Create opportunities
for your stars

Michael Crawford
CEO, Sukut Construction Inc.

Michael Crawford was only 24 when his
mentor and boss, Myron Sukut, decided
Crawford was ready to lead one of the
company’s biggest projects. Now, as president and CEO of Sukut Construction Inc.,
Crawford gives each employee the same
chance to excel that his boss gave him.

“The reason we continue to grow is I
don’t want to lose the really good people,”
says Crawford.

“So if we’re going to make opportunities
for people within the organization, sometimes you have to grow.”

Highly talented and motivated employees
need to see opportunities to stay with a
company, so the company’s growth goals
work hand in hand with the employees’
personal goals. In some cases, that may
mean exploring new opportunities and
opening new divisions to take advantage of
new markets.

When Sukut’s management team publishes its five-year strategic plan, it identifies
the new positions that would result from
possible expansions. Those opportunities
are advertised on job boards within the
company.

By showing them the potential for growth,
Crawford eliminates the risk of losing his
best people because they have no opportunity for advancement.

“We try to take the lid off things,” he says.
“We say, ‘Hey, you can aspire to be anything
you want.’”