Case Studies Special Segments

New employees at building supply company, Benthall Brothers Inc., train with the Hayes boys for one simple reason—they’re the best. “We’ll send a new crew out to them and then they’ll give us an evaluation and that’s been working really well,” says Benthall. Vice president, Eli Benthall, says the “Hayes boys”, Robert and Tony, have […]

Sometimes seemingly disparate industries can learn from one another. When BRI Commercial Roofing’s President and CEO Michael Beeter wanted to improve customer experience in the commercial roofing industry, he found a friend in the automotive industry with similar philosophies. Beeter hired Shane Stephenson, a former Marketing and Customer Relations Manager at Sewell Automotive Companies, whose […]

For the owner and vice president of a company, Rick Barr always finds something to keep him humble. There was the time—actually there have been many such times—when he was roused from his sleep, this time by a customer whose sewer line had just burst. Within the hour Barr and another man, each clad in […]

Imagine a senior care facility has experienced severe water damage, or an apartment complex is smoldering and first responders have gone home. HarenLaughlin Restoration (HLR) arrives on the scene, and the first thing it does is hand deliver mugs to each resident. Inside those mugs, HLR rolls a write-up detailing what the repairs will entail, […]

Since 1992 GCI General Contractors has been serving clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a leading sustainable building and commercial interior construction specialist. With a strong presence in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the company’s list of clientele has grown over the years to include some of the country’s most recognizable brands GCI […]

People couldn’t understand why Bob Whalen wanted to convert HB McClure Company into an ESOP, or employee stock ownership plan, just after he assumed ownership of the company in 2008, but Whalen had a vision. By putting the company in its employees’ hands, Whalen believed HB McClure would be more successful financially, earn a reputation […]

When customers stop by the main office of construction equipment supplier, Knickerbocker Russell, they’re likely to find executives standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fabricators on the shop floor, cutting steel and sweeping saw dust. Even vice president Sam Eaton recalls spending a Monday evening welding together metal storage containers to help the mechanical staff meet a tight […]

The hiring process at Martin-Harris Construction sounds like something you’d find at the CIA. New employees—known as associates—take personality tests so executives can group them into highly efficient teams with complementary personalities and skillsets. Though it doesn’t handle espionage or national security, the Las Vegas-based general contractor is remarkable for its sophistication, both because its […]

Pensacola Glass Company (PGC) has been providing leading commercial and residential glass and glazing contracting services to customers throughout the Pensacola, Florida, and Mobile, Alabama, areas for over 80 years. Founded in 1936 by the Pitman brothers, PGC is an independent subsidiary of Dothan Glass Co., which offers glass and glazing services throughout the Southeast. […]

People laugh when Jaime Quello tells them one of the businesses he respects most is McDonald’s. But he’s serious. Wherever you are, when you walk into a McDonald’s, it’s the same as all the others. The company doesn’t know if two people or 200 are going to show up for lunch, but regardless, they can […]