‘Keep your people first’: SDV Construction ranked No. 2 in small category of Top Workplaces

Without people, organizations couldn’t move forward — that’s why SDV Construction President and CEO Paul Farless takes a “people first” approach to running the company.

Keeping people first has led SDV Construction, Inc. to rank No. 2 among this year’s Top Workplaces in the small company category, marking the company’s ninth year as a Top Workplace.

The award-winning construction company, established in 2005, is based in Albuquerque and has 70 employees, of which roughly 25% are veterans. SDV is certified as a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business.

Employees with the company said in the Energage survey that what they love about their job is the culture and benefits such as paid time off for all employees including hourly workers, parental leave, bereavement leave and a four-day work week.

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Farless. It has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How has your military experience influenced how you lead your company?

I think the biggest thing is probably just a certain level of attention to detail. I think that respect is a huge piece of that.

In addition, I think really understanding the value of a team and how that team needs to interact with one another in order to get the job done or the mission accomplished. That’s a huge piece I learned early on in my military career: that individuals need to be supported. They need to be cared for in order for them to operate effectively and efficiently and at their highest capability.

In an industry where employee retention is a struggle, what’s your philosophy when it comes to building and keeping a strong team?

I think that every person wants to feel valued. They want to be a part of a team.

All of us are also here because we’re trying to earn an income. The real purpose is to gain an income so that you can have a life outside of it, so that (you) can raise a family, so that (you) can do things recreationally, so that (you) can make things happen personally.

The priority that I have had since I’ve had the helm is to make sure that we’re looking at the human element. And I think that when we start looking at it that way, it puts us in a much better position, because I think that the team feels valued. They feel like they have the flexibility needed to do their job, but also take care of their family. And when you do that, then you create an environment where people want to be here.

SDV Construction has been named a Top Workplace in New Mexico for eight years — what does that recognition mean to you?

I think it’s validating. I think this isn’t just my effort. You lead from the top, but at the same time, it’s a culture that is proliferated through the management team. It is definitely a feather in our cap, I guess you could say, because it feels like we are doing it right.

What advice would you give to other small companies in the construction industry looking to do the same?

It’s just people first, right? Your people are the ones who are helping your organization move forward with your mission. When you truly have a heart for the individual and the best outcome for them, the rest of it works itself out. Just keep your people first.