What it means to be amazing in construction.
Dear all,
Being an excellent general contractor (henceforth GC) requires a very unique skill set. It is a deeply logistical and customer service driven trade. Constant interactions with a diverse rainbow of people, from clients to employees to subcontractors, to utility companies, and on and on and on. Some people do their jobs really well, and some inevitably slack, needing to be held accountable. Not always fun to hold others accountable, but this is the GC's job. We set a high bar and standard for the project.
We know who is good and we work with those people. Some people we do not have a choice in working with (municipalities, utilities etc) and we work with them too. When someone might need an extra push we give it, again and again and again.
When you have a talented GC who is worth their salt, the buck should always (always) stop with them. They are the one’s who should be supporting, helping, guiding and protecting their clients from the inevitable stresses of construction. The GC should be the fiercest advocate, moving everything forward and keeping quality high.
Construction and stress can often go hand and hand. The money, the time, the discombobulations, the highs, the lows. It is a part of it. BUT when you have a GC who is honest, good, like really good, and intelligent (both emotionally and deep in the spreadsheets) it is so much more manageable and peaceful. Truly.
Unfortunately, I know firsthand what it’s like to hire the cheapest guy and pay and pay and pay for that terrible decision. There is a cost to everything right? I ended up being so traumatized by the poor customer service, dishonesty and lack of competence that I found in the construction industry, that I married the best contractor I could find. That’s how important it was to me. Only barely joking. But Kiel is incredible, our company is a well oiled machine, and anyone who can afford to hire us should. Period.
Often times, when I am going about life, trying to sort something out and am not feeling adequately supported by the customer service rep I have been spat out to, I think to myself, where does the buck stop? Who can actually help me? And why, oh why, is this taking so long? One thing I absolutely love about being a leader in a well run construction company, is that I can say to our clients and vendors "here is the line, the buck stops here, let's make this right, let's step up let's get this handled, let's move it along." We can do something. And we can do it the way we are constantly wishing others would. Does that make sense? It is empowering to be able to offer a service that you know is valuable and you rock at. I love that about our work.
This week has been intense. It’s Rummage week at Starr King and we have been burning the candle at both ends to support Starr King, a place that is important to me and laid my life’s foundation, and now is doing the same for our son. So this email has been a bit more raw and real, because that’s the truth of it for us this week.
Thank you for reading and please keep us in mind for your next project and more importantly, come support the Starr King Rummage sale. Today (Friday) is the last day to bring your donations *until 8pm* and then the sale starts tomorrow at 8am ($20 early bird) and 9am free. Plus there is an amazing bake sale with delicious treats, breads soups and coffees and teas. So come hungry. And if you see us there say hi.
Sincerely
Emily Kellow
Office Manager at Kellow Construction
