Horizon thinking: Construction leaders share their strategies

As the construction industry faces rapid changes in technology, market demands, and workforce challenges, two prominent construction leaders shared their stories of navigating growth, focusing on people, and embracing innovation.

Mike Maierle, founder and president of ETRO Construction, and Justin Bontkes, founder and principal at Caliber Projects, sat down to discuss their experiences and insights during the ICBA’s recent Construction Innovation Summit.

Humble Beginnings to Industry Success

Maierle founded ETRO Construction in 2015 with a clear vision to do things differently. Starting from his basement with a folding table, a modest cash reserve, and a drive to innovate, he was determined to create a diverse construction management and contracting company.

“I wanted to do my own,” Maierle shared. “It was a struggle the first year, you know, not enough cash, not enough opportunities, learning on the fly, and trying to set a processes and procedures, and really building a team.”

Today, ETRO operates across residential, institutional, and retrofit projects, with a focus on diversification to stay resilient amid changing market dynamics.

Bontkes’ story began during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, which left him jobless and with few opportunities.

“If you can’t work for someone, you may as well start your own company,” Bontkes said.

He started Caliber Projects in 2009, initially focusing on renovations and single-family homes. It took a decade of hard work and persistence to grow Caliber into a recognized builder of multi-family and commercial developments in the Fraser Valley.

People First: Building teams and culture

Both leaders emphasized that their success has been largely driven by focusing on their teams. For Maierle, it’s all about creating opportunities for growth.

“My goal, personally, is to train and mentor the next generation of construction professionals,” said Maierle. “I would much rather hire a 22-year-old carpenter, train that carpenter the ETRO way to become a superintendent and to become an executive leader.”

He believes that a key to retaining top talent is providing clear career paths early on and making employees feel valued.

Bontkes also highlighted the importance of personal development, both for himself and his team. He credits his turning point to reading the book Scaling Up by Verne Harnish, which motivated him to hire a coach and adopt a culture of continuous learning.

Similarly, Caliber Projects has embraced open-book management, a system that involves sharing financial information with all employees and connecting bonuses to the company’s success.

“All employee bonuses are are attached to the success of the organization,” Bontkes explained. “Providing people with the information they need to make a difference is hugely impactful. It’s been hugely revolutionary in attracting people and keeping them.”

Caliber Projects has three core values: “Own It, Crush It, Love It.” These values guide how the company operates and interact with its clients and team members. “Love It”, in particular, stands out as an uncommon value in the construction industry, but for Bontkes, it’s essential to foster an environment where team members genuinely care about each other and their work.

Continuous improvement and innovation

Maierle and Bontkes both stressed the importance of innovation and strategic thinking. At ETRO, Maierle has embraced “Horizon Thinking”—a focus on the long-term view of the company, 30 years down the line.

“We invest significantly into the next 10, 20, 30 years,” Maierle said. “We’re putting 25-30% of our earnings back into improvement, focusing on people, processes, and strategic initiatives for the future.”

ETRO has established dedicated departments for innovation and strategic initiatives, employing roles that most companies their size would not have. This forward-thinking approach has allowed ETRO to continuously improve, capturing data from previous projects to enhance future performance.

“For us, the framework has always been about continuous improvement,” Maierle said.

Addressing challenges in hiring

Despite their successes, both leaders acknowledge that hiring the right people remains one of the biggest challenges in the construction industry. Bontkes candidly shared his mistakes in hiring and emphasized the importance of value alignment.

“Often, people can fake it and get through interviews, but it doesn’t take long to see if they’re not a fit,” he said. “One of our biggest issues is we hire the wrong person, they come in and then we don’t let them go quick enough, because we just need people to do the work. But before you know it they are causing problems and actually dragging productivity down.”

Maierle echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that skill is important, but culture fit is even more crucial.

“We focus on people who are accountable,” said Maierle. “What we talk about is being accountable to the person beside you.

He noted that establishing a deep sense of care for others as a core value has helped the organization grow and attract the right kind of worker.

Both leaders also spoke about the importance of selecting the right clients.

“You come through this evolution to figure out who you are as an organization, how you’re gonna operate. At a certain point, you realize that there’s actually clients that are not aligned with the values that you stand for,” Bontkes said. “It’s about making sure that we don’t get into a long term contract with somebody that is not aligned.”

Embracing technology

Looking ahead, both Maierle and Bontkes see technology playing a key role in transforming the construction industry. Maierle, for instance, spoke about setting up a 10,000-square-foot prefab “supermarket” to experiment with prefabricated construction elements.

“We need to change the dynamic of how we build,” he said. “The trades following each other in a disorganized fashion with materials up and materials down is what’s causing so much of our productivity and financial challenges.”

Bontkes also stressed the need for the industry to attract young people by showcasing construction as a viable, fulfilling career path.

“We need to do a better job of selling the vision,” he said. “We have to show and share what it can be like to have a career in construction.”

Both leaders are optimistic about the future but acknowledge that the industry must be bold and willing to change.

“If you’re not making changes and transforming your business, you will be redundant. You will be jumped over by the next group,” said Maierle.