important.”
For more information, visit WHStovall.com.