From pickup trucks to luxury contracts: Incoming executives aim to continue Roaring Fork Valley construction legacy

Pickup trucks were a crucial tool for young contractors in the Roaring Fork Valley in the 1980s.

Basalt-based contractor Jake Rankin, 37, said many of the valley’s early entrepreneurs made ends meet in the summer with a little more than word of mouth, limited resources, and pickup trucks — often after working winters at Aspen ski resorts. 

“That’s what everybody did in the valley,” he said. “All these guys were ‘back-of-pickup-truck’ general contractors.”

A Basalt High School graduate, he obtained a construction management degree at Colorado State University in 2018. Prior to college, he said he was “making $35 an hour” at his dad’s Roaring Fork Valley cabinet company. He now joins Jason Pfeifer — a Westminster High School graduate who later earned a degree from the University of Colorado Boulder — as a partner and executive of Schlumberger Scherer Construction (SCC) in Basalt. Together, they are expanding their leadership roles at SSC, taking over for current CEO Scott Scherer as he transitions out of the company.

Though they strive to continue SSC’s legacy in creating luxury homes, Rankin and Pfeifer still carry that “back-of-pickup-truck” spirit, which is enshrined by founder Marty Schlumberger. Coming from Oklahoma, Schlumberger started the contracting company in 1986.

“‘I’ve been a farm boy, I kind of know how to build. My goal literally is to sit down at the Hotel Jerome with my cowboy hat on and start meeting some people,'” Rankin said of Schlumberger’s gameplan. “And it blew up for him.”

The plan paid dividends. According to a recent performance review, SSC now boasts 11 full-time employees and currently oversees 45 mainly residential projects throughout the valley. Its past greatest hits for commercial contract work, however, include Kemo Sabe and Alo Yoga in Aspen. 

In achieving these benchmarks, Schlumberger would grow past the pick-up-truck stage of his career in the early 2000s. Although he carried an engineering degree from Vanderbilt, Scherer was a “bags on” — or rather, a tool belt on — contractor in Telluride when he one day stepped into Schlumberger’s valley office with “torn jeans” and a “rolled up flannel-sleeved shirt” for an interview, Pfeifer said.

And in 2001, Scherer was hired as Schlumberger’s superintendent.

“That’s where Scott comes in and really adds that structure to the organization,” Pfeifer said. “He becomes Marty’s right-hand man.”

Scherer said he went on to create over 100 homes with his new company, eventually becoming a partner with Schlumberger.

“I learned early in my career that building homes is more about building relationships as it’s an important ingredient, and without it, you don’t have a solid foundation,” Scherer said. “There’s so many people that I’ve had such great relationships with that have helped me in my career, and I hope they think I’ve helped them.”

He said the Roaring Fork housing market is “on an island,” meaning it has limited resources. This prompts contractors like SSC to spur creativity in order to meet client demands. 

“The key is to always hire people smarter than yourself,” he said, who also emphasized his confidence in Rankin and Pfeifer taking over the helm. “Together, that team really makes for a strong leadership role, and I’m excited for their future. They have what it takes to continue the legacy and keep the torch going.”

That trust is rooted in the work ethic and local roots that the two bring to the table.

“This is literally blood, sweat, and tears to get to where I’m at,” Rankin said. 

Scherer said when he fully transitions out of his role in 2028, he looks forward to “sleeping in at least a day, having a cup of coffee with my wife,” and reading more science fiction books. 

Meanwhile, Rankin and Pfeifer look forward to upholding the recognition CCS has garnered over the years.

“At the end of the day,” Rankin said, “when we get the ‘thank you,’ it was all completely worth it.”

Ray K. Erku can be reached at (970) 429-9120 or rerku@aspentimes.com.