President
Martha’s Vineyard Construction Company
Edgartown, Mass.
2021 Revenue: $16 million
We have a completely different market than anywhere else. We have to charter private boats to get materials. Subs have a lot of control because the quantity and quality are limited, and we have a select group that we have built strong relationships with over the past 50 years in business. I had to rebuild those relationships when taking over. I’ve had to prove my worth to them, prove I’m assertive, powerful, and capable of doing the job well. I never dealt with this adversity before, and it’s a learning process. I’ve definitely poked a few bears that I shouldn’t have, but I think I also learned how to speak to people with finesse.
On supporting your team: We used to have handwritten timecards faxed in. It was tedious and I was wasting hours, but digitizing them helps me track my team in real-time, and it’s helped streamline processes. I also established a yearly review process because the crew wasn’t getting the feedback they needed. Employees either change for the better or get the recognition they deserve.
Business book recommendation:
Traction
