Culture Is the Secret to Sustainability & Success at Skender

Skender is an innovative, quality and safety-conscious commercial general contractor headquartered in Chicago, with a second office in Indianapolis. Skender was founded in 1955 as a residential remodeling business. Through the 1980s, the company expanded into commercial remodeling projects and tenant fit-outs. In the 1990s and early 2000s, two sons of founder Joe Skender Sr. shifted the growth trajectory of the privately held business.

The company never looked backward as it increasingly deployed technology and lean construction methods to tackle larger, more complex projects across a range of building types. Skender has grown to approximately 400 employees yet has maintained its small company feel.

The company is renowned for its people-first culture; learning, education and professional development; technology; and community engagement.

Culture Is Palpable

Skender is frequently recognized as “general contractor of the year” or “interior contractor of the year,” including at least 13 “project of the year” awards. However, the company is most proud of receiving over 30 national and regional awards for “Best Places to Work.” This is a testament to relentlessly building a culture that fuels engagement and empowerment.

Employees appear engaged, content and fulfilled. This is no surprise, as the company is intentional about culture that is both human centered and focused on whole-person well-being. Where some companies use buzzwords and fancy taglines as mantras, at Skender the focus on inclusion and belonging is authentic.

You get a unique feeling when you walk through the door of Skender’s downtown Chicago office. The grand open-air entrance known as the “The Hub” is a central gathering place. Being in The Hub invites you in quickly, providing a sense of welcome and the feeling that you belong. This experience is reinforced every Monday when the company caters lunch for approximately 80-100 associates in attendance. The Hub is transformed to a lunchroom with seating for everyone.

Jerry Ball has been president and CEO for over four years. He is a product — and preserver — of Skender’s culture. He is a homegrown leader after previously serving in multiple roles over 22 prior years, including assistant controller, controller and chief financial officer. Ball entrusts Chief People Officer Lisa Latronico and Director of People and Culture Colleen O’Brien to ensure the sustainability of Skender’s culture.

A visual wall display captures your eye with large letters that say, “No voice too small to be heard.”

O’Brien asserted, “The company is very selective and sets a high bar. Skender does not hire for ‘culture fit’ alone; instead, the company intentionally hires for ‘culture add.’ People are recognized not only for what they know and what they can do, but for being who they are and what they alone can bring to the firm.”

Diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences and skills are blended at Skender, and it fuels innovation and creative problem-solving. This is why the company champions diversity not only in its workforce, but also among its subcontractors and suppliers.

Skender is consistent in ensuring continuity of new hire orientations and onboarding sessions. Every new hire attends a custom session titled “Building High-Performing Teams.” It focuses on welcoming newcomers, letting them know they’re seen and valued, and inviting each person to bring their whole self to work and to actively engage with empowerment. CEO Ball attends at least 90% of the orientations, and he spends at least one hour on the second day leading a 10-question icebreaker exercise designed to build trust.

Meeting People Where They Are

O’Brien said, “The culture at Skender is real; there are no pretenses. There is no ‘rah-rah’ or fads, just authentically meeting people where they are at with a shared focus of ‘I care’ and ‘We all care.’”

She continued, “Too often human resources policies are etched in stone with only rigid black-and-white interpretation. At Skender, policy is more likely seen from the lens of being in the gray zone, where flexibility meets the needs of individual people and the ‘People & Culture’ team provides flexible, holistic support during these times of need.”

Many companies talk about whole-person well-being; few actually walk the talk. Skender has structured a comprehensive employee benefits program to meet the needs of all workers. The company recognizes that the needs of each employee will vary based on their personal circumstances. The whole person approach to well-being is built on flexibility. The company teaches leaders and supervisors how to teach employees how to use well-being resources for themselves and their family members.

During the pandemic, the company recognized a need to adjust the personal leave policy. Employees are able to take up to four weeks paid leave before medical leave begins by using a combination of two weeks of sick leave and two weeks of PTO. The company recognizes how important this is for individuals seeking services for both physical health and mental well-being support, including persons seeking recovery support.

Recovery-Friendly Workplace Practices

While Skender has not officially adopted a recovery-friendly workplace policy, the company is actively implementing many best practices that SAFE Project supports, including:

• Modeling a “check-in culture” where employees look out for one another and are encouraged to ask how co-workers are doing
• Actively fighting stigma and promoting mental health, substance use prevention and suicide awareness
• Considering recovery in inclusion and belonging and workforce development initiatives
• Hosting company-sponsored events not centered around alcohol and offering nonalcoholic beverages
• Providing counseling and resources to people in recovery
• Expanding benefits for mental health and substance use disorder

Culture: The Firm Foundation for Sustainability

Thriving after 70 years is tribute to a business continually evolving and adapting to changing economies, environments, customer preferences, and materials and technologies. Skender seems to live by the age-old adage that “the only constant is change,” and the resilience of its workforce reflects its hardiness. Leadership recognizes that its culture is the firm foundation of its success and the basis for its sustainability.

SAFE Project appreciates Skender for recognizing that expanding the emphasis on recovery is a way to help 
more prospective and existing employees and their families flourish. Skender recognizes that the example they model for other companies can have a positive ripple effect through their growing corner of the construction marketplace.