The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces recently recognized Woodmeister Master Builders as one of the best small workplaces in the country. The company specializes in fine custom homebuilding and employs 163 people at offices in Holden, Mass., Nantucket, Newport and New York City. Owner Ted Goodnow, who calls himself the chief eternal optimist, recently took a few minutes to speak with the Providence Business News about the award and his employees.
PBN: What was your reaction to the Wall Street Journal designation?
GOODNOW: My reaction was that I was thrilled and honored and, frankly, humbled by the award. To be recognized across the nation in that way is a huge accomplishment for us as a company. I am still pinching myself. The award is really for the employees and how they feel about working here and being part of this environment.
We work in a very fun and exciting industry, so that helps too. We get to create beautiful spaces for people to live in and improve the quality of their lifestyles in doing so. All of that makes it much more exciting that a company like us, in the construction industry, could be awarded this type of recognition.
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PBN: Can you tell us a little about your Next Level Leadership Program?
GOODNOW: Our Next Level Leadership Program is intended to help develop people from within. We identify employees through a nomination process of their peers, who want to get involved in more leadership roles in the company. Some people who have gone through the program have determined that leadership isn’t for them. They just want to focus on the work, and others have no idea they are potential leaders, which prompts them to push themselves onto a leadership track that they wouldn’t have otherwise considered.
Ten people are selected each year to go through the program and we have graduated 60 people in the last six years. We continue to support graduates in open office coaching sessions as they continue to develop their leadership skills. We use an outside consultant called Atlantic Consulting out of Wellesley, Mass.
PBN: What other qualities do you attempt to instill in your staff?
GOODNOW: We are very focused on the culture of our company and are very clear and explicit about our core values. We encourage, instill, and celebrate openness, inclusiveness, teamwork, honesty, integrity, taking responsibility regardless of the circumstances, having a positive outlook, embracing innovation, working hard and playing hard. Overall, I think there is a lot of caring about one another at Woodmeister and it makes a huge difference, especially in these difficult economic times. It’s important to treat each other with dignity and respect.
PBN: Do you find that this employee development helps boost retention and the bottom line?
GOODNOW: Absolutely. It helps in both of those areas, but more importantly it makes Woodmeister a place that is enjoyable to work at, that has a different atmosphere than what many have experienced in other companies, and just feels “right” to the people at Woodmeister. We call ourselves “Meisters.” As “Meisters,” we all agree it is as much as a priority that we enjoy the work we do as to what kind of profits the company is making.
PBN: Where do you see the company, and its staff, headed in the future?
GOODNOW: We are going to stay on the track we are currently on. We love the high-end residential market and are going to continue to expand into new geographic areas. We just opened our new office in Newport on 232 Bellevue Ave. a few weeks ago, and we remain focused on being the top, most sought-after provider for high-quality, reliable service and great value.
