Scott Kramer has more than 20 years of general contracting and commercial construction management experience in the financial, office, retail, multi-family, hospitality and health care industries. He formed Spartan, in 2012, with a vision of raising the industry standard through impeccable customer service.
1. College alma mater? Michigan State University.
2. Favorite TV show of all time? I can’t stop watching The Office. At the risk of sounding like a nerd, “Curse of Oak Island” is a fave as well.
3. Preferred place for a business meeting? My office, ha! Lunch meetings or happy hour meetings are always nice as well.
4. Most used phone app? Messages, Outlook and Teams. Not entirely surprising, sigh…
5. What time do you wake up on workdays? Usually between 6 and 6:30 a.m. Whenever my son wakes my wife up who then wakes me up. I sleep like the dead, so when I met my wife, I had an elaborate system of alarms to get me up. She quickly did away with that madness.
6. What’s a life hack you swear by? Being a man of routine. My wife makes fun of me all the time for it, but it allows me the headspace to think about other things. My 4-year-old son is a strong follower in Dad’s footsteps, in this regard.
7. First album/cassette tape/CD you remember buying? Oh man, I think it was Metallica – The Black Album or an Aerosmith album. Both on tape. I also took advantage of all the Columbia Records deals.
8. Favorite local restaurant? Bonu. No doubt. The closest thing the wife and I have found to one of our favorite places on Earth, Italy.
9. Last book you read? I now regret my decision to read so many books about Pirates. Three out of the last four books were about The Golden Age of Piracy. Currently reading “When the Heavens Went on Sale” about the commercialization of space in the 21st century. I love nonfiction, specifically history books. They are always a nice reprieve from all the business books I consume.
10. Biggest business failure? Having a partner. That was a fun experience…
11. What was your first cell phone? An old-school Nokia. That thing was a tank. Also, it had Snake on it. I miss it dearly.
12. Something you cook really well? My wife does not allow me in the kitchen.
13. Most famous person you’ve ever met? Bozo the Clown. I have a tendency to get on TV and I was on the show doing Bozo Buckets, as a kid.
14. What is the last thing that made you laugh, really hard? Probably something my son said or did. Being four years old, he’s at a really fun age. Other than that, there are a couple of guys at work that get me all the time. I actually asked them to make me laugh about the headshot you are using for this piece.
15. What is a movie you will NEVER watch again? I honestly can’t think of anything. I’m a man of routine, so I tend to watch the same things over and over. Tombstone is one of my all-time favorites. We quote that movie around Spartan probably way too much.
16. Last place you traveled for fun? Grand Cayman with the CEO Council and a long weekend in Orlando with the family. Last year we spent about a month in France, Spain and Portugal. Hoping to do something similar in 2025!
17. What was your first car? A 1991 Chevy Cavalier Z24. I thought that was the coolest car ever at the time. I’m not sure how I drove around in that being 6’5”.
18. Charity you support? Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Habitat for Humanity. Spartan also sponsors quite a few youth sports leagues throughout the Southeast. That is something I’m really proud of.
19. What is something silly you got in trouble for as a child? Picking on my little brother. He always ran to mom and dad. Little punk!
20. Best advice ever received? I could go on forever here but a few of my favorites are “if you don’t ask, the answer is always no” and “You become the company you keep.”