if they want to work with us.” Before hiring a new subcontractor, Keith Construction vets them thoroughly, and then starts them off on smaller projects, Bryce explains: “We look at how they conduct themselves on site, we look at if they’re organized, if they have good references and good community standing,” he explains. “Vernon is a smaller community, so word gets around very quickly. I spoke earlier about how much we care about our reputation. We want to work with companies who care about theirs.” That process has proved very effective, Bryce says, and Keith Construction has found some subcontractors and suppliers who care as much as them. Their relationships with those partners tend to be very longstanding: “We have a fair amount of suppliers who still know Keith, and he retired a couple decades ago,” he says. “Once we create a strong relationship, we tend to work together for a long time. We treat them well, they treat us well, and that results in a quality experience and product for our clients.” When Bryce says they treat subcontractors well, of course he means they pay them well and on time – but also he means they are organized and make efficient use of their time: “I’ve heard from several trades that there aren’t that many residential builders who will properly organize their schedule, who will give notice, communicate quickly, get sign-offs from clients promptly if a change needs to be made,” Bryce explains. “We’re one of those builders. We’ve done our best to make sure our construction management system is set up to help them. We want the entire project team to succeed, and that’s why they like working with us.” MARCH 2024
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