A local contractor is in hot water after a pastor in Texas and others nationwide have complained that his company takes payments without following through with the work.

Bowling Green-based Worldwide Concrete and Steel Erections LLC describes itself as a business that’s operated since 1979, possesses a general contractor’s license, and has between 25 and 42 employees including plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters, ironworkers, sheeting specialists and masons, according to an online job posting.

But for Artis Edwards, a pastor of New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, the company is the reason he is paying on a $160,000 loan for a church that isn’t built.

Edwards said his church signed a 160-day contract with Worldwide Concrete in April, but other than some preliminary work, has only received calls from creditors and unpaid employees.

After a lot of praying and long nights, Edwards filed a civil suit Nov. 28 in district court against the company’s founder, 44-year-old Gregg Howell of Bowling Green.

Several phone calls to Worldwide Concrete were not returned, though J. Alan Donahue, the Bowling Green attorney who represents Howell locally, said on Saturday he was unsure if Howell has hired an attorney to represent him in Texas.

&#8220I’ve worked hard to have a good name and to help people. I try to always have a smile,” Edwards said earlier this year. &#8220What hurts the most is that we’re working hard to save people, but now I’m having to spend time to save everything we’ve worked hard for because of people like Gregg.”

Howell’s company is an active contractor in Warren County that carries liability insurance and workers compensation.

Its license is active until March, according to the Bowling Green-Warren County Contractors Licensing Board, which said Howell’s company hasn’t had any violations in Warren County.

But a blogger in Franklin setup a Web site that has people from Atlanta, Phoenix and several other places nationwide telling similar stories of unfinished Worldwide Concrete projects.

Rodney Bonds of Nashville said Howell’s actions are far from a low-budget scam.

&#8220Back in May, I applied for a position with Gregg. Gregg really sold me – he’s a salesman,” Bond said.

But by mid-June, Bonds started realizing what Howell really did, Bonds said.

&#8220He will go out there. Sure he’ll break ground, but nothing else gets done,” Bonds said.

Bonds was hired as a project manager for Howell and has corresponded with Edwards on several occasions.

&#8220It’s bad enough to take it from a normal Joe, but once you start taking it from churches, that’s bad,” Bonds said. &#8220I finally, after receiving one too many bounced checks and not receiving three more weeks of pay, I had to depart my way. My last day was July 6.”

Bonds said he could give the names of dozens of people who have suffered the same fate as Edwards, and offered to donate his $3,000 in back pay from Howell – should he receive it – to people who have been wronged.

&#8220I would give it to Artis’ church,” Bonds said.

Howell is due for sentencing in January for a probation revocation hearing from a felony committed in a 2005 case. Howell is also due that day for a pre-trial conference, after being indicted last year for theft by deception of more than $300.

Howell posted $2,500 cash bond when he was arrested last year for the incident.

– Reporter Burton Speakman contributed to this story.