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telecommuting. I know it works for some, but I like a team atmosphere, filled with a lot of collaboration. I enjoy stopping by people’s offices and meeting in the hallways, talking about their projects, or whatever needs to be discussed. TZL: How much time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?” KF: The majority of my time is working on the business, and very little in the business. We empower all of the team members to make decisions. On the occasion when they do need to come to me for help, in many cases they have a solution and want to confirm their thoughts. TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? KF: That is a simple one: Tell them the truth about good news and bad news. I want them to be part of the team and keep them informed throughout the process. Just do what you said you would do. Reputation is everything in our business if you want to have the great clients. It doesn’t take long for a bad reputation to spread. TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? KF: My wife allows me time flexibility, and she knows there are days when I may be home late. She has always provided me with support in regards to my schedule. Having the home support makes the job so much easier and is a huge help in not providing another layer of stress. I can remember earlier in my career, I was home late almost every night. Those were the days when I was trying to make a name for myself, working long days and building on my network after work. “I’ve always been a risk taker. I like to be a little nervous and uneasy. It keeps me on my toes. I get bored quickly and am always looking for that next challenge.” TZL: What skills are required to run a successful company? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? KF: Having the confidence to hire people
smarter than yourself. For many years, I have sought out top talent, and have been willing to pay them for the value they bring to the team. Our clients see that our employees are some of the best in the industry and they know they are in good hands. “For many years, I have sought out top talent, and have been willing to pay them for the value they bring to the team. Our clients see that our employees are some of the best in the industry and they know they are in good hands.” When I first started out, we didn’t make it a priority to seek out top performers and accepted average performance. We didn’t want more overhead, and felt we couldn’t support higher overhead. We concentrated on why we couldn’t hire high performing individuals versus why we couldn’t afford not to hire high performing people. Since embracing this approach, we have made the Inc. 5000 list for fastest growing companies and our projects have become more complex in nature, larger in size, and more profitable. TZL: Tenacity and perseverance have apparently paid off. Can you give me an example or two that illustrates these attributes? KF: About five years ago, we had an opportunity to take on a project that was our largest to date. A lot of the team looked at the negatives, while I saw the positives. I said we were going to do it despite all the naysayers. It was that project that made all the difference in the world when it came to building the confidence of our team. Since then, we’ve never looked back. And more recently, we were asked to develop a facility for Abbott Laboratories. Landry/French’s rapid response construction delivered a 120,000-square-foot facility in a record 90 days, allowing the client to ramp up production of COVID-19 test kits. The renovations converted an existing Olympia Sports Distribution facility in Westbrook, Maine into sophisticated lab space. The project included 17,000 square feet of administration and office space, 50,000 See CONCENTRATE ON THE REWARDS, page 8
HEADQUARTERS: Scarborough, ME
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 55
YEAR FOUNDED: 2010
NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 3
SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Pre-construction
❚ ❚ Construction management
❚ ❚ Design/build
❚ ❚ General contracting
❚ ❚ MEP services
❚ ❚ Lean construction
❚ ❚ BIM
PROJECTS:
❚ ❚ Civic
❚ ❚ Commercial
❚ ❚ Housing
❚ ❚ Industrial
❚ ❚ Healthcare
❚ ❚ Historic
YEARLY VOLUME: $150 million per
year
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
EMBER 27, 2021, ISSUE 1410
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