In this episode of The Dirt, we speak with John Fechko, president of Fechko Excavating of Medina, Ohio, about his 33 years of growing a successful construction company.
Fechko began with a small excavator performing small residential jobs. Over time, he expanded into larger bonded and commercial jobs and today has more than 150 employees. Over the years, he has learned what contractors should and shouldn’t do if they want to grow.
One of the biggest challenges of growth is bringing in new staff to help with estimating as you become more established and seek to expand. That was difficult for Fechko who worried about releasing some of his duties to someone else and potentially upsetting the customer. He explains how he solved that problem and how it has helped his company.
Another area of concern has been the labor shortage. He tells how he finds the best employees and how he keeps them. As you get larger, it’s also important to maintain that personal touch, which can become more of a challenge as you add more personnel. He relays a suggestion that seems to be working.
He also discusses an important yet often overlooked aspect of running a construction business: operating costs. Another challenge: how to anticipate your needs ahead of the job rather than finding out the hard way you need more equipment or staff.
In this short video, you will gain some valuable insight from this 33-year construction veteran, insight that could help take your construction business to the next level.
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