When Josh Swisher founded Northface Construction in 2010, he wasn’t thinking much about company culture. That’s partially because he was a one-man operation with no employees.
It’s also because he was only 18 and like many young entrepreneurs, he didn’t even really know what company culture was.
But all that changed when he took a strategic management course in college and started learning about the concept from one of his professors. Then a lightbulb went off in his head.
“I thought, why not apply these lessons to my own business?” Swisher recalled with a laugh. “So I wrote a mission and a vision statement while I was sitting in class listening to lectures.”
It wasn’t long before Swisher began diving deeper and asking himself some important questions that would ultimately shape the trajectory of his company.
“It all started with ‘What are my ethics?’ ‘What do I want to see out of the work I do?’” he said. “I take pride in my work and I wanted to figure out a way to verbalize it and create some core values.”
Fast forward to 2022, and those core values – being passionate about customer service, showing dedication to learning and growth and focusing on family and the community – are firmly in place at the Elk River-based construction company. They’ve helped guide Swisher in creating a company culture where his 20-plus team members take pride in what they do, feel purpose in their work and enjoy a sense of camaraderie and equity in the brand and company that they’re part of.
“To me, it’s about culture over profit,” he said.
Tips on Building a Strong Company Culture
If you’re looking to build a strong company culture where your employees can grow and thrive while having a little fun, here are Swisher’s suggestions:
- Define your vision: If you don’t have a vision for where you want your company to go or what you want it to stand for, it’s pretty hard to be successful in the long run. Spend some time thinking about who you are and what you want to be as well as where your business will fit into your market. “I knew I wanted to be a customer service-oriented construction business because I felt like customer service was something that had been lacking in this industry,” Swisher said. “So for me, it was combining what the market needed with what I was passionate about and then putting that into a written format.”
- Hire the right people: Once you’ve established a clear vision and a set of core values, you can begin focusing on finding like-minded employees who will support you in your growth. Swisher has instituted a thorough interview process where he and his colleagues emphasize their core values so that prospective employees know exactly what Northface is all about. He also avoids asking them generic questions. “It’s pretty obvious when you look at someone’s resume what their experience level is,” he said. “That’s why we ask things that catch them off guard like ‘What’s your favorite thing to do?’ or ‘What’s your favorite pet?’ We’re trying to learn about them and see what their personality is like and whether they will be a good fit for us.” If they’re not, Swisher will keep on interviewing until he finds the right person. “If you hire someone who doesn’t align with your values, that can be poison to your culture,” he said. “They’re going to be putting their paddle into the water and rowing against the rest of your team.”
- Recognize a job well done: Last year, Northface won the Small Business of the Year Award from the Elk River Chamber Commerce because of their Customer For Life Mindset initiative. This initiative is focused on giving customers a great experience so they keep coming back, but it also has a secondary aspect, Swisher said. Each month, team members have the opportunity to nominate each other for the CFLM award. Then, at their monthly meeting, he reads the submissions out loud and announces the winner. The prize is a $50 Visa gift card, but that’s not really what’s important in the end. “It’s about feeling appreciated by your team and continuing to foster a team environment where it’s about us and not me,” he said.
- Cross-train your team: In addition to the training that goes on during the onboarding process, Swisher does regular cross-training so employees from different departments have a greater understanding of what goes on outside their areas. “We want people to respect each other’s jobs and the integral role we all play in keeping the company running smoothly,” he said.
- Have fun – and share it: Whether it’s volunteering with a charitable organization, having a barbecue or going off-roading together, Swisher enjoys getting his employees together to cut loose when the workday is done. “We’ve had a lot of people develop long-term friendships here,” he said. Additionally, he’ll take photos and videos at team outings and share them online so people outside the organization can see the strong company culture that exists. And doing so has paid off in many ways. “It’s not only been great in regard to attracting more customers, but I’ve had some prospective employees seek me out because of our culture,” he said. “And once they get here, they realize ‘hey, everyone – it really is what it seems like – come join us!’”
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