Blount employees

Many people think revenue is the biggest testament to a company’s growth; however, David Dean, Division Manager, argues that several factors have contributed to increased growth at the Southwest Division of WW Clyde in recent months. 

“Revenue is just one thing you can look at,” David said. “Are you really growing if all you’re doing with that increased revenue is subcontracting out your additional work? In the Southwest Division, we have doubled our employee count since last year. That means we’re performing most of our extra work ourselves. We’re providing opportunities for people to grow and develop. Another indication of growth is how many different scopes of work you’re in. All three of those things show that you’re growing as a company, and we have them all here.” 

Facing a busy construction season in Arizona, the Southwest Division has encountered increased needs and unexpected opportunities from clients that would have previously been passed up. 

“We’re halfway through the year and we’re on track to double revenue from last year,” David said. “That just speaks to being able to react quickly to the market, taking on more work and bigger projects that customers need.” 

Some of that increased workload includes drilling that has allowed the Southwest Division to get into the drywell market. This has provided more opportunities for turnkey solutions than ever before. 

Additionally, providing wet utilities has opened up several more projects. Many jobs in Arizona are looking to have both earthwork and utilities done together by the same crews. The Southwest Division has won several projects by providing both of these services as a complete package. 

Looking to the future, the Southwest Division is focused on continued growth throughout the company. 

“One area with significant upside is our geotechnical area,” David said. “There’s a lot of opportunity there, so we’re starting to take on different types of projects within that world. There’s a lot of opportunities for us throughout the industry. 

“You could stay stagnant and comfortable doing what you’ve always been doing, but what happens is that there’s no upward movement for your employees. Growth forces you to be uncomfortable and make tough decisions. It lets you find new people and helps those already here grow into new positions and responsibilities that they might not otherwise have had. We’re really trying to look out for our people. 

“As we’ve grown, we’ve realized just how important our company values are. Making sure that people fit the culture and have the same values that we do is important to us. We find that when they do, it’s much easier to get them acclimated. We’ve maintained the same culture that we’ve always had as a company throughout our substantial growth period.”