Kelly Capps enjoyed being the general contractor on her own home, so she decided to make construction her career.
After high school, the Gentry native worked for McKee Foods for 10 years, then spent three years working for the Siloam Springs School District. After building her own house, she entered the construction industry in 2015, working for Complete Roofing and Restoration and later in accounting for Ellingson Contracting. In 2023 she joined Ross Construction and quickly became a project engineer. That year she also began classes at NorthWest Arkansas Community College. She’ll graduate in construction technology in 2026.
After graduation she wants to be a project manager and wants her sons and others see her as a role model and leader.
In Capps’ role as project engineer, she “loves being able to show up and solve the problem,” she said. “That gives me a little bit of fire when I solve it.”
Capps is on the client-faction portion of the team, assisting the project manager on two projects and has three of her own. She’s helped with three Domino’s Pizza restaurant buildings as well as townhomes and apartments in Bentonville.
Larry Perkins with Hight Jackson Associates is her mentor and “pushed me outside my comfort zone,” she said.
Board treasurer for the National Association of Women in Construction, Capps also gave the keynote speech at NWACC’s scholarship awards event.
Capps volunteers with CASA of NWA, the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter, the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter, EOA Children’s House, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Giving back and getting others involved are important to her.
She spends her downtime outdoors, hiking with her boys or at their sports. Capps also enjoys the Tontitown Winery with her girlfriends.