“We’ve always believed that trust and hard work matter more than anything,” Nick said. “My dad built his career on those values, and we’ve built this company on them, too.”

For Matt, that career began in fire stations across the Asheville area. Firefighting offered steady work, but the pay left little room to support a growing family. To supplement his income, he picked up remodeling projects on his days off. 

“For me, firefighting was always about serving the community, but it wasn’t something you could raise a family on,” Matt said. “Remodeling gave me a way to support them while still doing the work I loved at the station.”

Nick grew up in the middle of it all. Summers and weekends often meant tagging along with his dad on job sites, hauling scrap, painting trim and learning the trade by doing what he calls “the grunt work.” 

“I still remember pulling insulation out of basements when it was 100 degrees outside,” Nick said. “After enough days like that, I told myself I was going to do something different with my life.”

That decision set him on a new path. After graduating from Charles D. Owen High School, he moved to Chicago for college, earning degrees in business management and human resources before completing an MBA in finance. 

By all accounts, Nick was destined for a corporate career. But in 2016, Matt called. His small remodeling venture was at a crossroads, ready to grow but lacking the structure to scale. That’s when Nick recognized an opportunity to put his business training to work. He returned to Asheville, and together, father and son founded Scroggs Construction Services. 

“Dad brought decades of hands-on know-how, and I brought the operational knowledge,” Nick said.

Their complementary strengths fueled rapid growth at Scroggs Construction Services. Within a few years, the company employed designers, project supervisors and office staff, supported by a reliable network of subcontractors. Today, the firm operates as a full-service design-build company, a business model that streamlines projects by keeping planning, design and construction under one roof. 

“From the first sketch to the final nail, we’re involved at every step,” Nick said. “It saves time, reduces surprises and makes the whole process smoother.”

That approach has earned the company steady year-over-year growth and multiple WNC STARS Awards from the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains (BABRM). Scroggs’ portfolio now ranges from complex remodels to large-scale additions and new custom homes.

“When we first got started, it was mostly remodels,” Matt said. “But little by little, the jobs got bigger. Now, we’re taking on projects I never would’ve imagined back then. It’s been pretty incredible to see how far we’ve come.”

Of course, like many companies in Western North Carolina, Scroggs was put to the test last fall after Hurricane Helene. The storm flooded the company office building’s basement, but rather than pause operations, the team mucked out the mud and turned the space into a supply hub, collecting donated supplies and delivering them to hard-hit communities.

The storm also reshaped the company’s trajectory. With so many families displaced, Scroggs launched a dedicated restoration division, hiring more than a dozen new employees to meet demand. For Nick, whose childhood home in the Swannanoa community of Beacon Village was among those destroyed, the work felt especially personal.

“I grew up in that neighborhood—I know those streets,” he said. “Helping our neighbors rebuild wasn’t just business for us. It was about making sure the community we call home could rise again.” 

Since last fall, the company has managed more than 40 hurricane-related projects, helping families build back stronger than before. According to Matt, none of this would be possible without strong relationships with clients, subcontractors and the wider community. “In this market, you don’t get far without trust,” Matt said.

Nick has been building those connections on a broader scale. As this year’s president of BABRM, he advocates for workforce development initiatives and zoning policies that expand the region’s affordable housing supply.

“I see my role as bigger than just running a company,” Nick said. “It’s about making sure our industry stays strong and that future generations have the chance to build good lives here, too.”

That commitment to both community and craft is something Matt says has defined his son’s leadership. “I couldn’t be prouder of Nick,” he said. “Watching him step up has been the highlight of my career.”