Clyde Companies’ leaders are listening. Once or twice a month, senior leaders visit employees and job sites across subsidiaries to stay grounded in the day-to-day business and see firsthand what we do best—build better communities.
“Getting out of the office and onto job sites keeps us connected to the real heartbeat of our operations,” said Jeremy Hafen, President and CEO at Clyde Companies. “It’s crucial to see and hear what happens on the frontlines.”
Town Hall Meetings
A recent addition to the itinerary and a key highlight for leaders are town hall meetings with employees over lunch. “We added town hall meetings, and it’s turned into something pretty special,” said Scott Okelberry, Executive Vice President and COO at Clyde Companies. “Everyone from laborers to operators to technicians gets a chance to speak up about what’s working, what’s not and how things could be better.”
Perhaps the most visible change came from the addition of a cell phone allowance for all employees. This idea started in a small discussion during a 2022 site visit. Everything is on the table in the town halls—ideas about equipment, benefits, processes, priorities or whatever is top of mind.
Feedback from the Ground Up
Brett Chidester, a mixer driver at Geneva Rock, attended a recent town hall and left feeling grateful for leadership to take the time to hear his thoughts.
“I found it very refreshing that they even care to know what’s going on,” Brett said. “Right from the start of the meeting, they wanted to know what’s going right and what’s going wrong in the company. They wanted it all, and I felt it was genuine. I actually feel like I was valued and they really cared what I thought. When people buy in that their leaders care, they’re willing to perform better.”
Town halls are kept casual, straightforward and genuine. Leaders bring lunch for everyone, sit down and open the floor for questions.
“I often get follow-up messages from our team members, sharing more ideas and expressing gratitude that we’re genuinely interested in what they have to say,” Scott said. “It’s such a great opportunity to hear directly from those who are out there every day.”
Bottom line: Town hall discussions are about respecting and valuing every person who works with us. We value people at Clyde Companies, which means we listen.
