Bryan Dodge vividly remembers his job orientation at Consigli Construction.
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Bryan Dodge vividly remembers his job orientation at Consigli Construction.
“I went out with Anthony (Consigli) for a day in the car and we drove around to job sites,” he says. Dodge was an assistant estimator in his first month with the company. “I was 25 years old and there I was sitting with the CEO.”
Fourth-generation owners Anthony and Matthew Consigli have maintained their personal touch even as the company has grown to over 800 employees in eight regional offices with over $1 billion in revenue. They make an effort to get to know everyone in the company, recognize people and project teams for their accomplishments, and issue business updates to the entire firm.
“It ensures transparency and motivates employees,” says Dodge.
The Consiglis have built their business by investing in people. Consigli University offers more than 10,000 hours of training through more than 150 classes. Topics range from OSHA certification to lean project management. Tuition reimbursement is offered for classes taken outside the firm.
Chris Elmes started at Consigli as a summer intern and is now a project engineer. He is currently using online tutorial videos for Timberline, the company's project management software.
“I've been taking on more of an assistant project manager role,” he says. “You can push yourself as far as you want to go.” Semi-annual Consigli Learning Conferences offer a wide range of training seminars. “You can pick and choose the classes that are most pertinent to you,” says Elmes.
Employees also are encouraged to take on leadership roles in community organizations. Josh Sylvester, pre-construction manager for the Hartford office, was recently named to the board of directors for Camp Courant, an organization that provides free summer camp programs to Hartford area youth ages 5-12.
Consigli received the camp's corporate award for going above and beyond in providing support. The company sponsors campers, consults on capital projects and provides volunteers.
Dodge and Elmes both volunteered to help build a playground at Camp Courant last spring. It not only brightened the lives of the campers, it was a great team-building experience.
“I got to hang out with one of our estimators and the accountant as well as the purchaser from the office,” says Elmes.
The Hartford office holds a number of events for employees and their families. The staff looks forward to its fall family outing with food trucks and games, and the holiday party at The Bushnell. When the weather gets warm, teams alternate taking half-day summer Fridays.
“We can leave at 1 p.m. and get a head start on the weekend,” says Dodge.
At Consigli, maintaining a good work-life balance also means living a healthy lifestyle. There are reimbursements for gym memberships and the company runs a 13-week “Biggest Loser” program.
“It's competitive, that's for sure,” Dodge laughs.
Health coverage is generous. “That was a huge driver in my coming on fulltime,” says Elmes. “We have really good medical, dental and vision coverage — and a fantastic 401(k) match plan.”
Benefits draw people to Consigli, but both Elmes and Dodge make a point of saying they have stayed with the company because of its close-knit family atmosphere.
Dodge speaks movingly of a career transition that took him away from Consigli for a short period. He had been volunteering with IPH Hockey when the organization made him an offer to coach full time.
“It was always my dream to coach hockey,” he says. “I felt like if I didn't do it, I would regret it.”
Dodge had been coaching for just a few months when his father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away shortly afterwards.
Mike Walker, the director of operations for the Hartford office, reached out to Dodge and attended the wake. “I wasn't even working at Consigli at the time,” he says. “That really meant a lot to me.” Dodge rejoined Consigli two months after his father's death.
“The support system at Consigli eased the stress and pain of what I was going through,” he says.
Now, Dodge is on his way up as a project development representative.
“Career development has been big for me,” he says. “The company has supported me in transitioning from estimating into business development.”
