Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 JA N UA R Y 2 2 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T Freeport fi rm that recently completed expansion work at Tyler Technologies and Maine Beer Co. "We see it more signifi cantly in southern Maine," says Matthew Tonello, who runs Consigli Construction Co.'s Portland offi ce and overseeing con- struction of the new athletic complex at Colby College. "Something we've seen for a number of years now is that the closer a worker is to Boston, the more fi nancially benefi cial it is to make the trip into the Boston market and get the higher wage that's prevalent there, ver- sus being in the Maine market." Landry/French is trying to entice those people back. French credits his market director, Lisa Stevens, for a campaign that includes a social media video reaching thousands of people in the Boston market and beyond, to attract Maine natives back home. e campaign has recruited six to eight people in two years. French fi nds that some recruits had been living in Maine but commuting to Boston jobs. "We're getting seasoned employees with knowledge of larger projects," says French. " ey can come back here to where they grew up." In an eff ort to recruit workers, Pittsfi eld-based Cianbro, Maine's larg- est construction company, launched a campaign, including TV, radio and newspaper ads, primarily in Maine. Its goal is to hire 300 new workers in 2018, adding to a workforce of 4,000. " e phone's been ringing off the hook," says Pete Vigue, speaking with Mainebiz shortly before he stepped down as Cianbro's CEO to be suc- ceeded by his son, Peter "Andi" Vigue. 'Always looking to add people' But more workers are needed. Overall, companies see growth as an organic process. Cianbro currently has a spe- cifi c hiring number, but other fi rms rely simply on fi nding people as they come along, regulating their work- loads based on available staff . "We're adequately staff ed for what we're doing," Zachau says, adding that the company has seen signifi cant growth in the last fi ve years and expects to hire this year. "However, we're always looking to add additional people." Various companies agree that their cultural reputation can be one of its best recruiting tools. ey count things like work-life balance, safe practices and perks like employee-ownership, wellness programs and matching retirement pro- grams as being good examples of what a great culture looks like. Zachau characterizes his fi rm's cul- ture as progressive and family-oriented. "We value people's lives," Zachau said. "We make a good work-life balance." In the past year, Zachau started for- malizing those ideas by helping employ- ees with goal-setting, as well as growth opportunities through on-the-job and outside training. Chief Operating Offi cer Drew Wing is overseeing the initiative. Wing has been interviewing employees, including new recruits, about why they're drawn to the company and what keeps them engaged. "We've taken the information and said, ' ese are the things that are important to people, and as we grow, we need to make sure these good things continue.' In some ways, it's as simple as that," Wing says. What emerged was that employ- ees appreciate the sense of connection they have with each other, leadership, subcontractors and clients. Employees also appreciate a shared work ethic and opportunity to grow. "We have young, talented people and what we heard was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow in the com- pany,'" Wing says. " at works well with Jeff 's overall philosophy of growth. He doesn't target specifi c growth numbers, but he wants to keep pace with clients as they have larger and more challeng- ing projects. Simultaneously, that means our employees are able to grow, to have more professional opportunity." Paid to learn To that end, earn-while-you-learn mod- els along with tuition-reimbursement for career development opportunities are strategies both to recruit and to advance the careers of existing employees. Networking with high school and college technical programs is one strat- egy for reaching potential new hires. WWW.BOWMANCONSTRUC TORS.COM (207) 368-2405 Your Commercial Building Solution BANGOR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION With generations of experience in the construction management field, Bowman Constructors offers value and service for a wide variety of projects throughout Maine. The diversity of our work and the specialized needs of our clients demands the ability to adapt to individual project conditions with innovative solutions and results — this is what we do at Bowman Constructors. To learn how we can bring our design/build expertise to your project contact us, today. — Kevin Bowman, Brian Bowman An award winning, family- owned, general contracting firm since 1987 Big enough to serve, small enough to care. Providing a wide variety of services to companies, developers, and landowners for projects of all sizes. sebagotechnics.com • south portland • 100% employee-owned Civil Engineering Land Surveying Transportation/Traffic Engineering Landscape Architecture Environmental and Natural Resources Land Planning Local, State, and Federal Permitting High Definition Laser Scanning GIS Services commercial development specialists C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard We have young, talented people and what we heard was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' was, 'I want to know that I have a place to grow.' — Drew Wing Zachau Construction

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