People skills are the key

By DEBORAH KURVACH/Messenger Post Correspondent

GORHAM — Mark Enos admits he got stumped once in a while as his crew worked on the Canandaigua Wine Co. office expansion.

But the supervisor for Chrisanntha Construction Corp. said he wasn't afraid to ask his boss — company president Kevin Bragg — for help on a problem.

"The door is always open with Kevin, and he always takes the time to listen," said Enos, who has never worked for any other builder and has "no intention of looking."

Chrisanntha goes out of its way to convince skilled craftsmen to stick with the company, Bragg said. He credits a workforce that he and customers can count on for what he predicts will be Chrisanntha's busiest season in its 18-year history, even amid a soft economy.

"Ninety percent of my assets drive home everyday," he said referring to the company's 45 full-time employees.

Chrisanntha Construction offers benefits ranging from 401(k) plans and health insurance to college tuition because Bragg knows what it's like to have a bad boss.

Just out of Alfred University with a degree in construction management, Bragg landed his first job with a cutthroat businessman who treated employees poorly.

"I think I can do better," Bragg recalls thinking. He became president of Chrisanntha Construction Corp. in 1985 with a plan to build long-term relationships with customers, subcontractors and employees.

"There's a couple ways to win this race," said Bragg of the competitive industry, "and this is how I chose to run it."

Tax incentives don't hurt. Half the company's jobs qualify for some kind of tax breaks, Bragg said. But while the customers have an incentive to build, they still have to choose who will do the job.

Besides the $5.5 million Canandaigua Wine project it just finished, the company is building the new Harley Davidson facility in Geneva as well as the $12 million Commodity Resource Corporation's high-tech feed and fertilizer blending plant in Caledonia. Past projects include the National Warplane Museum, the BonaDent Dental Laboratories in Seneca Falls and Ontario Honda in Canandaigua.

Chrisanntha also built the 19,000-square-foot Dixon Schwabl Advertising offices in Perinton last year, a project co-owner Mike Schwabl said was completed on time and within budget.

As director of special projects for Canandaigua Wine, Lloyd Rockwell said he's worked on at least 30 projects in the course of his career, and "I've never had a project go this well."

Chrisanntha's reputation and its low bid gave it the edge over eight other companies, Rockwell said.

"We wanted to know what other customers had to say about them," he added. "We didn't hear one bad word about them."

Busy as the company is, Bragg said, workers still get vacations.

"A break for employees is as important as showing up to work each day," Bragg said.

During slow times, the company avoids layoffs and offers training on new technology or equipment, he said.

Those are good policies, notes Karen Springmeier, executive director of the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board. Her agency helps employers in Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates counties find and train workers.

Employers have to "walk the talk" if they want to attract honest, hard-working employees, and a recent survey shows that managers are most interested in what she called "soft skills" like integrity and the ability to work as a team.

"People truly want to be part of something larger than themselves," she said, noting that some employees may give up higher pay in exchange for job satisfaction. "They want to contribute towards building something important and they value doing it with others."

Spencer Mickelsen started working for Chrisanntha "the day after my 18th birthday," he said. That was 18 years ago, and Mickelsen has progressed from an entry-level laborer to a superintendent. Currently, he's supervising about six Chrisanntha employees and 14 subcontractors on the Interlake Orthopedic and Surgery facility in Clifton Springs.

Mickelsen said he has stayed with Chrisanntha because of "the people ... we have a good team and a good name." His pay, said Mickelsen, is "a premium" compared to what he hears others in the construction industry make.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports carpenters in the Rochester area earn about $15 an hour and entry-level laborers get $10 an hour. A first line supervisor, on average, makes about $23 an hour. Representatives of Chrisanntha declined to give pay scales for the different jobs in the company.

Chrisanntha's culture extends to its subcontractors, said Robert DiDiuro, who runs a 60-year-old family painting business.

"Our business grows every year, and Chrisanntha is a major part of that," he said. DiDiuro and his six employees have done interior and exterior painting for Chrisanntha projects that include Canandaigua Wine, Badge Machine in Canandaigua and the Harley Davidson building. "It's probably the nicest environment you'd ever want to work in," he said, adding that he likes the company's attention to detail and ability to hold to a schedule. "When they tell you a building is ready for paint, it is."

Hal Smith, who owns Halco Plumbing and Heating, agrees. Having subcontracted with the company from its inception, Smith said Chrisanntha Construction is the "best of the best." Smith said that he and his employees consider themselves to be part of the Chrisanntha team and are treated accordingly.

"They're excellent as far as paying us on time. They're very fair and ethical," said Smith. "Some contractors are out to gouge you for every nickel they can get."

Like DiDiuro, Smith ties his success to Chrisanntha.

"We started out as a two-man shop in 1984, and we've grown a lot," said Smith, who now has 70 employees. "Much of that is because of the relationship we have with Chrisanntha."