Episode 166

Today on “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley are talking to Joe Christensen, founder and owner of Cardinal Crest Homes in Kansas City, Missouri. Joe got an early start in construction by working on his family farm. He then earned a degree in construction management and a minor in business management from Brigham Young University. Today, Joe works closely with clients to make their dream homes a reality.

Tune in to the full episode to hear more about the importance of managing your construction team with grace and how to prioritize giving back to your community.

How do you promote positivity with your construction team?

“If you can't find satisfaction in your job, you're going to quit. You're going to move on. And I've seen that happen in our industry right now. Jobs are delayed, they're over budget and they're really difficult to get done. And if your boss is also yelling at you, why would you stay? I know we're passionate about construction, but you've got to find the silver lining. So, we try really hard to celebrate the small wins and try to not sweat the small stuff and move on. Correct it, but be like, ‘Okay, it's time to move on.’ We try to have a lot of fun. And during closing days or the day after closings, we like to have lunches together. We take the team to lunch. I think it's important.”

What community work does your team do to bring them together?

“We just did a charity event called Rebuilding Together. And they have a day where we're assigned a couple homes. They have a day or a couple weekends where you go, and you might be adding ADA ramps, doing new flooring, fixing up these people's homes because they can't do it themselves or can't afford to do it. And we want to make it something we do every year. Because it's something we do already. We know how to build. And it’s nice to be able to rub shoulders with each other while we're helping out. It's such a big team building exercise.”

LINKS AND MORE

Related content:

Read their case study to see how Cardinal Crest Homes uses Buildertrend’s construction management software to promote efficiency and build more than a dozen Kansas City custom homes per year, totaling upwards of $20 million.

Listen to the last episode of “The Building Code” to hear more about what it takes to be a successful project manager and how building relationships is a key component.

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