Michael Bedell, Vice President & General Manager, Walbridge
In an interview with Invest:, Michael Bedell, vice president and general manager of full-service construction company Walbridge, discussed the company’s recent milestones, technology adoption, and strategies for recruitment and retention. He highlighted its focus on sustainability, significant growth in the data center sector, and priorities for the coming years in the Charlotte region.
What were some of the key achievements and also challenges for Walbridge over the past year?
It has been a busy market for us, especially in industrial manufacturing. We’ve faced challenges in finding the right employees, which has become even more difficult with the current industry demands.
About 75 to 85% of our work comes from repeat customers, which significantly impacts our operations. Knowing our customers and their expectations allows us to perform at a high level more easily than constantly acquiring new clients. Many of our legacy customers are large corporations with their own capital budgets, so they aren’t as affected by interest rates and economic fluctuations. Although we do some developer-type work that has been impacted, overall, we haven’t been greatly affected over the past year.
Considering the diverse services you offer, which are growing the most, and what does that indicate about the market?
Industrial manufacturing is a significant part of our business, but over the past five to six years, we’ve seen substantial growth in the mission-critical data center sector. With the increasing use of AI and autonomous vehicles, there’s a high demand for data centers, and we can’t build them fast enough. This part of our market has grown from a $200 million business five years ago to a $1.8 billion business today.
How are you leveraging technology?
We use various technologies, such as laser scanning with drones and digital layout on projects. These have grown in use over the past few years. While AI isn’t a significant factor yet, we see it on the horizon, especially in estimating and data processing.
What strategies do you have in place to recruit and retain employees?
People are a crucial part of our business. Our employee value proposition focuses on career growth and a safety-first culture, ensuring our employees return home safely each day. Retaining existing employees is our biggest challenge. We prioritize listening to them and meeting their needs through quarterly check-ins with direct reports.
Recruiting new talent is also challenging in our busy market. It’s competitive, with many companies vying for the same skilled individuals. We emphasize the long-term value of career growth and internal promotions, which can be hard to quantify financially. Currently, 30 to 40% of our employees have been with Walbridge for 10 years or more. With many long-term employees retiring soon, we must show new hires a clear path for advancement.
What has been a significant focus for Walbridge in terms of upcoming industry trends?
Over the last year and a half to two years, sustainability has become a major focus. We’ve created an executive sustainability group within Walbridge. Many of our large clients, particularly Blue Chip clients, are increasingly concerned with their carbon footprints and other sustainability issues. This pressure has pushed us to take a deeper look at our practices and set ourselves up for success in sustainability moving forward. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s become the largest initiative we’re working on.
What are your top priorities for the next couple of years, and what is your general outlook for Walbridge over that time frame?
Our top priority is people — retaining our current employees, keeping them happy, and attracting new talent. This focus is crucial for setting ourselves up for future success. We also aim to maintain strong relationships with our legacy clients, ensuring their satisfaction. Additionally, our goal is to add one or two new legacy-type clients to our portfolio each year. This strategy of consistently building and maintaining client relationships will pay off in the long run.
