When CBS aired “Undercover Boss,” disguising executives as front-line employees to experience their companies from the field, Steve Mechler was amazed — and not in a good way.
“It just boggles me to no end that these big bosses of these companies don’t have a clue what their employees are going through or don’t have a clue what their programs even mean to them,” says Mechler, president of SpawMaxwell Co. LLP, a Balfour Beatty company since its acquisition in 2009. “They’re in their ivory tower, and they’re not out there where they need to be — shaking hands, walking projects. … They’re just missing it totally.”
Mechler keeps close relationships at the foundation of the Houston-based construction company, knowing the way he treats employees will translate into how they treat clients, vendors and partners.
“It’s the secret to our success, absolutely,” says Mechler, attributing the company’s expanding portfolio to a history of collaboration with builders and referrals from clients. “We have a very simple philosophy: SpawMaxwell takes care of its employees, the employees take care of our clients, and our clients take care of the SpawMaxwell family. There’s nothing magic about it.”
His staff’s inherent closeness goes back decades. In fact, an old photo hangs in the office depicting the chief financial officer and the previous president, who grew up across the street from each other, building a treehouse as young boys. Many officers of the company attended grade school together; others joined the same fraternity at Texas A&M.
As new employees come into the culture, Mechler has to maintain that family atmosphere to keep the company close-knit and thriving.
“The key to really being successful in any business is to build relationships that last,” he says. “Not just build buildings or build interior spaces, but build relationships with the people you work with.”
