I am honored to admit spending the better part of my youth and young adult life on the “dumb-end” of a tape measure developing my construction and leadership skills. My father was a Journeyman Carpenter, Job-site Superintendent, Project Manager, and ultimately Partner in Successful General Contracting firm. Just as his experience was built on the proper foundation of an apprenticeship and many years of skill development, a quality project is subject to the quality of the foundation. As your vendor/partner, we not only develop the quality of our materials, designs, and processes, we focus on the quality of our Company Culture – the foundation of our business.

What does a solid foundation look like at AJ? First of all it is wide at the base, we include every single employee in the process by communicating, skill building, and providing the tools to be successful. Second, we replace or shore-up weak areas with technology, equipment, process improvement and training. As with any foundation, it is subject to wear and tear and must be maintained. Third, as we work on our foundation, we remain focused on the plan, we are consistent in the execution of the steps necessary to meet the expectations of quality and growth we have established. Last but not least, we are open about the process, the dirty details, the issues that are holding us back and we ask for advice and assistance from experts when needed.

The next time you compare products against a competitive offering, and the basic cost and performance are similar – ask one more specification question – What is the culture of the vendor?

As my father says….”If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, where will you find the time to do it over?”

Build your business and reputation on a solid foundation, by focusing on the Culture.

“In everything we do in life and business, we will be Helpful, Humble, and Honest.” – Mike Soley Sr. (MBR, Inc.)

Todd Carlson